I've Never Heard of This...Males & Females?

[Rachel]

starlight said:

Rachel, is there an award for the longest HB post of the year? Well that's how I feel about this subject. At least I can provide a link to this thread, the next time this type of question appears. I could go on but this is a volume.

Lol, well if there was you would get it .

This thread ties into the fact that we all know many people out there (often uneducated pet store employees) will offer advice that is incorrect or not in the best interest of fish. Sometimes they don't fully understand what the outcome of their advice will lead to and that's why they give it.

Even if I saw someone keeping bettas in this manner, I would never attempt it myself. As mentioned previously in the thread, there are reasons the majority of betta keepers do things a certain way. Experimenting with things outside the norm (as in this case of keeping them randomly together) is more in the interest of the owner rather than keeping a proper environment for the bettas.

It was just fine to bring it up Ella as it is an interesting story, but I think we've determined that it's not something people should try to replicate for fun. I think the members here at HB know better than to try something like this too.

[Rachel]

Here's an example of what can happen when a male and a group of females mix. In this case it was an accident that they ended up together, but the male was badly injured because the females ganged up on him. This tends to be more of the outcome you hear about in situations like this, where someone gets hurt.

From Petfish.net:
www.petfish.net/forum/index.php?board=8;action=display;threadid=28305

Here's the followup to the first thread: www.petfish.net/forum/index.php?board=8;action=display;threadid=30192

[starlight]

" I could go on but this is a volume. "

I didn't even get into the females. Bitter enemies can become allies and it's not unusual that a group of females did this.

I count seven females in the pic. The pictures are hard to look at, they stripped his fins and he suffered body damage as well. The owner did a great job saving the betta. He looked like a half moon or super delta before his accident.

Looking at those pics again makes me sad. They stripped his ventrals (and his pecs) too. He jumped into a tank with seven females. I bet it didn't take them more than a second to decide what they were going to do to him. I hope he makes it but he won't ever be the same. He's suffered for over six weeks for the mistake he made. In some of the pics his eyes tell the story.
Sad.

[Rachel]

I know, those pictures are hard to take in and they are sad. I was glad to see he was starting to look a bit better over time.

Bettas are different from most other fish and perhaps that's why people decide to try it as they don't know any better. It's one thing to keep community fish such as tetras together on a regular basis and a whole different thing to keep "fighting fish" mixed together.

[ickyfishywishy]

that was a great bit of info,,, sorry if i ticked u off though :S but i never knew that they even used harmless females to train for fighting :S brutal! and thank you for the info

[Ella3]

Thanks for clarifying Starlight!! I may have taken your post the wrong way and got my "fins a little ruffled". Sorry, I'm functioning on little sleep lately.

I just didn't want anyone to think that I was advising this. No way!! I got to thinking about the Walmart guy and he did kind of strike me as one who might "experiment" with the fish. That breaks my heart. I would never want any harm to come to them.

I do have a question. Maybe I should start a new thread, but here it is....do you know if females can become aggressive towards each other after a period of time. See, I have 4 females living together and they have gotten along great. I do watch them often and check their fins when I'm feeding them. So far everything has been fine. I will continue to watch them as always, but should I expect trouble down the line? I know each situation is different, but generally if they get along will they most likely always get along?

Thanks for all your help!

Ella

[starlight]

As I said before, you're doing everything right. It's not unusual for females to get along and many report success keeping them together. My friends do. Some have hundreds in a large tank. I love to watch them! Be careful if you decide to add more. Again it could work out but the females may decide they don't like the new addition. Eventually it settles down though.

[Ella3]

Thanks for the advice. Four is my limit! In fact, we were only going to have 3 females and 3 males, but my daughter found a pink female that she just couldn't pass up. So we have four in one tank and I don't plan to add any more. I'm so thankful that the girls all get along. Don't want to rock that boat! ;D

Ella