just got Inky a Harem :O

[bettajamie]

today i got inky my gorgeous blue (well before he changed colour)
three females to play with

they live in a well planted14 X 12 X 12" cycled tank

i am writing to say that inky although seems to be enjoying his new 'freinds' i am just wondering wheather they are enjoying being chased around all the time and if there was anything needed to be done to help or not

i have included an image below, again he moved before i could get a good shot!
the water isnt dirty btw its brown because i had a peice of bogwood in there but it just turned the water so dark i couldnt see anything
so i took it out

[shadoew]

From what I have heard, you should never put male and female bettas together, unless you are breeding them. Although they may seem somewhat "peaceful" now, it probably won't last. I'd separate the male, and just leave the 3 females before anything really bad happens.
From the picture I can see that the female is showing stress bars, which is an indication that they aren't confortable, even though the tank is well planted.

[bettajamie]

oh ok thank you

darn fish shop they said it would be ok
i dont have another tank for inky until my large tank has cycled to that the tetras can go in there
then inky can have the tetras old 10 gallon.
so for now i have put inky in a breeding box in the same tank as the females is this ok?

and as for the stripes i thought that was thier natural colouration lol never mind

thanks for your help

jamie

[shadoew]

I was told the same thing once from a pet shop employee, and soon realized it was a mistake when the male was losing his fins (from stress I assume) and the females were so scared they never came up to eat. I did some research and soon found out they weren't supposed to be together

He should be fine in the separated compartment in that tank. The females should start to get more settled and then you will be able so see all their beautiful colour without the stress stripes