Betta Fish Forum banner

Introducing Females

18K views 96 replies 10 participants last post by  LittleDeer 
#1 ·
Hello guys, its been a while since I last posted on here. I just was looking for some advice on female Bettas.

I know females can be kept in sororities if done correctly. I'm just not sure what the best way to go about introducing them to eachother would be. I went to Petsmart to buy some Tubifex worms and walked past the Bettas and they had a new shipment of them. They were all active and healthy looking and seemed to be pretty young, and the females were on sale for 99cents. I fell in love with two VT girls and ended up grabbing them. I have the resources to separate them if need be, but how would one go about introducing two females together? They seem like they are fairly young compared to the Bettas I usually see, and they had been sitting right next to eachother on the shelf. Not sure how much of a factor that is.

I'm also not sure if it would be better to have more than just two before introducing them, or if I should just see how these two girls do with eachother for now. If I should have more I can probably go pick out another, though I don't want to get too many fish at once.
 
#52 ·
Little, once my plants really take off I can send you clippings and whatnot! I'm actually in the process of growing tons of Water Sprite! I've got like twenty little ones growing in the sand and then the giant mother floating. So once they're a little bit bigger I can send you a few if you'd like! Just shipping is all I ask but it should only be a few dollars ^_^

But yes, plastic ware stuff is great for fish in general! I use plastic ware food containers for QT cups and transport cups, works really well! And if I had more surface space I'd totally be getting some plastic containers for more tanks XD I think I'm good with 6 right now though! I've done water changes every day this week! whew! It really is like a full time job!

Also try looking around at Good Will stores and donation places like that, sometimes you can find cheap tanks there if you're lucky ^_^ and of course yard sales! That's where I got my Omega pellets free! got to love 'em :-D
 
#53 ·
That would be awesome! I would really appreciate that :D

I'm gonna be going out on Sunday morning to scope out a few stores to see if I can figure anything out. I've been trying to figure things out with stores' websites, but it's a lot easier to just physically go to the store to see everything. Sometimes they have different options or different prices in the actual store. Goodness, I'm gonna be all over the place, haha. I'm gonna go to my Petsmart, and Target, and Walmart, and Michael's to get craft mesh, and possibly Petco even though its a bit out of the way, but I'll probably go to my LFS in Woosocket first, since they are not a chain store so their website doesn't really show the equipment they stock. Though I hate going there because they have the most beautiful Bettas and they are all very well taken care of (its where I got Ben), and they always have gorgeous dragon scales and I want one so bad, but I don't have the space or money right now. And I still have to get the girls situated.

Look what this forum has done to me. I'm gonna have to go to Betta Keepers Anonymous for this addiction that's forming. I'm trying not to think about the shelving unit my mom doesn't want in her room anymore that she wants to get rid of that could definitely fit in the back corner of my room >_<

I also have been checking the Salvation Army thrift shop about a mile away from me almost obsessively to try to find fish stuff. I'm really disappointed, though, they had a 10 gallon with all its equipment (filter, heater, hood) all in it for only $10, my friend told me to run out and get it, because she didn't have any more money on her to get it for me since she was buying her own things. When I got there it was gone :( They also at one point had one of the 5 gallon Critter Keeprs but it had the remnants of sand in the bottom and the sides were a little scratched inside making me think a reptile had lived in it, and I wasn't sure if that would be safe to reuse for fish, so I didn't grab it. I did get one of the mini critter keeper's there for a dollar though (I didn't noticed the cracked bottom until I got it home, but its nothing a little silicone couldn't fix) I'm actually using it as a box for all my different fish foods rtight now, since I have another mini I can use as a QT/hospital tank (its currently Sonata's temp home.)
 
#54 ·
Oooh, if you do find used tanks and whatnot you can actually use a 1 parts bleach 19 parts water solution to disinfect anything and everything! It's what I use when cleaning a tank that had a really sick fish in it or when I get new used tanks, always the method I go to first and then because I can, I use white vinegar wash on the inside as well and use extremely hot tap water to rinse out until you don't smell vinegar anymore! So now you know, when you find something like that 5 gallon critter keeper, PICK IT UP! lol

And the plants will be a little while still but they are growing well so I'll keep you updated on that! And hey, if we wanted to save on shipping we can meet up in Woonsocket and I can just give you the plants XD and maybe I can see this LFS that you're talking about because it sounds wonderful! I'm always on the look out for new stores and such like that.

