# I think my betta has eyes for my molly!



## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Out of curiosity, I was wondering if a betta fish would show attraction to a molly. I woke up this morning to find my betta swimming by the molly's side, sort of brushing her side with his. He is a 5 month old black orchid crowntail, and she is a mostly-black calico. I'm saying this to be taken with a grain of salt as these two species are very different, but is this at all possible?

As a side note - I am not interested in breeding the betta at the moment nor do I have a female for him, but since the members on this side of the forum have more experience in breeding and breeding behaviors of bettas, I figured I'd ask here.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

The real signs would be bubble nest making, the wiggle dance, and giving chase (and enticing). However it would also take the instinctual sight and sometimes smell, plus conditioning and proper conditions to actually get them "into it".

It may be possible he is actually pestering her :lol: what does he do exactly?


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Well, there's no bubble nest or wiggle dance going on. He does chase her though. I think what happened is that my fish all gather near the small door opening on the top of my tank when I come in to feed them in the morning. I think he was sort of pushing her away from the opening to get to the food first.

Is there any merit to the claim that bettas don't like black? She is mostly black, perhaps that's why he chases and pesters her. Should I separate them? They do spend plenty of time apart, and occupied with other areas of the tank.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

This is a live feed of the tank so you can see what they do... http://skjm.com/icam/web/?h=cfd014c...b69adc39f58c9cf128ec22e54abc2f3a9e553a535d5c0


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Surprisngly, betta fish actually are attracted or do not like certain colors :lol:

E! Darn mac :lol: Don't have the required java :roll: However, as for food time and shoving her away, probably. I had a betta with danios (yes, they got along) and he knocked them out of the ball park third day in, therefore he was king and he got food first :lol:

It may be that he just does not like her. What size of tank is it? Is it just him and her? I usually suggest lots of plants (silk, fabric and real) that are able to cover the top, middle, and bottom section of the water that way neither is annoyed by seeing each other too much.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

It's only a 5.5 gal, and the plants are still growing (swords) but I have tall bushy plastic plants in the corners for hiding, and they do spend time behind them. It's betta, molly, platy, and 3 ghosties. Tank does handle the bioload btw - well cycled. They don't seem to be bothering eachother and I wish you could see the feed, because they seem fairly happy. If anyone else can see the feed, you'll see that the betta swims past the molly and platy and only pesters/chases once in a while. Nobody seems stressed, but I could always be wrong about that.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well, I prefer platys and mollies in larger tanks (active) and when a betta is Ina community tank I like to give him room to escape  just be warned those mollies are very prone to mouth fungus (due to being brackish water fish, living in fresh water). I say, keep an eye on everyone. Do you have a back up tank for the betta just in case something happens?


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Sena Hansler said:


> Do you have a back up tank for the betta just in case something happens?


Yes, sitting, ready. I always keep an eye, too. Haven't had any problems yet, and the 5.5 is all I can afford at the moment. I'm definitely not adding anything more to the tank, besides maybe more plants. I think [crosses fingers] these guys will be ok. It's been a week together with no serious problems - just occasional chasing. The betta also catches his reflection once in a while (when the lighting is right) and flares at the tank wall. The platy and the molly will chase each other on occasion as well, and really don't seem confined.

Here is a pic of the tank:


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

I just realized I might be wrong with my identification, since I wasn't paying the best attention at the pet store when I bought these guys - are they both platy's?


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

... Yes that one definitely is a Platy :lol: so you have two platys and a betta


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Awesome. !!


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Judging by the anal fins, I have a male and a female - the male is the sunset and the female is the black. I should be expecting fry in due time, right? I'm not planning on keeping the fry, so naturally the betta would probably eat them?? AND What other alternatives might exist other than giving the betta a buffet if/when these two go at it?


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Female: fan anal fin male: tube anal fin 

Yes the betta will probably eat them plus so will the parents.

Otherwise you could just give them away, sell them etc


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## hannah16 (Mar 3, 2011)

Is one of them pregnant?


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Be aware they sometimes won't give birth. The female may reabsorb her eggs or fry, depending if she feels the environment is suitable. I have 8 Haiwaii platys and 5 babies.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Pushing with it's side is thought of as aggression, kind of like slapping it in the face.

