What does this mean?!

[Bluparadise]

So I'm pretty new to Bettas but my boyfriend is a fish expert. Especially with Angels and different breeds of fish. I've always wanted to try my hand at something and decided that even though Bettas require just as much work as any other fish, they're hardy and somewhat easy to keep. So I got me a male betta and a female and not until reading this website and a few other blogs did I learn NEVER to place the male and female Betta in the same tank. Well I have. I read mixed reviews on placing them together in the same tank (the tank they are in is 2.5 gallons with heater and filter) and have been very attentive to their behavior. They have been very entertaining. The male will sometimes chase the female around and flare up at her but I've not seen him bite at her or harm her, the worst he's done is nudge her and I saw no biting. The female will then turn around and chase him and flare up at him. And then something pretty interesting happens. They get tired of chasing each other around and will go their separate ways. A few seconds later if the female is hiding, the male will find her and hang out near her sometimes brushing up against her and there are no signs of aggression or anything. They act like they're best friends or sometimes the female will swim around the male while touching his body the whole time and he does not seem bothered by this. What does this mean!!!!????!!!! They truly have a love/hate relationship but as far as I can tell they've not harmed one another and this is going on day 3 of them being together.

[djembekah]

i'm new to betta care too, but that seems REALLY unique :S

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Betta keeping.....

So far you have been really lucky in that one or the other hasn't injured or killed each other.....as I am sure you have read in your research-this is pretty aggressive species within its own and along with limited space increase the odds of injury and/or death-not to mention the stress that then can compromise immune response....

I would strongly recommend that you separate the two-ASAP......its just a matter of time.....

[LittleBettaFish]

Yeah I agree with OFL. I have a male and female living in a divided tank who I let have supervised visits when I'm cleaning it as I have to remove the divider to reach the back.

They are perfectly fine when supervised as I quash any aggression by either fish, and usually the female is assertive enough to chase the male off.

However, the other day they got in together by themselves and the female ended up with her whole tail shredded. Obviously the dynamics had changed when no one was there to separate them and the female had come out the loser.

Unless you want to breed there is no real reason to try keeping a pair together. It's only going to be a stressor for both fish, and is either going to end in an accidental spawn or severe injury/death.

It's really hard to pinpoint subtle aggression in bettas. Brushing up against her and seeking her out makes me think the male is being aggressive. The female has probably avoided attack by being submissive and not retaliating.

Some of my male wilds only have to look at another male, and the other male will immediately stress-stripe. It's all very psychological warfare, and this can sometimes be as stressful as physical attacks.

Stress in bettas, and fish in general can lead to a compromised immune system, which is why you often see outbreaks of columnaris and other diseases in sorority tanks as these are a high-stress environment.

If it was my fish I would separate them ASAP. Not worth the risk.

[Bluparadise]

I didn't mean he was searching her out, I think what I was trying to say is that when he does come across her he's not aggressive towards her rather the opposite. He'll swim next to her and "lay" beside her and sometimes she'll be swimming out her little hiding spot and come across him and rub up against him and hang out. But perhaps having them together maybe isn't the best. I just think that it's weird how they interact I don't see them fighting often or chasing each other around often. In fact a lot of the time they're in their own little corner of the tank but when they do come together it's not as aggressive as it could be.

[Bluparadise]

http://fishbreeding101.webs.com/betta_spawn_gemini.jpg

found this pic online and this is what I mean by their behavior I saw them do this a few times while watching them on my lunch break

[Luimeril]

that means they are trying to spawn. :I you need to get one of them out of there. spawns are VERY hard to care for, and need special food, large tanks, and many jars for grow out. :I

[wolfiegreen]

It's called breeding -.-" you really need to separate them ASAP

[Leeniex]

Please take one out! You are asking for trouble.

[Bluparadise]

I figured that they were because me and my boyfriend raise and breed angel fish and they have similar behavior patterns when mating. Bettas are just a new ball game and something I wanted to get into. Should I let her lay eggs and move her or just move her and not bother with spawning. Raising fry aren't a new thing for us. We have several large tanks and a few that are empty right now waiting for our other angels to spawn. We also have a brine shrimp hatchery and a freezer full of blackworms and bloodworms.