# rasboras and female bettas



## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

i have 2 females in an undivided tank 9 months together (yes i know this is bad now but i am not sure i should separate them at this point) and was wondering if i could add some rasboras and ideal food for the rasboras  thx


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

Instead of rasboras I would add in some more female bettas, because there's no telling when your girls might snap and turn on each other. How big is your tank? In a cycled, densely planted (Fake or real) 10g you could have as many as seven or eight girls, and the more females the more spread out any aggression will be. Anything less than 10g should be divided, since you really can't have a sorority in a small tank unless it's temporary and the girls are young.


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

Rana said:


> Instead of rasboras I would add in some more female bettas, because there's no telling when your girls might snap and turn on each other. How big is your tank? In a cycled, densely planted (Fake or real) 10g you could have as many as seven or eight girls, and the more females the more spread out any aggression will be. Anything less than 10g should be divided, since you really can't have a sorority in a small tank unless it's temporary and the girls are young.


Yes I have a ten gallon it is in my picture is that planted enough? And I asked the sea escapes people (my best local pets store besides petco and petsmart) and they said not to risk it? So how should I approach doing this? One last thing in a sorority how would I feed them? The same way?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I would be hesitant to add any further fish to your tank. While I always strongly advise against keeping two females together, if the females seem to be cohabitating peacefully enough now, I worry that introducing further fish would upset that balance. 

Fish can become more aggressive if they are stressed, and if the rasboras prove stressful to your females, you may find things start to fall apart. 

If I was looking at getting more fish, I would do as Rana has suggested and invest in some more females. I like to see a minimum of five females for a sorority and a 10 gallon tank is adequate for a group of this size.


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

I would add in more plants, the more the better with sororities. Mine looks like a total jungle and I'm still thinking about adding more! This is a great thread about sororities: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=123796

I would buy a few girls (I'd go with 3-5), preferably fairly young, and quarantine them for a few weeks- you can float their cups in the main tank, just make sure to keep their water separate in case one is sick. After at least two weeks if everyone is healthy, take your original girls out and rearrange the tank. This makes it so that everyone has a "new" tank to explore rather than your original girls being defensive of their territory. Then acclimate everyone to the tank water and let them go. There will probably be chasing and fin-nipping, so don't panic and only take a girl out if actual damage is being done. After a few days to weeks it'll settle down.

It's better to do temporary time-outs at first rather than removing a girl permanently, you can do this by either putting her into a cup and floating her for a few more days or buying a clear/mesh breeder's box and letting her stay in that for a while. I like the box more than cups, since then they share the same water which is less work- just make sure they have air to breathe. 

For feeding I just turn down the filter's flow (Mine's adjustable) and drop in pellets a few at a time until everyone has eaten at least a few. Right now one girl is in a time-out box, so I need to feed her individually.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

You would definitely need more cover. My most successful sorority was a ten gallon tank that was planted so densely you couldn't see from one end of the tank to the other. 

You want to provide cover at all levels of the tank, but particularly up near the surface. This way weaker females won't be attacked or chased off when they come up for air or to eat. 

I used to feed my sorority by dropping in a line of pellets at the front of the tank. Those females that were less confident or aggressive, I'd feed by putting pellets closer to them. 

The most important thing when upping the number of females in your tank, is whether your filter is capable of handling the added bioload. You definitely don't want to be dealing with ammonia spikes in a sorority. I had a cycle crash once and it not only wiped out half my sorority but also caused great stress to the survivors.


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

Should I separate them and buy a new 10 gallon tank? I am hesitant to make a sorority because I am new to betta keeping when I went to buy the bettas I had read females were good together but they did not give a number and the employee did not warn me so I am in a tuff spot :/ plus I am only 13 lol


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

In that case I think it might be better if you just divided the tank, sororities are a lot of work especially for a newbie. You don't need to get another tank, this way you only have one tank to take care of. You can make dividers for just a few dollars, using plastic craft mesh and presentation binders- here is a great tutorial, or they can be bought at pretty much any pet store.

Even though your girls have been living together for a while they won't get sad or lonely in a divided tank, bettas aren't really social like some other fish. They might even be glad to have their own space!


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

Rana said:


> In that case I think it might be better if you just divided the tank, sororities are a lot of work especially for a newbie. You don't need to get another tank, this way you only have one tank to take care of. You can make dividers for just a few dollars, using plastic craft mesh and presentation binders- here is a great tutorial, or they can be bought at pretty much any pet store.
> 
> Even though your girls have been living together for a while they won't get sad or lonely in a divided tank, bettas aren't really social like some other fish. They might even be glad to have their own space!