Ugg on a side note, every time I go to write such I write suck! lol
 
#55 ·
I figured out I could have probably disinfected it after it was already too late. I saw it when I first got Ben, so getting more Bettas wasn't even on my mind at the time so i didn't think I would use it anyway. But I'm gonna stop in tomorrow morning to see if they have anything. My plans just changed so I'm gonna be scoping out stores tomorrow instead of Sunday. I'm hoping to find some good deals. I'm hoping they have heaters at the Woonsocket LFS that are adjustable, will fit in the containers I end up using, and aren't really expensive. There aren't many options at my Petsmart, and all the small ones are auto heaters, and I'd really prefer adjustables. We'll just have to see. Worst case scenario would be that the girls won't have heaters for a little longer than anticipated, but I'm getting thermometers when I get the new tanks, whatever they end up being, just to make sure their temps are okay. I do have a glass one but I lost the suction cup for it and I don't like using glass ones. But it does the job for now, I just pop it in each tank every now and then to check the temps. All three girls have stayed pretty much at 80 during the day, only dropping to 78 at night, so I think they will be pretty okay for now. Ben's tank has been a little hot lately, so I had to turn his heater down, I've debated just turning it off since its been getting so warm sometimes. It was up at 86 the other day D:

That would be fine, I wouldn't mind meeting up n_n and I don't mind waiting. I'll probably get a few inexpensive fake plants to put with the girls until then for their comfort and amusement, and I'm thinking about possibly ordering some moss balls for each tank online since they only seem to have huge pricey ones at all the stores near me. But yeah, i can definitely show you the store I go to. They do sell other animals/supplies, but half the store is dedicated to fish. Its a family run shop and they just celebrated their 25th anniversary. They do seem to be doing water changes every single time I've gone in, so the floor usually is a bit wet, but They do have a lot of tanks to change the water in. I've gotten almost all my animals there, and they have all been happy and healthy animals. They keep the Bettas in glass jars that are fairly small for space reasons, but they have lights on each shelf of them to keep the water fairly warm, and the water is always very clean, and I have never seen any there that have been less than stunning. They only have males usually, though. I've never seen females at least. One time I went they had two wild males that were gorgeous, but they were quite pricey. They have many varieties of Bettas, though. Its funny I ended up with a VT with all the beautiful fancier ones they had, but Ben just gave me that look. I'm sure you know the look. As soon as I saw that look, I knew he was my fish. It takes everything in me to not buy another every time I go in, so be prepared, haha.
 
#57 ·
That sounds like my two LFS's combined haha I go to (well you probably won't know them) but Critter Hut in Narragansett and Sea Horse pet shop in Westerly. They all sound very similar, Critter Hut is lacking in Betta's but they also have a Macaw! he's beautiful and very talkative ^_^

Oh for inexpensive plants, go to a craft store that has those flower arrangment things and the silk plants they have there are good to stick in tanks! Give them a rinse under hot tap and they're good to go!

And for small adjustable heaters, you're probably better off going online for that. drsfosterandsmith.com has Hydor Theo's at 25Watts for 16 usually but right now there's a sale and I think they're either 12 or 13!!! That's a steal!

And yeah, I totally know that look! It seems every Betta gives me that look XD That's why I have so many haha
 
#58 ·
Oceans of Pets, the store I go to, also has a beautiful blue and yellow Macaw! His name is Sam. He's about the same age as the store, haha. They also have two resident Piranhas and a huge handsome Arrowana that lives with a foot long Pleco in the back. I believe that Arrowana has lived there for about 8 years now. He's HUGE.

Are they really? I've never really examined those fake plants, but I thought all or most had wire in them. And I assume I would have to cut them apart, what would be the best way to anchor them in? I'd buy some aquarium silicone, but it can be kind of expensive from what I've seen. And that would kind of defeat the purpose, haha.

Hmm, I'll keep that in mind. i'm gonna check out Oceans of Pets first to see what they have in stock. I've never looked at their heater selection (never needed to), but they may have what I need. If not, I will probably look into ordering some.

