Failure :(

[LCieParagon]

So I've tried to put three male bettas in the same tank:

I've done my research and have personally seen smaller tanks with less plants and driftwood where the bettas cohabitated extremely well.

I have another tank at my house with 5 bettas, but 4 are female and 1 male. Not an ounce of aggression. Zero. They've been together a year now with not even a fin torn.

Some background information:
48 gallon
Canister Eheim Ecco 60
Fluval C3
Blackwater
Tons of driftwood
CO2 injection
Tons of plants and java moss
6 neons
2 blue rams
PH 6.2

I tried to mimic the biotope where bettas live in the wild.

Neons are doing great as are blue rams.

Bettas on the other hand were fighting non-stop. Not with the neons and rams, but with each other. I've put them on different ends of the tank, but it's not working.

It seemed to have calmed down a little but their fins are torn pretty bad.

Any advice?

 

[Bluethumb]

Separate the bettas immediately! Males will ALWAYS fight each other, no matter what. The tanks you saw probably had female bettas, which sometimes fight, but sometimes they don't. But males will always.

 

[nshepler]

The are called fighting fish, what did you expect to happen? I'm not trying to be mean. But really?


May the force be with you.

 

[LCieParagon]

No they were veil tails. I have had fish for 28 years. I wanted to try this. I've seen it done a couple times. I've spent the past few months just setting the tank up. My LFS has it in their display tank.


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[LCieParagon]

Like I said. I have another tank with 5 of them together. Literally. 1 male and 4 females. But I have seen it done where a tank has multiple males. I've been around fish long enough to distinguish the difference between males and females. I've bred rams and angelfish before.


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[LCieParagon]

I feel really bad, that's why I'm posting here. I was just hoping someone here has done it successfully.


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[Fishdude3233]

It's possible, but very hard. Wild caught males will work better. Believe it or not betas are bred for increased fishing temperaments, because they are used in tournaments were they are caught.


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[LCieParagon]

I should have purchased wild ones off of aquabid. I'm just so upset because I've planned this for months and set the tank up with so many hiding spots. The tanks I've seen it done were way less elaborate than mine.


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[Andy Sager]

I hate to say this but if you did a full research, you would have found out that the Betta's common name is "Siamese Fighting Fish" and it's that for a reason. The fact is, the reason this fish was domesticated in the first place was just for fighting purposes. It's why these fish are not really suited to be together. Creating a biotope that mimics their natural surrounding was probably not a help although the fish you most likely used are not wild Bettas. The domesticated versions of these fish are far removed from their natural ancestors. The long fins are a man made adaptation which makes this fish unable to live comfortably in their natural surroundings.
In today's bettas, some of the fighting instincts have been quelled but that's on a fish by fish basis. You can never assume that 2 males will get along or that a male a female will get along. That's just NOT how this species works. Another fact is that when breeding these fish, there is a really good chance that the female will not survive the endeavor. That's how rough these fish can be. It's also why the need to remove the female as soon as possible after spawning is paramount. It's for HER protection.
May I suggest, If you want schooling fish in your tank, Bettas are not the right fish for this.

Hope this helps.

 

[LCieParagon]

I don't have females in this tank. They are in my other 2. They've been together over a year and are fine. No breeding or fighting. Not even flare ups. It's amazing how peaceful they are in my other aquariums.

My LFS has 4 male veil tails in the same tank with no issue. It's freaking frustrating.

They aren't fighting anymore as they've settled into their corners. But their fins are a little torn. I don't want to move them to my other tanks because there is already a male in all of them.


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[LCieParagon]

I didn't want schooling fish. I just wanted to try something that was a bit more challenging than the basic cookie cutter fish tank.

It's not like I put 10 of them in there. I put 3.


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[Andy Sager]

It's possible, but very hard. Wild caught males will work better. Believe it or not betas are bred for increased fishing temperaments, because they are used in tournaments were they are caught.
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I think you made a mistake here. Wild males would be worse not better to keep together. They HAVE the fighting instinct full blast. They will not tolerate other males in their vicinity.

I should have purchased wild ones off of aquabid. I'm just so upset because I've planned this for months and set the tank up with so many hiding spots. The tanks I've seen it done were way less elaborate than mine.
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As I explained, this is not the normal situation and who knows how many times were unsuccessful before getting this combo to work. Another thing to keep in mind is if these were all brothers and sisters and never separated, they would behave differently ( and more non aggressively) than trying to add total strangers together. THAT may have been what you saw and didn't know it. What you described and are trying to do is NOT a "normal" scenario for this fish. In my 50 years of working these fish, I've only had long term success with siblings being kept together. Again, today's fish are a fish by fish basis.

 

[LCieParagon]

If I would have known they'd attack like THAT, I would have gotten a sorority of females. Like 10-12. My females school in my other tanks. The male in each just lets them be.


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[Sillyfishies]

I think you made a mistake here. Wild males would be worse not better to keep together. They HAVE the fighting instinct full blast. They will not tolerate other males in their vicinity.



As I explained, this is not the normal situation and who knows how many times were unsuccessful before getting this combo to work. Another thing to keep in mind is if these were all brothers and sisters and never separated, they would behave differently ( and more non aggressively) than trying to add total strangers together. THAT may have been what you saw and didn't know it. What you described and are trying to do is NOT a "normal" scenario for this fish. In my 50 years of working these fish, I've only had long term success with siblings being kept together. Again, today's fish are a fish by fish basis.

I think you honestly have a 1 in a million chance of this working. Even my family who knows nothing about fish know bettas shouldn't be kept together.

 

[LCieParagon]

They seem a little better now. Swimming next to each other without fighting or flaring too much. Hopefully it stays this way and their fins re grow.

I've always had bettas in community tanks my whole life since I was born. I've never lost one due to casualty.

It just bummed me out when I put them in and saw their fins were a little torn.


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[FallenAngel]

Who knows, maybe since they haven't killed each other yet they'll learn to tolerate each other. Keep us updated, I'm kinda interested in how this is going to play out.


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[LCieParagon]

They definitely haven't killed each other. I'd be so upset. I am really hoping it'll work out. I'll try and take a picture to show you my tank layout.


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[LCieParagon]

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[FallenAngel]

Well the set up is indeed impressive, maybe you will have a stroke of luck with all the hiding places. Love all the driftwood.


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[LCieParagon]

I have the front crypts aquacultured from my other aquariums. Same with my rotala indica and water sprites.

I reallllly hope I can pull it off.

My next project was / is going to put a pair of nanochromis transvestitus in there. West African cichlids that love low pH blackwater.


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