Betta territories?

[moonsand0wls]

I have two female Betta introduced into a new tank with a male. (Yeah, some people say "don't keep the male with females", but I have to until I can get a new heater for a tank as it's popped, plus he's not showing any interest in them and he's quite peaceful and they don't seem to show him any aggressiveness.) Anyhow, one of the females, whenever she sees the other, will flair her gills and give chase to the other female, but will give it up and not attack.

So, my question is, is this just because they are in a new territories and they have to get "used" to it etc? They were kept in another tank all three of them and quite comfortably, but here the female is flaring her gills.

Any advice? Thanks :)

[homegrown terror]

honestly, in the short term theat male would be better off in an unheated but monitored tank placed in a room that's typically warmer than most. a few days of low-ish temperature would do a LOT less harm that a 3-way fight potentially could.

also, it's recommended that you keep females in groups of no fewer than 4, since that's the minimum number needed to develop a proper hierarchy and prevent one more dominant girl from beating up on the other.

[moonsand0wls]

Originally Posted by homegrown terror

honestly, in the short term theat male would be better off in an unheated but monitored tank placed in a room that's typically warmer than most. a few days of low-ish temperature would do a LOT less harm that a 3-way fight potentially could.

also, it's recommended that you keep females in groups of no fewer than 4, since that's the minimum number needed to develop a proper hierarchy and prevent one more dominant girl from beating up on the other.

I will be getting a new heater soon, but not soon enough to keep him in cooler temperature, and we're in winter so it's very cold which sucks :( Yeah, I'll be getting some more female, do you know what the best way would be to introduce them into the tank?

[homegrown terror]

maybe keep them in a breeder box for a few days to a week, to let them all get acclimated to each other before releasing them. i still say you should get a divider to at least keep the male separate from the females.

[moonsand0wls]

Yes, I will be once I go into town. I feel so guilty :(

[LeoTheLakerBetta]

If you still have cups from the petstore I would cup them and change the water in their cups often so that you won't have to spend money on a divider. This is my plan in the event of a power-outage. I would cup all the bettas in my smaller tanks (which is only 2), and place them in the bigger tank since bigger tanks retain heate better. And I would throw a blanket or something over it lol. I suggest that you put the 2 girls in cups overnight at least so nothing bad can happen overnight...

[moonsand0wls]

Originally Posted by LeoTheLakerBetta

If you still have cups from the petstore I would cup them and change the water in their cups often so that you won't have to spend money on a divider. This is my plan in the event of a power-outage. I would cup all the bettas in my smaller tanks (which is only 2), and place them in the bigger tank since bigger tanks retain heate better. And I would throw a blanket or something over it lol. I suggest that you put the 2 girls in cups overnight at least so nothing bad can happen overnight...

Good idea! Though, here, they don't sell them in cups. They sell them in these bag things. I have Styrofoam cups, though, would they work?

[homegrown terror]

Originally Posted by moonsand0wls

Good idea! Though, here, they don't sell them in cups. They sell them in these bag things. I have Styrofoam cups, though, would they work?

only if they have slotted lids to prevent jumping but allow air flow.