# Two Bettas, One Tank



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

So here I am. I just commented about how to deal with a forum troll, and now I'm opening myself wide open to be trolled.




SO, Have you ever had success keeping multiple betta fish in a single tank? I have, and would like to discuss with anyone who's interested.


----------



## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

When it comes to males, it is definitely not recommended to keep them together. They will either kill each other right away for territory, or they will lead very stressed out lives.

Females on the other hand are totally capable of co-existing. They can be very aggressive, but if you keep them in groups of 4 or more, the aggression is spread out and they should be able to live together in a minimum of 10 gallons, with lots of plants and hiding places. I have a female betta fish sorority myself. They fought like hell for maybe the first 24 hours, now they're all for the most part peaceful with eachother... except for Daiquiri... my little dictator... had to remove her for a bit just because she was just that aggressive. Drama. lol... I could probably link you to a couple of helpful forums if you were thinking of starting one up if you're interested!


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks for the input Metal. Good info. 

At first I had integrated a few females into my 20gal (see my tanks) community tank. After a while, I fell in love with the fish. I wound up taking all my community inhabitants to the petshop (except my eels) and buying more females. My sorority was awesome.

Then I got my 125 set up. I lost one eel and about ten female bettas after the first week or so. I was pretty crushed. The 125 is a uniquarium, so I couldn't do anything to minimize the water flow, and I had to add powerheads to keep the water looking clean. I thought I had to give up on my bettas.

I noticed though that the ones that survived were very healthy. All of my betta stock is PetCo bought- and I've noticed that a LOT of their bettas arrive sick or just weak. A few months later I'd find out that they get their bettas from a single breeder, and I talked with the breeder and found out that only the dregs of his spawns get sold to PetCo.

I've added about five or so females to my 125, and they're all doing well. Picking them out is very difficult however, and I did have more than one die on me in the process.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

I've spent months watching the females and how they interact with one another. After the first spats over territory- they stop. My tank is moderately planted, but I have a HUGE rock pile with holes throughout. I have rocks in there that you can't even see from the outside, but I knew that my bettas would appreciate the space, so I spared no expense.

I have three red females that have been in the tank at least two months, and they actually school together. It's so neat.

Recently I added three males. That makes ten females, and three males in the same tank. I'll post some more recent pictures soon, as I've just noticed that I don't have any more recent ones.

Of course, these are not the only fish in the tank. I've got a very explicit strategy for picking the fish and setting up the tank for multiples if anyone here is interested in talking/ trying it.

I really feel like my process works, but I won't know unless other people try it and are successful too.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad it's working out for you but I'd still keep an eye on them in case someone decides to start trouble. lol


----------



## CjRager89 (Aug 12, 2010)

I wish I had the space to set up a tank that size, for now im stuck with my little 20 gal :/ Seems like it would be enough space though for 3 males to co exist....


----------



## Owlets (Oct 24, 2009)

I'd love to see pictures, I've never heard of a set up like that working out


----------



## Lunatatice (Jun 22, 2010)

Yes, pics would be nice!


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

I R idiot, I totally forgot about this thread.

I thought I had a problem- I added two more bettas and didn't spend my normal HOUR watching them before I bought. I guess I got a little cocky.

Two of my males turned up with nipped tails. 

I caught one of my angelfish nipping at them- red handed. He's been moved =)

There's some flaring going on, but nothing too aggressive. The fin nipping has stopped since I removed the culprit angel.

Pics incoming.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Here we go. I hope you enjoy.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)




----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)




----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)




----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)




----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)




----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

I was really, really lucky to get that first picture.

My rock pile is huge, but made so that there's tons of space and water that doesn't move inside, since there's so much current throughout the tank. In fact, there's about ten holes in the rocks that all lead to different places. You can see the red Betta has found his home and claimed it, lol.