Thx for your help  would ghost shrimp be fine to add on both sides? And just to clarify sorry for being a newbie that's why that's my name  I only need one heater and filter right?


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

No worries, I usually don't pay much attention to people's usernames so I didn't even think to check yours until after you replied! We love newbies around here, so feel free to ask as many questions as you want. :3

I think one or two shrimp per side would be fine, some people cut holes into the bottom of their dividers for them to go from one side to the other but I don't know what sizes you'd need. They're sensitive to water conditions, so you'll need to make sure you stay on top of water changes.

And yes, you only need one heater and filter for the tank. What you might want to do is get two dividers instead of one so you can have a little "no man's land" section in the middle, and put the heater and filter there. That way both sides get even heat and water flow. Plus, if one of your bettas gets through the divider by mistake there is still the second divider keeping her from getting into the other section and potentially fighting.


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

Rana said:


> No worries, I usually don't pay much attention to people's usernames so I didn't even think to check yours until after you replied! We love newbies around here, so feel free to ask as many questions as you want. :3
> 
> I think one or two shrimp per side would be fine, some people cut holes into the bottom of their dividers for them to go from one side to the other but I don't know what sizes you'd need. They're sensitive to water conditions, so you'll need to make sure you stay on top of water changes.
> 
> And yes, you only need one heater and filter for the tank. What you might want to do is get two dividers instead of one so you can have a little "no man's land" section in the middle, and put the heater and filter there. That way both sides get even heat and water flow. Plus, if one of your bettas gets through the divider by mistake there is still the second divider keeping her from getting into the other section and potentially fighting.


Thing is the hole in the cover is in the far right so I can't really do that :/ I will put the heater in the middle though they have been together for 9 months no problems, I know I was very lucky but that seems very unusual

Edit: the filter has almost 0 flow I have a plant blocking the blunt of it, and will the ghost shrimp over populate or will bettas eat the larvae? The last one I have is would a pet store one be best I am willing to spend a little for quality vs. me doing a bad job and something happening.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I would personally divide the tank based on my past experiences. Bettas can be highly unpredictable fish and there aren't always obvious warning signs that things are going wrong. Females can be every bit as vicious as the males and are perfectly capable of killing a fellow female. 

However, it's ultimately your decision. You know your fish best and there are some people who are successful with unconventional set-ups. It just comes down to managing the risk and being aware that your fish may not always get along without issue.


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

It should be fine with the filter on just one side then, if you notice the water getting scummy on the other side then you might want to add in an airstone just to break it up. It's not harmful, just looks kinda ugly. So long as the water is circulating through the tank it's fine, which any decent filter shouldn't have a problem with. Do add a sponge onto the intake if you get shrimp, I'm pretty sure they can get sucked up if it's not covered!

Once your girls are on their own they'll probably become more territorial, since their side will be their safe space- and bettas tend to become more territorial the older they get. So even if they're fine now, they might not be in the future if they accidentally get into each other's side. I didn't have any trouble with the dividers I made and siliconed into place, the temporary ones I made weren't the right size so they were more finicky. If you feel more comfortable with the store-bought ones then go for it.

As far as I know the shrimp will either get eaten, or won't find enough food and so any young won't survive long anyway. I don't think I've heard of shrimps overrunning a tank but I could be wrong. Of course your bettas might decide to snack on the adults too, but a lot of people have had good luck. I've never had any shrimp of my own, so someone else might be of more help.


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

Rana said:


> It should be fine with the filter on just one side then, if you notice the water getting scummy on the other side then you might want to add in an airstone just to break it up. It's not harmful, just looks kinda ugly. So long as the water is circulating through the tank it's fine, which any decent filter shouldn't have a problem with. Do add a sponge onto the intake if you get shrimp, I'm pretty sure they can get sucked up if it's not covered!.


What do you mean add a sponge , and I have decided to divide the tank.


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm assuming your filter is the kind that hangs off the tank, with a tube that sucks up the water? Sometimes shrimp (and tiny fish like guppy fry) get sucked up against it and even pulled into the filter. So you want a piece of aquarium sponge, I believe Fluval makes one just for intakes, that you can put over the end of the tube to keep them from getting sucked in. You can also use an empty filter insert bag, if you have one- it just looks a little messier. 

Here's a link to the sponges I'm talking about- they fit most filters and can usually be found in pet stores.


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

I have seen those before thx  I will do all this friday i don't have time any earlier


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## TheBettaNewb (Feb 17, 2014)

At 9 months would my bettas be considered adults?


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