BETTA 2Q: Lighting and females - Aquarium Advice

01-05-2007, 02:23 PM

Hey all,

I am still pretty new here. I have 2 quick questions about Bettas

1. I have one male in a 2.5g tank, but have been unable to find any hoods or other reasonable lighting for it. The tank is probably around 9-10" high, 6-8" wide and 10-12 " long. I do not have any real tools to make a hood from scratch, and would like to use some kind of lighting that would be able to foster at least some low light plant (though even one 12w bulb would be enough for med light, i guess!) The fish himself is doing okay but I want to give him a nicer environment. I know I can buy a 5 gallon exclipse or something, but it's gonna be tough to justify this to my fiancee (would be a fourth tank)

2. I recently bought 2 female bettas, reading everywhere that they are OK together. I put them in a well established but almost empty 10g tank, with one small Molly. For two days they got together fine, then yesterday morning , one betta was badly ripped up and hiding in the corner. Is this unusual? Should I return the aggressor and replace her with another? Tank is planted and has 0-0-10 A-Ni-Na, with pH ~7.1

Please help!

rich311k · 01-05-2007, 02:34 PM

1. You could try a desk light with a screw in CF bulb. I know many folks have lit small tanks that way.

2. Usually females can live together, but sometimes you can get a pugnacious one.

hsherman1986 · 01-05-2007, 02:37 PM

bettas are iffy creatures. I have had females and males that would live together very well (i actually currently have a male and female together in a 5g. I was trying to breed them, but they aren't interested in each other at all) as well as females that would live together (I actually had one my my 20g full of them for a while). OTOH, I have also tried to put females together, only to have them try to kill each other. I would defintly remove the aggressive female and either try to replace her, or just find her another home altogether.

I can't really say anything about the lighting though, that is my husband's domain with this hobby.

Burks · 01-05-2007, 02:39 PM

A desklamp will be perfectly suited to lighting a 2.5g. There are many different types to pick from. I'd go with the type that allows for a screw in CF bulb. Easier to replace and find replacements than other types (like mine with the straight CF bulb).

As far as two females I've heard that one will always try to be the dominate female. So they should be kept in groups of three or more. Whether or not this is true, I can't say. I'm looking for another female for my 2g as well.

hsherman1986 · 01-05-2007, 02:55 PM

they will try to dominate each other, that is for sure. I defintly had a dominant female in my 20g, unfortunatly, she was killed by a male during breeding. I do agree that you should keep more than 2 together. I defintly had better luck with them that way.

But every now and again, you do get a mean girl that will not tolerate ANY other betta in her space. I put one last girl in my 20g, and her and the already dominant female instantly started going at it. Liplocking, whole nine yards. I finally got them seperated (they kept trying to fight even with the net in the tank), no harm done.

I love all of my bettas though, and will always own at least one. ( i have 3 right now, have had as many as 15 at one time)

01-05-2007, 03:25 PM

So, best reccomendation is probably:

1. Remove the mean betta and return/move her
2. Replace her with at least 2 other females?

So I guess 3 females and the one molly would be okay for a 10g, though I think 4x fem betta + molly is pushing it? maybe not? the molly is a baby about 1.5 cm long now.

As for lights, I'll look for a cool desk lamp, though if it costs too much I'll just suck it up and buy a small eclipse or something

hsherman1986 · 01-05-2007, 03:28 PM

i think you would be fine with up to 4 female bettas and the molly, but nothing else. Be sure to provide caves and plant cover, just in case the bettas need to get away from each other.

MyCatsDrool · 01-05-2007, 05:23 PM

I have a male and female who live together in a 20 gal with a peacock eel. Everyone is fine as long as no one messes with the male's nest, unless he is rookying the female in there to breed. Ironically, when they are breeding, they work together to pick up dropped eggs, and fan the nest.

When not breeding they pretty much ignore each other.

I think bettas and gouramis, regardless of sex, are iffy. some can co-exist, some can't, and they can change their minds at any given time....like humans.

Mosaic · 01-05-2007, 07:54 PM

I have a Galaxy Light over my 2.5. It's more than enough to grow most plants. I don't think I'd have one without plants or you could have algae issues. But it sounds like you're interested in growing some, so this is a good choice. Do you have a glass lid for the tank? You definitely need one, if you don't have one already.

As for the bettas, spawn sisters generally do best (both because they know each other and because you add them at the same time). But since you're probably getting them from the lfs, try to add any new girls all at the same time. If it were me, I think I'd take both bettas back to start with a fresh group without any established territories. If you're going to keep the one, it would probably help to rearrange the decor in order to change up the old betta's territory at the same time you add the new girls.

01-08-2007, 02:10 PM

Thanks for the info.

I have a top I made (ok ok a friend made for me) out of plexiglass that covers the whole top except the 1.5" by the filter, and has 2 small (0.5") holes I can drop food into, so I don't have to take off the lid each time.

Will this melt with a CF bulb there??