I'm now kind of afraid of that look, so I'm trying to avoid even looking at the Bettas. But they're all so beautiful and have the most handsome intelligent looks about them. For their 25th anniversary they were actually giving Bettas away for free. I missed it by a couple days, but my friend got a beautiful teal iridescent VT boy when she went. Its her first Betta, though, and she didn't know how to care for it properly. And didn't have much money so I gave her one of my old 1 gallon tanks a small skull and a plant just so he would have more than a small glass bowl to live in like he was, poor thing. She's saving up money to get him a better setup, though. He is absolutely gorgeous, though. And does seem healthy despite having spent a long while in that tiny glass bowl. I also got another friend into Bettas, a few months ago, and he got his VT boy at the same place. His boy looks like a smaller version of Ben (blue with red ventrals) but has some iridescence to him. He's been in a ten gallon, though my friend is having some trouble with him. I keep telling him to post on here for help, but he won't :( His boy seems to have fin rot that won't go away, and he is having trouble lowering his pH. Which is quite high. The tank won't cycle and has been staying really cloudy. I don't know what to tell him, I don't know if you might be able to give any advice. I'm kind of at a loss. Here's a picture of his boy he sent me today. He's starting to panic about how bad his tail is getting.

Click
 
#59 ·
Well to start off with your friend's boy. Looks like it started from fin biting, common in long finned boys. If he can, it'd be best to do at least a daily 25% water change if not 50-80% if he can. I know it can be difficult sometimes. This will also help with the cloud. What he's experiencing is a bacteria bloom that I see, common in cycling or new tanks.

Okay so if he doesn't start improving a week after daily changes, then he can start using a regimen of 1 tsp per gallon of Aquarium salt. This needs to be dissolved before he puts it in! Salt makes and gives off heat when dissolving so it can hurt fish. So in a small cup, take some tank water out and measure out 2 teaspoons to melt first. If he can melt all 10 teaspoons in one go, then good on him lol but he can do it in incriments as well, just keep track of how much you're putting in.

Then every day do at least a 50% change so take out 5 gallons. Then when he replaces 5 gallons you have to re-add the 5 teaspoons of salt since salt doesn't dissolve. Also take note that AQ salt will damage live plants.

So what I've been saying is for the whole 10 gallon. But if he can get a QT tank this would make his life and his betta's life a lot easier. If its a 1 gallon or smaller it can float in the 10 gallon to remain heated and then he can do daily changes just on that small tank. In which case it'd be best if he did 100% changes daily while he did the 1 tsp/gal AQ salt. So if it's 1 gallon, then 1 teaspoon but 10 gallons is 10 teaspoons. So not only will he be saving his back, he'll be saving money and salt too.

Also he needs to get some Stress Coat of sorts, a water conditioner to help heal up the fins. You use Stress Coat instead of the regular water conditioner and use it at double the dose. This can be used during the salt regimen or after to start healing is all. Also remember that fin rot is black decaying fins, if his tail is just shredded with no black then he just needs to do frequent water changes and use Stress Coat along with a healthy diet to start healing up.

Also if he's a fin biter, then he may have a tick or something that makes him bite his fins. Sometimes it's a light being on to long or a heater light coming on at night or something silly really. They also do it out of frustration or sometimes just to give themselves a "hair cut" because the fins drag them down when they swim and they don't like it. But those U shape's make me thing biting whereas fin rot is usually not even unless just starting. Also rips and tear's aren't fin rot per se, just tears that can be healed with good water, Stress Coat and a good diet.

As for the bacteria bloom, that's nothing that a series of water changes through the week won't help. Also if you keep an eye on the ammonia during a cycle, when it gets above .25ppm that's the time to do a water change so it doesn't hurt your boy. Sometimes it will take multiple water changes to get the ammonia levels down but it's needed and then after a few weeks it will cycle.

But anyway, yes I saw the Macaw on their website, that's why I mentioned it haha
 
#60 ·
Thank you so much for all the advice. I'm gonna link him to this so he can read it himself. He does have a 1 gallon he had planned on using to try to care for his problem. I really hope all you said helps. I've been worried about the poor thing, as has my friend.
 
#61 ·
That's good! I'm glad he's definitely willing to help his little Betta! So many who wouldn't bat and eye at that!!

I hope the little one get's better soon.

Oh what I forgot to say is that if he does have a tick, he might be able to find it. As I said the thing about the lights, maybe leaving them on too long or during the night (Betta's need sleep too) or something like that.

Also AQ salt is not to be used for more than 14 days without at least 4-5 days of rest from the salt, so keep that in mind as well! However if the blackened edges go away before 14 days is up, take him off salt and just start using daily water changes and Stress Coat water conditioner as well as keeping him warm!
 