Those three fish in a 5 gallon most likely are feeling confined - they can feel trapped if there isn't a whole lot of room with multiple fish. Usually 5 gallons is recommended for 1 or 2 bettas (divided), rather than a betta + multiple other fish. Make sure you do your weekly water changes and possibly a secondary one mid-week to help control the water quality.. 5 gallons can really only handle so much bio load at a time. 

If the betta continues to harass - chase, bump, etc - then you definitely need to either upgrade to the proper size to house that many fish, or place him in a new tank where he won't have to worry about tank mates (some bettas do not like them) nor feeling closed in with multiple fish in a smaller tank.

If you are wanting babies then upgrade the tank to at least a 10 gallon where the platies would be more comfortable, divide a section off with the premade dividers as they have tiny holes, and let the female give birth in that side and remove her to the other once done.. let the babies grow up in the divided section until they are large enough to survive with mom and dad.

Edit: saw where you said the tank was cycled and could hold the bio load - possibly.. but also keep in mind the size of the tank.. there is no 1 inch per gallon rule here, and with bettas being territorial and generally solitary fish... a lot do not want to be with others, and not in a smaller tank with them. Just keep an eye on them, if he views the other fish as not listening to his "threats" about leaving, he may get rougher 

I know you stated it's all you can afford.. keep in mind, Walmart sells 10 gallon complete kits for $30, for when you can. Good luck with them! They are cute and it's a pretty tank


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Plus look for people on here in your area who may have some things they could sell to you for great prices


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

hannah16 said:


> Is one of them pregnant?


Can you tell from these photos?
I don't think she is, but I could be wrong - I've only owned her for a little over a week.


















































(Figured I'd use this opportunity to post some pictures..)

@Myates - I really appreciate your comments. Like you said, I'll upgrade if they don't listen to his warnings (accept him as alpha, right?). I have a webcam on them during the day and they're pretty civil. I understand all of the concerns, but unless I really see any signs of dysfunction developing in the tank, I'd really like to keep this set up for the moment. At this point, however, I already have a heater and filter big enough for a 10 gal, would really only need a new tank, hood, light and perhaps more substrate and plants. Trust me though, I really don't want to see these fish suffer, and if I thought they were in danger, I wouldn't hesitate to act!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Nice pictures BTW :lol: You're pretty good at photography 

Anyways she does not look to be (usually they will be rounder bellied or boxy) however females can retain the male's sperm for a long time. He also may decide he does not want to breed with her. I have that happen in some molly cases, including my balloon mollies where the male had his ONE female and snubbed the rest.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Thanks for the photo appreciation - I used to be a freelancer.  ;-) 



Sena Hansler said:


> He also may decide he does not want to breed with her.


She's getting friend-zoned... :lol:


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

You really aught to stick with it ;-) It's hard to find real photography anymore (it's all digital art).

:lol: I had removed my molly's female, and he still didn't want them :roll: Some are just plain weird... or maybe they know something we do not.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Haha, that's interesting.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

I just found this in another thread. This is what she would look like if she were pregnant, right? (poop hanging out of butt, optional :lol


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

:lol: Basically. One of mine is pregnant, the others are not. and they almost blend in with the males for body shape right now.


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

Well, I'll keep a keen eye on her. Many thanks for all of your insight! I better move onto my homework before it's too late. I could stay on these forums for hours!


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## hannah16 (Mar 3, 2011)

Nope, she didn't look pregnant in those other photos, in the others she did because of the angle.


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## Mahachai (Sep 15, 2012)

So how come this is in the breeding section? Either way that's cute. lol


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## JAGalletta (Oct 24, 2012)

It originally started as a question as to whether my betta was exhibiting breeding-like behavior or aggression, and the verdict seems to be the latter. However, it is only on occasion and he will stay with his tank mates until the fish show serious signs of aggression. I figured this side of the forum would have the most knowledgable views on breeding behavior. Yeah, it was a silly question, but I've learned a lot!!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I've read silly questions on other sites before - this wasn't a silly question lol you just wanted to know 

Edit: although the thought of a Molly/platy betta would be funny.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Awesome pictures  Both platies are very cute! 

And I know you will.. realized after I posted how I sounded >.<


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