2.5 Gallon, 2 female bettas?

[erikapuf]

Originally Posted by Shirleythebetta

no no no, Even if it is a female only one in a tank that size. You need at least a ten gallon tank and a minimum of 5-6 females for a sorority. Anything under four they will eventually tear each other up. Female are just as territorial as the males in certain setups and will kill each other. If you want to set up a ten that would be great. I want to break the myth on here that sororities are scary and won't work. Always remember too that betta's are solitary fish by nature. They don't care if they are alone and they won't get lonely. If you feel they are lonely you CAN try shrimp. Better yet... just a betta mirror for them to look into. You can buy them at petsmart or online.

Don't use a mirror. Ever. The beta fish will probably 'puff up' to look aggressive and intimidate it's own reflection. This stresses them out. Every time they do that? Their life span shortens.

[Ramble]

Actually, flaring is a natural response for the betta, and as long as they're not constantly flaring, it's not going to cause them harm. You don't want to leave a mirror in the tank for long periods though, as it can stress them out when they see that the intruder is not leaving...
My guys tend to have little flaring contests in the morning, but settle down after a minute or so when they're all sure they won...amazing how many winners I have in my house...heh

[lilyth88]

Originally Posted by erikapuf

Don't use a mirror. Ever. The beta fish will probably 'puff up' to look aggressive and intimidate it's own reflection. This stresses them out. Every time they do that? Their life span shortens.

Not true.

[shadowpony]

Yes stress CAN shorten their lifespan. But a flare or two isnt gonna hurt. They have been known to HELP.

[lilyth88]

Originally Posted by shadowpony

Yes stress CAN shorten their lifespan. But a flare or two isnt gonna hurt. They have been known to HELP.

+1

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

How is making an animal angry a good thing?

[Enkil]

Having a betta flare is not bad for them. They do this naturally. It is part of their behavior. It would be like saying that having a peacock get territorial and put his tail on display would be bad for his health. The only troubke flaring might cause is that it is possible for a male to cause some tearing in his fins or wxhaust himself should you allow him to flare for too long.

[Shirleythebetta]

Thanks for adding only for a few minutes. I forgot to add that. ooopsy.

[lilyth88]

But to say that every time they flare their life span shortens is ridiculous.

[Shirleythebetta]

Yea that is a little ridiculous but some people just don't know. We are here to educate. I have heard such wild things about betta's and any fish in general and people really believe it.

Fact is, it is good for a betta to flare but if they flare to big some can get a tear in their fin which is NOT fatal. Those tears can fix in a matter of a couple of days no problem. Usually that happens with Veils. It's good to excercise a semi-agressive or agressive fish because they naturaly need to intimidate. It's genetically part of them. They see another fish in a mirror and they have a flare off for a few minutes. You take the mirror away and they win! Lol. They swim away thinking they scared off the "intruder"