#62 ·
Yep. He's been trying very hard to help him out for the past month or so. But he keeps getting a little better, and then getting bad again. So it would make sense for him to be a tail biter. He had though he kept getting his tail caught on things, like the plastic plants he had in there. So he took them all out. But the plants are plants I have with Ben and he swims right through them and has never torn a fin or even got caught. So I thought it was a bit strange.

I've sent him the link to this topic so feel free to add anything else you think he needs to know. He's kind of shy and afraid to actually post on here, though.
 
#63 ·
Oh no worries about being shy, at least he has you to go through so that's a super help! If he ever wants to he can PM me, I swear I don't bite! haha :)

Oh another thing is, I see lots of open space in that 10 gallon. Betta's aren't so much afraid of sizes of tanks but how well they have cover. So in a bare 10 gallon, it's going to make them extremely stressed and possibly lead to biting but say if they were in a 46 gallon that is heavily planted, they'd be totally fine. It's all about the cover! So the more plants you can get (craft store plants!) the better his Betta is going to feel :-D

Also the thing about craft store plants, if the metal is not exposed it will be fine to use, it's only if the metal is exposed then it can rust away in the water. But otherwise will be fine to use, if you have to cut it you can seal the little hole with some silicone or hot glue as long as the glue is 100% glue with no other additives in it like mold preventatives and stuff that you find in silicone sometimes.

And if you can, just stick an end into the gravel and voila, plants! You can shove it off to a side or have a vine like structure run through the tank, that's up to you :) there are many DIY projects you can look up through google as well! search engines are your friends in the aquarium business :-D
 
#64 ·
He said he may actually post on here in the disease/emergency section sometime to day to post specifics about everything, since he knows more about his own fish and tank than I do. I really hope it works out. He already has moved his boy to the 1 gallon for now, and already uses stress coat for his water. He's coming with me pet store hopping today as well, so we can grab a few things. I'll tell him about the craft store plants too so he can get some for his boy that will be safe for him.

I actually have a few old pieces of slate that my dad had in his old aquarium many years ago. I have a couple in my tanks right now, but some of the bigger ones have holes drilled in the middle. I bet I could utilize those to anchor in some of those silk plants pretty well :)

I also had a question: what does it look like when a Betta sheds their slime coat?
 
#65 ·
#66 ·
Okay that looks exactly like what I saw on Sonata this morning and I was worried, but it fell off right after I saw it. Is it a bad thing for that to happen or is it normal?
 
#67 ·
It's not bad it just means she's producing lots of extra slime. This usually happens when you use AQ salt as it iritates the slime coat into producing more which keeps off parasitic buggers! That's why we use AQ salt for external parasites. But sometimes they do that with other medications as well.
 
#68 ·
Annoyance...

So I have 4 bettas in a sorority. One white, one white with a red tail, a blue one, and a red one. The blue one seemed to be aggressive so I put her in last. She bit the tail fin of my white and red one almost completely off! But then they were calm. However my red and my blue one started to lock lips. And my white one just does whatever, she's very laid back. Is the locking lips normal? Are they deciding who is boss? Please help! I have had sorority's before and they all work out! This is the first time I've experienced the fighting. I seprated my female and put her in little tank right next to the sorority :-?
 
#69 ·
So I have 4 bettas in a sorority. One white, one white with a red tail, a blue one, and a red one. The blue one seemed to be aggressive so I put her in last. She bit the tail fin of my white and red one almost completely off! But then they were calm. However my red and my blue one started to lock lips. And my white one just does whatever, she's very laid back. Is the locking lips normal? Are they deciding who is boss? Please help! I have had sorority's before and they all work out! This is the first time I've experienced the fighting. I seprated my female and put her in little tank right next to the sorority :-?
I've seen people saying that "locking lips" means they're trying to drown each other but that's untrue. They're just sorting out who's boss.

How long were they QT'd and did you have them in view of each other the whole time and how long have they been in this tank together? I honestly suggest getting at least 2 more if you can't fit 3 more total. 4 is still a rough number and there's still not enough girls to spread the aggression around. Sororities will never be "Peaceful" but they can work out. Females are still just as aggressive as males are and territorial, these fish aren't social by nature.
 
#71 ·
I'm glad its not a bad thing, I was worried.

