is it possible to place one male betta in a 5 gal tank with 3 females and no problems

[Dan_Forbz]

i was at the pet store yesterday and was looking at this betta that really caught my eye. this one was a male, and was interesting in placing some females in there so his not so bored lol. would they fit in that size tank or cause problems??

 

[Silent Night]

Iv kept bettas for years. 5 seems a little small. I'd go no smaller than a 15, with adequate live planting. But, it all depends on the fish. I currently have a 20g heavily planted tank with 1 male and 3 females and have had no issues. Some males have far more aggressive tendancies than others. You won't know untill you buy them. Is this male in a tank with any females at the lfs?

 

[Dan_Forbz]

no, on its own at the moment. so 5 is too small. okay. thanks

 

[maxima423]

well it depends on who you ask, 1 male betta in a 15g??? i think thats a little bit too much just for him, most would say 5g would be the minimum, i tend to agree with the 5g minimum, but like i said, it depends on who you ask

 

[logansmomma1228]

well it depends on who you ask, 1 male betta in a 15g??? i think thats a little bit too much just for him, most would say 5g would be the minimum, i tend to agree with the 5g minimum, but like i said, it depends on who you ask

I believe they mean 15g for the 4 bettas. 5 gallons is far too small for 4 bettas.

Every fish is different, it all depends on the attitude of your betta.

And it depends on who you ask for sure, but make sure you check your sources...

 

[DragonFish71]

+1

Everyone says females are not nearly as aggressive as males, I disagree. We had a female that was darn near homicidal. She'd treat neons like they were rag dolls, killed countless corys, killed mystery snails and tried to kill her male through the divider (they were in a 5.5 divided tank)

My point to this is as dk said, it depends on the fish. There are no sure things when dealing with critters.

 

[jsoong]

Also, males gets really aggressive when guarding eggs. So right after spawning, you'd be wise to separate the fish. The male will attack the females (or any fish) that comes near his nest.

 

[Dan_Forbz]

ohh okay thanks for the info, last thing i want is a heap of dead fish with one rather full betta that seems to have had a good time in the night lol.

 

[JohnPaul]

Mixing male & female bettas in the same tank is a recipe for disaster unless it is a really, really large (55+ gallon) tank. As jsoong said, if the male spawns with one of the females and is guarding the nest, he will basically KOS (kill-on-sight) any betta that gets anywhere close to the nest. In a huge tank the females can stay at the opposite end, hidden from sight by plants etc., and be okay. In anything smaller than a 55 gallon, they will not be able to get far enough away and the male will kill any fish that comes too close to the nest.

 

[kaiofcanada]

Iv kept bettas for years. 5 seems a little small. I'd go no smaller than a 15, with adequate live planting. But, it all depends on the fish. I currently have a 20g heavily planted tank with 1 male and 3 females and have had no issues. Some males have far more aggressive tendancies than others. You won't know untill you buy them. Is this male in a tank with any females at the lfs?

I have wanted to keep a betta tank in a similar way. Do you have the male divided from the female, or do they live peaceably? Do you only worry about aggression when they mate?

 

[BigJim]

I've got a male and three females in my 29g community. It's moderately planted, so there's some room to move and hide, but I've never seen any real aggression from the bettas. I've kept several sets of bettas in my community tank without issue. Some are a bit more aggressive than others, but if there's enough room, they're happy. 5g isn't enough for more than one betta. I've tried it and the two females shredded the male's fins. Never again.

Most of the males you see in the LFS are pretty much past the serious breeding age. You need to get them young if you want to breed them.

 

[Dan_Forbz]

ohh okay, this ones still rather small the one im interested in, i have got a 40 g community tank, but theres a slight amount of current. would this play a part on their living?? i used to have a gourami until one of my swordtails (who is now removed) decided he didnt like it.

would a male betta and 2-3 females work with 4 swordtails, 1 molly, 2 bristles, 2 panchax's, and one flying fox?

 

[BigJim]

The male betta may chase the panchax. They mistake flashy fish with long fins as other bettas. Otherwise, it should be fine.

I actually prefer to keep my bettas in a tank with some current. I have an AC70 on my 29g and it produces a fair amount of flow. I've found bettas kept in that tank grow larger and look healthier than bettas kept in low-flow tanks.

 

[JohnPaul]

I actually prefer to keep my bettas in a tank with some current. I have an AC70 on my 29g and it produces a fair amount of flow. I've found bettas kept in that tank grow larger and look healthier than bettas kept in low-flow tanks.

I agree with this, I used to have a 29g community tank and at various times had different bettas in it (both male & female, though never at the same time) and every single betta I ever had in there would enjoy, from time to time, swimming directly into the outflow of the current produced by my HOB filter. Not always, mind you, but for a minute or two at a time I would see a betta constantly swimming into the flow.

I would also notice the same thing at water changes; when I would be putting new water into the tank, most of the fish would huddle in the opposite end of the aquarium. But inevitably the bettas would gather right where the flow was the strongest and seemingly were having a blast trying to swim 'against' the flow. Was very funny to watch.

 

[dkpate]

My bettas also love the water changes! They get right under where I am pouring it in.
Also, if you do decide to get more than one male, or a male and some females, please have a backup plan in case things don't work out.

 

[Dan_Forbz]

wow , i might try that then, he seems to be rather bored and non moving in the little betta housing i have. haha he might actually enjoy it with the rest,

though when i did have a dwarf gourami in that tank they kept dying, will there be any similarities?? or should he be just fine?

 

[dkpate]

DG's are brats. Was it the DG dying, or the bettas?

 

[Dan_Forbz]

dwarf gourami. i had 1 and he died the night i got him , got a replacement for free, and he died 2 days after. maybe im just not supposed to ever have any dwarf gouramis lol

this little crown tail is my first betta, lol. his in a tiny 1.5 L tank at the moment on top of my 40 g to keep it moderately warm lol

 

[dkpate]

I only have one of my four DG's left.

 

[JohnPaul]

THere has been a disease that has resulted in lots of DG's not lasting very long. I'm not sure they've precisely figured out what it is, but thankfully it is apparently something only DG's get and so it isn't passed along to other fish. But in recent years very few people are having luck keeping DG's alive very long, and that includes people who (in the past) kept them without problems.