I have one more that's absolutely beautiful. He's a dark steel color with mustard gas orange/ brown fins and a hard black outline on them. He's staked a claim inside one of the higher, flatter rocks, and doesn't like to come out too often.

I wasn't really trying to get pics of the females, but if you look in the backgrounds, you're bound to see one or five.


----------



## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Wow, that's incredible.. the males don't attack each other?

At first I read your thread and was like "omg, such a bad idea", but reading your posts and seeing the photos definitely changed my mind! I wish I had the space for a tank like that, that's just fantastic. Keep an eye on them!


----------



## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

That is one incredible tank... *jealous*


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Thank you for the compliments.

The males don't attack, no. They do flare, but only when one gets close to the other's home. When they're freeswimming in the middle of the tank, they're fine. Purple in the first picture hasn't quite found a home yet. Everyone else is housed.


----------



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

That white VT will be missing by tomorrow and I'll end up with another pure white betta from...um....uh....Walmart...yeah thats a good one.

I really wanna put my males in a big tank with females...I do have a big kiddy pool I never used that might work.......


----------



## Euphie101 (Aug 28, 2010)

I'm not going to lie... Thats AMAZING! I'm so jelous. It's awesome how you have the males to co-exist!


----------



## Okasen (Oct 19, 2010)

Wow, your tank is beautiful. For quite a while I'll be shying away from multiple males in a tank, but it would be a wonderful thing to accomplish.

I currently keep a single female and male together, and even with that I will get comments that inevitably they'll kill eachother. However, my female is very docile, and I introduced them with a lot of monitoring, and finally they've become good betta friends.

It's really all about personality. Some bettas are simply aggressive by nature, while others do well with others. As long as they can always be separated instantly should something happen, and you have medicine on hand of any injured fins that could occur... well, there's not much of a reason not to keep them together.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Yea. One of my five (the newest) is a complete bully. I'm taking him back today.

The others are doing great.


----------



## Lunatatice (Jun 22, 2010)

Wow, breathtakingly beautiful tank! Lovely bettas, too, BTW.

I'd love to have a tank like that of my own, but I'm probably not as expierienced as you...


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Most of my experience comes from the internet, to be quite honest. I had two 40 gallon tanks that I maintained with my dad 15 years ago, which we had for about a year. Simple fish, black gravel, blue light.

I got back into the hobby about nine months ago. Started with a 5 gallon, and did what I knew- simple fish, black gravel, blue light.

Then I started reading about plants, and more complicated setups. I learned about gas exchange, so I figured out that I didn't need bubbles (which I hate). I kept reading and learned about the light demands of different kinds of plants, wattages, and light spectrum. 

What I learned was that if I kept reading the same info from one website to another, it was probably pretty accurate. After two months, I moved up to a 20 gallon. After a few months of that (and many small successes with plants and fish), I decided to jump in with both feet and spent about 5k on the tank in the photos. 

I've done enough homework to know enough of the basics that all I'm learning now is practical truths from my own experiences. 

Actually, reading over this post again, maybe I do fit in the "pretty experienced" group, lol.


----------



## sunnymui (Sep 24, 2010)

Wow, I'm so impressed by your tank, and I'm so jealous! 

I really want a set-up like yours now!


----------



## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

This is so cool. It's really awesome to see that the males can get along (though the large tank size definately helps) and that they've set up territories.  

You said there was a lot of current in the tank. How well are the males able to swim in the current with their longer fins?


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Well, they absolutely stay away from the top unless they need a breath. It's a pentagon shape, so there are three corners where they can hang at the top without current, and they do use those spots. Most of the time though they hang out at the bottom in plants or rocks.

I have two powerheads pointing up to help move the water and filter out particulates. They get caught in these once in a while and get blown to the top, but they learn quick.


----------



## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

I'll pass.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Pass on what?