01-05-2007, 02:23 PM	#1
WiNGSPANTT Guest Posts: n/a	BETTA 2Q: Lighting and females Hey all, I am still pretty new here. I have 2 quick questions about Bettas 1. I have one male in a 2.5g tank, but have been unable to find any hoods or other reasonable lighting for it. The tank is probably around 9-10" high, 6-8" wide and 10-12 " long. I do not have any real tools to make a hood from scratch, and would like to use some kind of lighting that would be able to foster at least some low light plant (though even one 12w bulb would be enough for med light, i guess!) The fish himself is doing okay but I want to give him a nicer environment. I know I can buy a 5 gallon exclipse or something, but it's gonna be tough to justify this to my fiancee (would be a fourth tank) 2. I recently bought 2 female bettas, reading everywhere that they are OK together. I put them in a well established but almost empty 10g tank, with one small Molly. For two days they got together fine, then yesterday morning , one betta was badly ripped up and hiding in the corner. Is this unusual? Should I return the aggressor and replace her with another? Tank is planted and has 0-0-10 A-Ni-Na, with pH ~7.1 Please help!

01-05-2007, 05:23 PM	#8
MyCatsDrool Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 857	I have a male and female who live together in a 20 gal with a peacock eel. Everyone is fine as long as no one messes with the male's nest, unless he is rookying the female in there to breed. Ironically, when they are breeding, they work together to pick up dropped eggs, and fan the nest. When not breeding they pretty much ignore each other. I think bettas and gouramis, regardless of sex, are iffy. some can co-exist, some can't, and they can change their minds at any given time....like humans. __________________ Watch our thread! A MyCatsDrool and Travis Simonson Joint Production....55 Tanganyikan Tank. It is hidden in the photography showcase. It is really my tank, but Trav is helping and we live next door from each other...so.... CCTV Has shut its doors. Off the air. 5.5 gal ADA rimless cube, fully planted, killifish breeder. coming soon to a forum near you. It's called Sex Panther, by Odeon. Illegal in 9 countries. Yep, it's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good.

01-05-2007, 07:54 PM	#9
Mosaic Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: May 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 646 Images: 3	I have a Galaxy Light over my 2.5. It's more than enough to grow most plants. I don't think I'd have one without plants or you could have algae issues. But it sounds like you're interested in growing some, so this is a good choice. Do you have a glass lid for the tank? You definitely need one, if you don't have one already. As for the bettas, spawn sisters generally do best (both because they know each other and because you add them at the same time). But since you're probably getting them from the lfs, try to add any new girls all at the same time. If it were me, I think I'd take both bettas back to start with a fresh group without any established territories. If you're going to keep the one, it would probably help to rearrange the decor in order to change up the old betta's territory at the same time you add the new girls. __________________ I just want my planted tanks to be perfect. Is that so much to ask? 55g: (Mostly) African riverine species: Alestes Chaperi, breeding pair of Kribs, and rhino pleco 30g: Newly established reef tank 10g: Planted but fishless 5g: Unplanted with various snail species 2.5g: Heavily planted with betta.

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01-05-2007, 02:34 PM	#2
rich311k Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 8,972 Images: 35	1. You could try a desk light with a screw in CF bulb. I know many folks have lit small tanks that way. 2. Usually females can live together, but sometimes you can get a pugnacious one.

01-05-2007, 02:37 PM	#3
hsherman1986 Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 719	bettas are iffy creatures. I have had females and males that would live together very well (i actually currently have a male and female together in a 5g. I was trying to breed them, but they aren't interested in each other at all) as well as females that would live together (I actually had one my my 20g full of them for a while). OTOH, I have also tried to put females together, only to have them try to kill each other. I would defintly remove the aggressive female and either try to replace her, or just find her another home altogether. I can't really say anything about the lighting though, that is my husband's domain with this hobby.

01-05-2007, 02:39 PM	#4
Burks Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 556	A desklamp will be perfectly suited to lighting a 2.5g. There are many different types to pick from. I'd go with the type that allows for a screw in CF bulb. Easier to replace and find replacements than other types (like mine with the straight CF bulb). As far as two females I've heard that one will always try to be the dominate female. So they should be kept in groups of three or more. Whether or not this is true, I can't say. I'm looking for another female for my 2g as well.

01-05-2007, 02:55 PM	#5
hsherman1986 Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 719	they will try to dominate each other, that is for sure. I defintly had a dominant female in my 20g, unfortunatly, she was killed by a male during breeding. I do agree that you should keep more than 2 together. I defintly had better luck with them that way. But every now and again, you do get a mean girl that will not tolerate ANY other betta in her space. I put one last girl in my 20g, and her and the already dominant female instantly started going at it. Liplocking, whole nine yards. I finally got them seperated (they kept trying to fight even with the net in the tank), no harm done. I love all of my bettas though, and will always own at least one. ( i have 3 right now, have had as many as 15 at one time)

01-05-2007, 03:25 PM	#6
WiNGSPANTT Guest Posts: n/a	So, best reccomendation is probably: 1. Remove the mean betta and return/move her 2. Replace her with at least 2 other females? So I guess 3 females and the one molly would be okay for a 10g, though I think 4x fem betta + molly is pushing it? maybe not? the molly is a baby about 1.5 cm long now. As for lights, I'll look for a cool desk lamp, though if it costs too much I'll just suck it up and buy a small eclipse or something

01-05-2007, 03:28 PM	#7
hsherman1986 Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 719	i think you would be fine with up to 4 female bettas and the molly, but nothing else. Be sure to provide caves and plant cover, just in case the bettas need to get away from each other.

01-08-2007, 02:10 PM	#10
WiNGSPANTT Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks for the info. I have a top I made (ok ok a friend made for me) out of plexiglass that covers the whole top except the 1.5" by the filter, and has 2 small (0.5") holes I can drop food into, so I don't have to take off the lid each time. Will this melt with a CF bulb there??