I ended up getting them each a 3 gallon critter keeper as well as a heater. I found a heater at my LFS that was only $12 and they are adjustable 25w ones! They only had two in stock, though, and I needed a new heater for Gylfie in the five gallon, so I'll have to wait a bit to get hers. I'm also waiting until later next week to get them filters since I'd like to keep some money on hand while I'm house/dog-sitting, just in case I need to go out and get something. But they should be fine without filters, I live a three minute walk from my aunt's house where I'm staying, so I can just walk home to take care of the fish. I won't be setting up their new homes until tomorrow.

I also stopped at the craft store and got some silk plants, they do have wire in the middle, but you said that that's okay as long as it isn't exposed, right? I got three nice big bushy ones for $2 each. I can get about five "plants" out of each of them. I also saw some nice smooth natural looking rocks at the craft store under the decorative marbles and stuff like that, and grabbed a bag just to give the girls some interesting things to explore.

I also found these small ceramic pots for $0.50 each that I grabbed, but I'm not sure if they would be safe to put in the tanks. They were cheap and the perfect size, so I figured I would grab them while I could (they were on sale) and then find out if they were safe. If not I can use them for something else. Do you think they would be okay to put in the tanks?
 
#72 ·
Yup, the plants will be fine as I said if the metal is not exposed :)

And the ceramic pots are totally fine! Most anything ceramic, glass, terracotta, clay all of those can go into a tank no problems :-D The rocks sound great too!

Yeah it's not dire need that they need the heater/filter at the moment ^_^ my tanks were up at 90 today!! o_O uggg it's hot! Thank the lord where I'm petsitting they have a/c! well we do at home but my grandfather is a butt and doesn't like us to use it.....lammmmeeee
 
#73 ·
That's all awesome! Oh, I'm so glad the little pots will be safe for them. They are literally the perfect size for the girls, and I got them in colors that will hopefully bring out the girls colors and make them even more beautiful than they already are n_n. I think they will really like the plants I picked out too. One of them has some nice big flat leaves that I think they may enjoy resting on. I'll post pictures once I set the critter keepers up (hopefully tomorrow).
 
#75 ·
I think I may start a journal for my Bettas, I feel like that's what this topic has become. I did have time to set up the critter keepers for the girls. Though I had a bit of a setback. The heaters I got are not meant to be completely submerged and I accidentally dropped one of the heaters in the tank while trying to clamp it onto the tank rim. So it got wet inside the glass tube. I shook out as much if the water as I could, but its still a bit damp inside. I'm afraid to use it right now. I'm gonna leave it out until it dries out I guess. I'm not sure what to do. I posted about it in the "aquariums, equipment, accessories" section and Mattsbettas seemed to think it would be okay if it dried out and I tried it. So that's what I'll probably do. But not until I can be home for a full day to keep an eye on it. For now, I did acclimate the girls to their new homes and then released them into them and they seem to be pretty content and curious. They seem a little overwhelmed since they are in actual tanks with plants and "caves" and rocks to explore for the first time. But I'm sure they will be happy in their new 3gallon tanks. I'll be getting filters on Tuesday. I'm not sure with the heaters. I'm going to wait to set up any heaters until I can be there all day, like I said before. I don't want any problems or overheating when I'm not there to fix it immediately. The thermometers said the water was a little above 80 last time I checked when I was home, so they should be set for the week while I'm house/dog-sitting. I'll post pictures of their tanks later tonight or in the morning.
 
#76 ·
Yeah I saw the post, I figure if you just flip it upside down so that the water can drain and let it dry for a full 24 hours, you'll be just fine :)

And yes!! You should start a journal and I will stalk you haha
 
#77 ·
That's what I did before I left my house to come back to my aunts. It's sitting propped upside down on my shelf near the new tanks.

The tanks did turn out really nice though. I'm really proud of the plants I picked out. I'll probably add some to Gylfie and Ben's tanks too once I get back home tonight (I don't have to spend the night with dogs on top of me at my aunts tonight since my uncle is coming home for the night because he has a work thing tomorrow. Though I get to spend the whole rest of the week here with dogs on me. I wouldn't mind as much if they weren't collectively about 60lbs of dog. And maybe if it wasn't so hot.)

I'll probably start up the journal tonight once I get home, then. I apologize if its boring. I feel like you'll be the only one really interested xD
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top