Female bettas in a 20 gallon?

[goldfishlover101]

I was thinking of getting a fantail goldfish but they can grow very long and produce a lot of waste. I was considering some female bettas. I just don't know about fin nipping though. Would 5 female bettas get along and fit in a 20 gallon aquarium?

 

[Etunes]

They would probally be fine. I think that would be enough room as long as it is a long and not a tall tank. Also before you put them in you need to make sure you have LOTS of hiding places among plants and caves just in case there is a problem. There will also be a domanince issue for a pecking order at first. Just keep an eye on them when you put them in.

 

[BigJim]

I don't think I'd try to put 5 bettas in a 20g. I have a 29g community tank that has a pair of female bettas and they're constantly at each other. They leave the other fish alone, but chase each other and nip fins. The tank even has a lot of cover for the fish. Bettas have personalities and if you don't get 5 pacifists, you might be in trouble.

 

[darkmule27]

By and large, if you have more than 2 you should be fine as they will establish a heirarchy. If you just have 2, the dominant one will constantly harass the submissive one, often to death. I have 3 in a 20g community tank and they're great. Just make sure you have hiding places so the can get away from each other.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Wait, research the female betta species first.


I got 4 for a 55, 4 fems enter, 1 fem leaves. she killed 3 of the other fems in a matter of hours and just died herself due to her aggression and greediness, she went chasing some fry in the rocks and got her head stuck.

the white bodies and red fins are the mean girls, steer clear of them unless its the only betta in the tank, no matter what size.

As far as temperment goes, bettas are individuals, all my males did great in community tanks with other bettas and long fin fish, this one female did not.

 

[Etunes]

Well apparently you guys are more experienced at bettas then me. I dont have really any experience with bettas. I have heard of males being put together in a big 75 gallon tank with plenty of room. Do you think they would be fine in a 90 gallon corner tank?

 

[WhiteDevil]

yes, lots of thick live plants

 

[darkmule27]

I have 2 white body, red fin girls...they are by far the more submissive two. Every betta is an individual, so it may be partially trial and error and partially dumb luck. Our three were also acclimated in a bucket together so no one had any time to establish any kind of territory. We also have two female platies who immediately put the betta girls in their places.

I personally would never put two male bettas together, no matter how big the tank. It's asking for trouble. Especially in a corner tank, which doesn't have the width of a 75 gallon tank.

Overall, you're going to recieve conflicting information when asking for peoples' experiences. Bettas have such big personalities that it's hard to find a solid answer. Your best bet will be to do your own research and take into consideration what's said, then make your own decision.

 

[severum mama]

The vast majority of bettas available in the hobby are all the same species- betta splendens. They look different only because they are different color variants and/or fin types. I've seen no evidence that certain color variants are more aggressive than others; but reportedly, plakat bettas are more aggressive than other types.

With female bettas, as I understand it, it's best to get at least 4 and add them all at the same time. I tried to keep 3 girls in a 45 gallon and it didn't work out for me. Even if you get the right number and add them simultaneously, there are no guarantees that they will all get along. Sometimes, they can appear to be doing fine for a while and then one girl will go on a rampage and kill the others. That said, a betta sorority tank can certainly work for some, it's just suggested that you have a backup plan in case things start to go wrong.

 

[WhiteDevil]

My female killed the 3 other females( same addition time) in less then 3 hours, killed several pregnant female gups or injured so severely I had to put em down.


Severum is right, there is NO STUDY on this, however talk to betta owners and you will see that that particular betta splenden specie is more aggressive ie territorial then others, my males in the same tank never did this. the other females didnt get a chance.

I am currently fixing a pregnant female she tore up. Not all are like this but this particular one was. I couldnt give it away.

 

[severum mama]

It's not a different species. It's a color variant of the same species.

Some fish are just super aggressive. We had a gold ram that we called "killer" for the same reason.