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I am thinking of getting a community tank going in my 80 gallon in the future. So I have heard that if you have a large tank you can put a male Betta with two female as a males territory is a cubic foot. To do this I need lots of plants, lots of places to hide. I like to keep fish together that are from the same part of the world. So I would also put some kind of Rasbora, Rainbowfish and smaller loaches all in the 2-4 inch range.
What do you think?

I wouldn't, but that's my personal preference. I'd keep one or the other, but not both unless you are planning to breed them. I have seen some really nice looking female bettas. If you look hard enough, you should be able to find one that is really pretty (if you decide to do a female).

I am not saying it cannot be done the bigger the tank the better especially if it is very heavily planted.
Again I would not do it at all unless you are breeding Bettas but that is just a personal opinion.


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Keith


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If you do this, talk to a breeder and get sibling fish that have not been jarred/separated. If you can get short tails (plakats) that would be best as they'll cope with swimming the distances and currents of an 80G much better.

I would be wary of putting fish from different spawns in together if you don't know the temperament of the fish. Sometimes it works, sometimes there is carnage. All up, it is safer to get them young and from the same batch as that will increase chances of success. They might still occasionally scrap, but they shouldn't beat each other to a pulp.

Do not ever try this with arena fighters or giant plakats. They are the same species, but those two types are very aggressive.

Have you considered wilds? If you are going for fish from similar areas, they might be worth considering. They are not as flashy, but the behaviour is interesting and they are (often - not always) less likely to damage each other when squabbling over territory.

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

Callatya, I would stay with the betta as it would be the center of the tank. So I would like to stay with the Asian tank. I think if the fish get fighting to much I can put the male or two females in an other tank.

Steven, not sure you understood callatya.
She was recommending different types of bettas, those that are not the typical ones sold in the stores.

I would follow callatya's instructions/ideas because she is very well rounded in the betta world!

My personal opinion would be to get just female bettas to start and if you still want to try the male then do that once the rest of the tank is established and settled well.

Hope it works out and your tank looks marvelous!
-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I am kind of in the middle of no where so the fish I can get is limited.
I would put the male in last if I do this as I like to put the timid fish in first.
Thanks Brandeeno