FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi there,
I just set up a 5.5 gal. tank (planted, heated, and filtered) for a trio of female bettas. However, I have never owned bettas before (*gasp!*) and my head is full of a lot of conflicting and dubious information. I have 4 tanks full of other fish that are healthy and happy, so I'm not a newbie to fishkeeping, and I've had a lot of good luck with small tanks. Is there anything special I need to know about betta girls other than making sure they get along in their small space? Is it true that if I don't breed them (and I have no plans to) they may become eggbound and die? Is there a particular variety I should avoid (like I've heard CT bettas can be more aggressive than say, HMPKs)? These sound like really stupid questions to me, but I want to ask anyway before I buy any bettas (they will probably be mail ordered from one of two sellers I have purchased fish from in the past that I know to be reliable and take good care of their fish). Any input at all will be very helpful.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

um,, good questions, i really think that their is no such thing as a less aggressive "type" but it depends on each fish. at first their may be fighting but it shouldn't last that long, just that some fins maybe missing, but they will grow back. umm... and thing to look for if the fighting doesn't go down, and their is just one really agressive female attacking the others, remove her, as *she may no kill the other girls, but infections from the fights may.

i dont think that they should die, i did have questions from this egg bound, b/c i have heard mix results, but haven't experienced it.

good luck with u new betta girls. and if u have anymore randon questions that pop in ur mind, let me know.

Hey illustrae Welcome to the addiction

3 gorls in that size tank should get along fine, especially if they are all from the same batch/spawn and grew up together. Do you have photos?

First concern is always *are they girls?* because an increasing number of short-tailed males are finding their way into the female tanks, and although they probably won't outright kill the other occupants in the shop tank, they can be pretty rough and will often be the best looking ones there because of this.

Check to see that all fish have a little white dot near their vent. Its not foolproof, boys can have them, but its a pretty good sign


I personally have seen no difference between the tail types except that the longer. more highly inbred ones tend to be a bit passive and disinterested in the world, whereas the ones that are closer to their wild ancestors have a bit more pep. I wouldn't worry. I've heard the CT myth before, and its not really held true for me. They say the same about chestnut and black horses.


Eggbinding *can* be a problem, but its not necessarily going to happen, and they won't necessarily die from it. All females produce eggs given the correct diet. Thats just the way it works, so they are ready in case a boy comes along and wants to party. If a boy doesn't come along, the eggs are either resorbed into the body, or 'dropped'. Most girls will drop them and just resorb any remaining. The problem comes when the gut is malformed in such a way that she has trouble releasing the eggs. Sometimes overfeeding can put too much in the gut and press things out of shape, and that only requires a day or so of fasting for that to go down, and sometimes there is a kink or narrowing in the tube that would otherwise allow the eggs to pass through.
IF it happens (and you'll soon spot the difference between eggbinding and simply full of eggs) then there are a few treatment options. increasing tannins in the water is popular, as is attempting to breed the fish. The latter is based on the assumtion that the tube is narrowed and the male can assist by squeezing the eggs out. There are a few other ways, but those two seem to be preferred.

There is no worry about you not breeding. If the girl gets eggbound, it would happen if she was being bred or not IMO. The only benefit breeding may have is for a treatment.


HTH

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett