Basically, my fish get what they can eat in about 1 to 2 minutes and then any excess food is removed. They may not be as bright as the boys, but female betta fish colors are no less beautiful in a community set-up. You’ll definitely want a tank with a lid or hood. This is how the pecking order is established. Add a few fish at a time, gradually bringing your tank to its capacity over the period of a month. If you’re interested in keeping female bettas together you’ll need to set up a sorority tank. You don’t have to have a light set-up for your tank unless you plan on growing live plants. Bettas get bored if they live in an empty tank without any plants or decorations to play with. Although betta can survive in smaller tanks, it can be difficult to establish a stable nitrogen cycle and regulate temperature. Just remember female bettas like swimming space more than males, you should try to divide your tank so your female has 10 gallons and your male has 5. It’s called a sorority tank. Size: Females tend to be smaller in size. While technically you could keep two females alone in a 10-gallon set-up, this is likely going to be stressful for them. For that reason you want to have enough plants and caves and other pieces of aquarium décor to offer ample hiding places for lower caste members to take refuge in – as they wait for any emotional storm to blow over. While you can often get by without a filter, you need a heater for a betta tank. This is because those elaborate fins predispose males to many health problems, such as fin and tail rot and swim bladder disorders. Price may vary by location. How often should you clean your bettas’ tank? You might search for a crowntail or double tail male, or pick a male based on their color. Male betta fish can grow up to 2.5 to 3 inches while the female can only grow up to 2 inches in size. They can grow up to 3 – 6 inches in general. Avoid stressing your fish and they should thrive in your tank! It’s not hard to establish a sorority tank and female betta fish care is easy compared to the flamboyant boy bettas. In the article you can also find information about the Betta fish such as what is their history, where do they get their name, what is the common behaviour that was noticed among both the male and female fishes and more.. Betta is the other name of the Siamese fighting fish. Conditioning the Bettas for Breeding Next step in our ‘How do Breed Betta Fish’ guide is the conditioning part. Since bettas prefer to hang out at the surface, a long tank should provide plenty of room at the top for multiple female bettas to each have their own territory. Betta fish can not live off plant materials or algae; they must have sufficient protein in their diet or they’ll starve. There are a number of verities of bettas by fin type and fin colors and personality. They don’t do well when their tank is out of this range and they get stressed and sick if their water fluctuates more than a degree or two over 24-hours. While you have the option of feeding your betta a commercial diet, many fish greatly prefer live or fresh-frozen foods over flakes. While you may be able to maintain a single female in a small 1-gallon set-up short term, this is much less room than is ideal. The recommended tank size for a single betta fish is at least 5 US gallons (18.9 Litres). When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Sorority Tank Rule #5: Be ready to separate a particularly aggressive fish if need be. A stressed betta is likely to become sick if the problem is not quickly identified and fixed. Shirlie is a fish and aquarium lover with 16 years of experience writing on the topic of raising and keeping fish at home. Having an odd number also makes it more likely a peaceful pecking order will be established. Female bettas and those kept in sororities are more likely to pick up a parasite or disease from your other community fish. She is an expert in setting up new tanks and maintaining naturally-planted freshwater habitats, and has experience raising a wide variety of aquatic species. If you want a set-up that includes almost everything, this 20-gallon GloFish tank with LED light is very pretty and colorful. Female groups of bettas, also known as betta sororities, need long, 20-gallon tanks as a bare minimum. Best Fish For A 20-Gallon Tank And How Many Can You Fit, Best Fish For A 10-Gallon Tank And How Many Can You Fit, Best Place To Buy Healthy Betta Fish Online, Compatible And Safe Tank Mates for Your GoldFish, How To Tell If Your Aquarium Snail Is Dead, SunSun HW-304B Pro Canister Filter Review, Best Low And Medium Light Aquarium Plants, Setting Up a Tank for Your Betta Sorority, Setting Up Your Betta Sorority—Step-by-Step Instructions, Best for single bettas of either gender, with room for a tank mate or two, Possibly, if the tank only has a single betta, Tall tank is not ideal for multiple female bettas, Longer style can accommodate more females due to extra room on the surface of the tank, Idea size for a betta sorority or betta community tank, Cotton-like patches or spots on the fins or body, Stress, infection from tank mate, poor quality water, Tuberculosis or illness related to poor water quality, Inflamed body and scales; swelling makes fish look like a pine cone, Infection from a fungus, virus or bacteria, Specks or rusty spots of color on body or fins; fish may rub against aquarium decorations, Water temperatures out of ideal range, poor quality water and stress, Fish floats on its side and can’t dive or swim normally, Genetic predisposition, overfeeding leading to obesity, infections, Yes, but it’s better to prevent than treat and some fish never recover, Tumors may be fatal and there is no treatment for cancer in fish, Black or red edged fins or ragged fins with holes in them; fins melting or receding towards the body; open sores on the body, Water temperature too low, poor quality or dirty tank water, Very treatable in the early stages but may be fatal once it’s spread to the body, Female Betta, Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), Southeast Asia; mainly in Thailand and Cambodia, Carnivore; Prefers live food like brine shrimp but will eat flake and frozen foods, Single female per 5 gallons (20-gallons for a sorority of 3 to 5), Prefers well-filtered water with a low flow rate, Egglayer; Females provide no care to eggs or offspring. You don’t want them to jump to their death, so keep your tank covered for their safety. Next, set your aquarium in its permanent location, near an electrical outlet but away from windows and any direct light. Anyone who keeps tropical fish will know of Bettas. If you want to have other community fish with your female, upgrade to at least a 10-gallon set-up. Written by. You may even have enough space to add some bottom-dwelling or schooling community fish if you want. This leaves the occupants enough space and hiding places to go around. Our Deluxe Female Bettas are hand-selected from a HUGE variety of colors and tail shapes. Which some find hard to resist. Female Betta Fish: Not Pairs But Three of a Kind, Easily Avoid the More Common Betta Fish Diseases With Better Betta Fish Care, Demystifying Buying Betta’s From Overseas, The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Constipated Bettas, The Top 10 Lessons For Conditioning Bettas For Breeding, The Anatomy of One Primo Betta Barracks Sump Setup, Bio Bale Tips For Your Betta Barracks Sump. Think of her as like the pack leader who the rest submit to. Things that may stress your female betta include: Female bettas are usually healthier than colorful male fish. I’ll use a sinking food and algae disks for my bottom feeders, and then tempt the other fish and bettas with floating or live diets, or rehydrated frozen or freeze-dried treats. How do you keep your female fish or sorority healthy? For a sorority of GloFish Female Bettas and/or a few community fish, a 5-gallon aquarium is recommended. With their shorter fins, female bettas rarely suffer the same problems. Different types of Bettas have different tail shapes; the most commonly found shape is the "veil tail," but other shapes include "double tail," "crown tail," "half-moon," and "short-finned fighting-style tail." Never use a large female and a smaller male. They are easy to care for and make a great ornamental addition to any desk, kid's room or living space. Domesticated female bettas closely resemble their wild ancestors in their overall appearance. So I guess I have two questions. Once you’ve picked out your tank, there’s still some equipment you’ll need to keep your betta happy and healthy. The Aqueon 29-gallon Tank with LED Light is a good option, but you’ll still need to buy a filter, heater, substrate and decorations for your tank. Betta Fish Care Tip: If you must introduce a new female to the tank rearrange your ornaments and plants. This group is called a sorority. Most community and betta sorority tanks benefit from a light fixture, however. Monitor the betta sorority tank closely. Once your water is clear, add the appropriate amount of water conditioner. There are more than 70 species of bettas in the region and most have never been domesticated. General-purpose fish foods are not suitable for bettas. While females have the same habitat and feeding requirements as males, their behavior is markedly different. You’ll want to opt for a low flow filter or adjust it to create a gentle flow in your tank. Speaking of size, when it comes to housing male and female betta together, you need to consider the size of the tank. Where else do female bettas differ from their larger and more colorful mates? To insure your betta keeping experience is a good one both for you and your fish. If they gobble it up quickly, I’d offer a little bit more. People are often put off by their occasional aggression, but this doesn’t have to be a problem if you know how to handle them. If that’s clear as mud let’s see if we can’t explain that two of a kind paradox and find out more as we try to understand female bettas from the inside out.