----------



## Bloodeath (Aug 22, 2010)

mehh...idk, i still don't think it's right. you cant stand here and tell me you have more than 1 male in the same tank and they dont constantly fight, video or it doesnt exist. i dont mean to sound rude, but the first picture really irk's me, because ive had 2 males in the same tank with a divider, and seen what happens when one decides to get to the other side, and how right after they do that little dance they start attacking the crap out of each other....

i'd just like to see a video of it, because it still seems unhumane unless i can really see that they are coexisting peacefully.

Don't get me wrong i see how they can set up their own individual territories, but not to the point where they can really...just live with each other in a tank, fights have to breaking out all the time in my eyes.


----------



## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Personally, I don't believe t3 would be parading their tank around here if the fish were being harmed. From the photos I see nothing that says the males have been fighting.. the tails aren't shredded or torn.

Though, I would love to see a video just to see it, I don't need proof.. the photos are enough for me.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

To be honest, I expected a lot more trolling than what's been going on here thusfar, so I'll count myself lucky.

I've got a webcam built into my laptop, though I don't know if the resolution is high enough to be useful. I'll look into it.

I think though that the message I'm trying to communicate is this:

Don't believe what other people tell you just because they insist they're right. Don't believe what's written in the books because those are only general truths. Experiment and learn. Be diligent. 

The first three Bettas I spent hours deciding on, putting their cups to others to see who would take interest, who would flare, and who would absolutely ignore each other. 

The next two I added, I just figured the tank was large enough and I didn't have to spend as much time trying to judge the disposition of the fish. That was a mistake. One of the two (who didn't seem aggressive in the store) was very aggressive. Once I saw him chasing and harassing two of the other males, I pulled him out and took him back. I picked a delta in his place, and after spending an hour with him in the store, I felt good about putting him in the tank. There haven't been any problems since.


----------



## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

I just noticed that the cat talking about treating fish inhumanely is named "Bloodeath"


Sorry, sorry! No personal shots. Just thought it was good for a chuckle.


----------



## Bloodeath (Aug 22, 2010)

hey its not like even if i were to gripe and gripe about it, what i say here has ultimately no effect on you changing your mind in your attempts to house male bettas together. but all im saying is when one of your fish kills another, A i told you so is in order, but until then im gone from this thread.


----------



## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Blooddeath: I doubt his fish will kill each other. with such a large tank, the fish are able to stake out territories, though it is definately a big risk doing that. Yes, there is a chance, but he did say he took the time to make sure the fish he bought were comfortable being together and not agressive. I definately wouldn't recommend trying unless you have a thought and a solution incase something happens and are willing to keep a good eye on them, but he seems to have it under control.  While I think going against a betta's nature isn't good, it seems to be alright at the moment. Besides, you're acting a bit too callous, you could say what you want to say in a nicer way...


Lol, I agree with capricorn, a video would be awesome, though I don't need proof the fish are getting along fine.


----------



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

You guys want to know why bettas fight? They're control freaks. Seriously set up a sorrority and watch what happens. They fight for control. In this tank there's enough room for all to peacefully live, several territories help. But eventually there's gonna be a bigger, meaner, tougher, male who will take complete control of the tank, should he die or be removed they'll fight. The negative....some torn fins and then the females will begin to fight each other as well.....why?? Because they will begin to establish their right to mate with the dominant male in their community...and then you'll end up with fry (possibly...the power heads might prevent succesful spawning).

BTW that first picture is amazing!! It shows beauty and grace as well as destruction.


----------



## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

MrVampire I totally agree. Watch my sorority for like 10 minutes and you'll see just that.


----------



## BettaGirl290 (Jul 29, 2010)

hmmm, i found out that if you have 10 females and 1 male spawning, you would get 1,000 fry. (i know it is random but i was just thinking random.)


----------



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

That's not a guarentee. Each female could produce up to 1,000 eggs so you might end up with 10,000 fry....ok people keep your betta addiction under control


----------



## anglnarnld (Aug 27, 2010)

Wow! How many gallons is that tank??


----------

