# Female Betta with other fish



## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

HI, um i'm having problems with my female betta nipping at my other fish in my tank. I recently purchased a 2.5 gallon tank and put an orange neon tetra, Otocinclus affinis (dwarf sucker mouth), and a female betta into the tank. The female is a dark blue, the neon is clear and orange and is slightly smaller than the betta, and the algae eater is tan and brown and slightly bigger than the betta. I heard that having fish with bettas that where the same color and size would cause them to attack the other fish, along with being very territorial and such, but i read all that about the male bettas. The females (i read) were suppose to be more laid back. They were all added to the tank within the same day. and it doesn't seem like the female betta is going out of her way to nip at the other fish, it seems like if she just-so-happens to be near one of them, she has to at least try to bite them once. If she misses, then she just goes on about swimming, the same if she succeeds. I dont know if i should take her back and get another neon, or what... If someone could give me some insight, i would appreciate it.

Also, the betta is just over and inch long.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Too many fish in a 2.5, simply, there's no room for territories.

Return the tetra and the oto, a 2.5 can only support one betta.


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## Chrispy (Oct 28, 2007)

yeah, take the step up to a 10 gallon. the fish are too crouded


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

there is a good possibility that she is just trying to establish a pecking order.i really do not believe that tank to be too crowded.3 small fish is not that much.if the betta wanted to,she would have killed the others already...provide a little cover for everybody.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Pretty hard to provide cover in a 2.5, though. 

Tetras need to be in schools, too, not alone.


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## Mew_chan (Jan 28, 2009)

yep I would say 2.5 is way too small for more than 1 fish... you need at least a 5 gallon tank...


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

hmmmmmmm....i would really like to know what would happen to a tetra if it was kept alone..will it suffer extreme emotional anxiety and go on a killing rampage?will it die from a broken heart?and how does one know for sure how much a fish suffers from loneliness?do we take it to the Dr. Doolittle of the fish world and have him ask it?
i have often kept breeding groups of fish in a 2 1/2..there are many folks that keep breeding pairs of fish in plastic shoeboxes.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Hello Shugo,

May I ask, how the tank is set up?

Do you have plants, little hides & such?

WFF


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

well, i do have 3 plastic plants along the back of the tank so they can hide, and a (fake) little rock formation that they all like to, every so often, hide behind. I was thinking of adding a couple real plants in front of the filter so that the water coming out the filter wouldn't be so strong, i have a Tetra Whisper 3i In-Tank Filter and it seems to give off a strong current (considering they are small fish). I did take the betta out this afternoon after the first post, and it seems that the neon isn't so stressed out now. It was racing up and down the walls like crazy when i had the betta in there, it still does it a little-not nearly as much though. I also haven't seen the neon eat either.. It seems content though.. 

Oh, does anyone know where i can get a good lid for the 2.5 gallon tank, it came with a piece of glass with a handle attached to it, but it cant sit down in the groove of the tank because of the hose that goes to the filter.

and someone said that the neons should be in schools, do they have to be the same kind, like orange with orange, or can i put a blue-red one in with the orange one?

And i'm just going to keep my betta in another tank for right now, till i can upgrade.-and i also thought that she was establishing a pecking order, considering that she wasn't chasing the other fish down and biting them..


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

the tank is set up, looking at it from directly over-head, there is a filter to the top right, 3 plastic plants along the back (they're out a little way so that they can get behind them), and there is a stand up rock formation that they can swim through all the way to the left. The rock is turn at a 45 degree angle so that the last plant to the left is behind it.
-------------------------------------------|
|--------|---------|---------|....|[[[[[]]]]]]|
|[[Plant]]|[[Plant]]]|[[Plant]]]|....|[[Filter]]]|
|--------|---------|---------|....|---------|
|......./////..............................................|
|.....//////..............................................|
|..../////...<-rock.....................................|
|....\///......................Gravel...................|
|.....\/...................................................|
|...........................................................|
-------------------------------------------|
i hope the picture helps...


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Hello again,

I would suggest getting some real plants such as Java Fern and or Anacharis.

You can use these two plants to make a maze type setup:

1) have hiding / resting places 2) Have the line of vision broken up-a straight view 
across the tank is probably not helping the situation.

Neither one of these plants need to be planted.

The rock, is it solid? You can add a cave (1), which has several openings and is hollow.
This will more than likely be the Bettas main hideout/favorite spot.

I will post picks as soon as I can of my 2.5 gal tanks, several of these house 2 females.
You can see the set-up I'm writting about.


WFF


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

P.S. It will be a couple of days for the pics, my camera battery died & I will not go into
town before Friday


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

ok, went out and splurged on a 5 gallon tank, do you guys think there will be enough room now... and i got another neon to accompany the first one


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

wow, splurging for me would be going out buying an 75 gallon full setup, but... The 5 gallon is still pretty small but i think it might be ok, i'm an idiot though so wait till the smart ppl post


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

i say splurge cuz im in college, and am low on money.. but i love fish.. it's a big delema...


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

so, i'm a high school junior, that is un employed, and i pay for everything myself... good thing i stole that magical money tree from the goose that lays golden eggs.  good luck


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

I saw no reason for loha's sarcastic response, but anyway...

If you keep a tetra alone, it will generally hide more, and not display their usual social behaviors. 2=not a school, 6 is better. Theoretically you could have 6 neons in a 5 gallon, if you do enough water changes, and count on having a larger tank in the future.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

All I can say is........ wow


Shugo,

Are you planning to add the Betta in the 5 gal tank?


WFF


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

thank you for the info, now i'm having a little bit more of a problem.. The filter that came with the tank is made for 5-15 gallon tanks, and i think its pushing at a 15 gallon tank level on my 5 gallon tank... is there anyway to slow it down, or break up the current?


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

no, i dont think im going to put the betta in... my girlfriend said that she wanted it, so i'm gonna give it to her with the 2.5 gallon tank


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

There isn't a flow adjuster?

I am not familiar with adjusting a filter flow, manually, sorry.

You can search the forums or possible someone can give you advice.

WFF

P.S. Missed your responsed on the Betta.

You can certainly add 4 more Tetras & keep the otto in the 5 gal


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

awesome, thank you  :fish:


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Just remember to do regular water changes!! 

WFF


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## Shugo (Feb 16, 2009)

i will. i tried putting a piece of left over tubing at the top where the filter mouth opens to the tank, it seems to have slowed it a little, but ill keep looking (i checked, and theres no adjustment knob) I never had these problems with my 55 gallon lol its so much different going down ^.^' .. and using bettas >.<


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