Female Betta

[FishWhisperer]

I received a female betta as a gift in a palm aquarium. It is heart shaped and holds about 1/3 gal of water. I cannot tell if she is happy. She has eaten but is not very active. (1) Are female bettas less active than males? (2) Both my male bettas went crazy when they saw her (one flared the other just danced) and she swam a little but didn't act crazy. (all were in separate containers.) She mostly ignored them, is that normal? and finally (3) the salesperson said you could fit two or three female bettas in the aquarium but I think it's too small. Am I thinking correctly? I'll try to describe the "tank". It really is square shaped but has two hearts on the outside so it looks like a heart. It's really pretty as it does not look like glass but looks like crystal. There is a big handful of tiny pink rocks at the bottom and one clear plastic shell ornament. Please advise. Thanks in advance for anyone's response.

 

[revfred]

Females usually are not that active even in a community tank.

 

[Julie-Anne]

mines a nut she swims around like crazy a little container like yours might be ok for a male but i think females should be ina heated tank my bettas from what ive noticed get lazy if their waters to cold

 

[rommel39]

Yeah that current tank you have is way too small to hold two or three female bettas. Female bettas can get as nasty as males do when they are together esp. if they are cramped together.

 

[Iggy]

My females are just as active as my males, generally speaking. I have some hyperactive males (Nova especially), but for the most part they are the same.

Like Julie-Ann said, if Ms. Betta is only at room temperature (less than 74F) she will be a little more inactive than what she prefers (76 to 78F) as a tropical fish.

Female bettas are handled a little differently by most breeders than males. Females are usually not seperated, and kept in a crowded but well filtered and heated tanks. So females are not as used to colder temperatures than males, and will be less active in colder, room-temperature tanks and jars.

Also, because females are crowded, they tend not to be able to assert there territory and show less aggression. BUT, once they get there own space, and if there are only a few females, one will dominate while the others will live in constant fear of attack.

1/3 gallon is a small space, its the smallest jar I use for my baby males, who are no larger than 1" in size.

No, you cannot put 3 fish in a 1/3 gallon, especially not a betta (neither male or female). If that is what the salesperson said.... I would never talk to that person again.

As far as females in a larger community tank... with LOTS of hiding spaces, and about 10 gallons of space for each female (ie: 30 gallon tank MIGHT hold 3 females), they may just get along and tolerate each other.

Note, betta females are not schooling fish, they don't like other fish, they don't like company that invades there territory, and they only like males for breeding then leave.

Hope that gives you some good information for you to make good decisions.

 

[PreciousGems]

No matter how cute your heart shaped tank is, I'd consider getting a larger permanent home for your fish. Since I assume she's going to be a pet, why not spend a few more bucks on a 2 gallon bowl and heater (junior 7.5 watt heaters are for 2-5 gallon tanks, and can be found at Wal-mart. Just let the temp steady for a day and always use a thermometer)? Even if you don't want to buy a 2+ gallon tank, at least get a 1 gallon bowl or something. Not expensive at all, and they can be made decorative. All of my pet bettas were in at least 1/2 gallon jars, mainly 1+ gallons though.

I keep my bettas in 1/4 gallon jars temporarily and do water changes every other day (I clean the bottoms of them EVERY day), and I still hate keeping bettas in them. However, they are breeders and this is the most efficient set up I can afford for them. If I have room, I let my females swim together in a partially filled, heated, and filtered tank that the males' jars are in so that they all can be in warmer temps during the winter.

Not sure if I agree about the females needing 10 gallons of water each...it seems really extreme however they can be territorial. Some fight as bad as males do. If females are going to get along with other females, its up to the individual fish, not the entire species. I haven't had any problems keeping 5 or 6 in a ten gallon community tank (only with other female bettas). Of course they will determine a pecking order, but decorating the tank helps so each betta gets her own hiding spot. You can reduce the aggression by adding them to the tank at the same time, and again decorating it well. If you have exisitng females in a tank and want to add new ones after a while, just take them all out, rearrange the tank, and add them all again. But don't over crowd the ten gallon - the most females I've had at a time in there was 6, with a few cories. I am sure you'd know if your females aren't getting along, should you chose to set up a community tank, and you'd know to remove the most agressive female to her own bowl/tank/jar.

Alexa

 

[FishWhisperer]

Thank you all for your advice. I more than appreciate it. I don't want to hurt my niece's and nephew's feelings so I will keep her alone in the tank for a few more days then when I come back from San Antonio, I will tell them that I learned I need to put her in a heated tank. They will understand by then because they will be taking care of her while I am away. I guess I'll use one of my ten gal tank's for Val (that's what I named her - short for Valentine) and buy three more female bettas and a couple of cories, as you suggested. My niece and nephew gave me a female betta for Valentine's Day, thus the name Valentine. You guys are simply the best!