male and female togeather?

[utman66]

I recently bought a male and female betta with the intentions on letting them live togeather in my 2 gallon tank. As of right now they are togeather with no apparent problems. HOwever i've heard that you shouldn't do this unless it's mating time. I'm confused on what to do because they seem to do being fine, but maybe this is only beacuse they are just now becoming aquainted to the tank.



Oh yeah....and what does it mean when the male betta flares up his jaw or somethin. It looks like two gills come out from uinderneath his jaw but abnormally big. I know nothings wrong with him beacue the other bettas at the store did it. Is he just6 taking occasionnally bigger breaths??

 

[UGAfan2001]

not a fish expert, but i had a few bettas once as a child, and i believe thats like a show of aggression, mine only did it when i faced them together, then again dont quote me. good luck with them though

 

[Lotus]

A male and female betta can't live together in the same tank. Eventually one will kill the other... and it may be sooner than later. If you want to breed them, you really need to read up on it. I would get another tank as soon as possible, and separate them. You have a small tank, and there isn't a lot of space for them to get away from eachother.

The male flares as a sign of aggression. He is puffing his gills out. Too much of this can be stressful for him. I would say that's a bad sign that he may attack your female.

There is a lot of good info on this site about bettas: http://www.bettatalk.com/

 

[Iggy]

Get her outta there & now!!!

A male and a female... in a 2 gallon tank! Not a good idea. If he is flaring his gills, it either means I want to kill you or I want to mate with you.

Either one is bad news, because she may not be ready to mate, in which case he will chase her and bite her to death.

No... if you want to breed bettas, learn how first, ask me, I would be glad to help, but we NEVER breed in 2 gallon tanks!

If you want to have a male and a female, get a tanks with a divider, like a minibow 2.5.

But for right now, put her in a covered bowl (with airholes) or another tank right away.

 

[utman66]

I went ahead and put the female in a vase lastnight before i had any replies just to be on the safe side....haha i guess i did the right thing. She's in a vase thats right underneath a light....do you think that she could stay here. The vase looks to be a little less than a gallon, but has plenty of room to move around in. The males tank only has air filtration.... is this ok? It has no heater but the light seems to make it warm. Thanks for the replies

 

[animal lover]

I hate to be the one that seems to be getting nasty but you should have really looked into this stuff before going out and buying these fish...this is the kind of stuff that cause unneeded deaths in fish...You should sit down and read up on bettas and what they need to live happy and healthy....And NO that vase is not good enough for the female...How would you like to be cooped up in a 6X6 room for the rest of your life???Look into what is good for the fish and be a good fish owner and get.....Not trying to be a b@#*h just looking out for the bettas interest.

 

[utman66]

everything ive read says that anywhere from 1/2 gallon and up is more than enopugh. I know the vase is more than that. Are you saying i should get a bigger bowl.

 

[animal lover]

Pretty much ya...It says they can survive in that much water but do you honestly think they are comfortable????Also with a larger size living space you will have a easier time cleaning the water and keeping them healthy, with smaller amounts of water I find they are more suseptable to getting sick with different ailments....I have a min 2g for each of my bettas. Read the threads here on bettas and you will learn alot, and as Iggy said asked and you shall recieve info, he is a very knowledgable betta breeder and shouldn't have any problems with providing you with an answer.....

 

[Iggy]

I am glad you seperated her.. good job!

Bettas like space, specifically, bettas like their OWN space with a view of each other. All my bettas are in jars, from 3/8 to 2 gallon jars. I am constantly changing water and always keeping them company, and they are surrounded by each other, so they are never bored. Plus, most of my bettas are young adults, under 2" in body size, and I sell them to stores or other enthusiasts constantly.

If I had my way, each one of my bettas would have 5 gallon heated tanks with internal micro-filters, soft rounded gravel, and lots of tall plants to sleep on.

So, if you can afford to, shoot for 5 gallons, heated per betta. Barring that, just make sure they get attention, plenty of water changes and proper diet and they can live for over 5 years!

 

[kritty180]

I have a 2.5 gallon mini-bow and i'm using the divider. What I don't like is how the divider is completly transparent and there is constant flaring. Any suggestions?

 

[ashleigh]

I would get another, I don't think 2.5 is nearly enough room for two, personally- barring that out plants around the divider so that they can't see one another as well. That tank is nice for on ebetta but I don't understand why they market it for two, it's just not big enough, especially with that clunky filter in there.

 

[RootBeerFan]

Originally posted by Iggy
If I had my way, each one of my bettas would have 5 gallon heated tanks with internal micro-filters, soft rounded gravel, and lots of tall plants to sleep on.

That's exactly how I keep my split-tailed bettas, and it is so much easier than those little bowls. The heater keeps the temperature constant, which is easier on the fish, and gives him lots of room to swim around and explore. Lots of plants gives him places to hide in if he likes. Also, I can't imagine that you can actually see the fish in that tiny bowl. It's an eye test!