# betta fish



## gadunka888 (Jun 3, 2009)

can u keep a male and several females in a tank with lots of plants and places 4 the females to hide?


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## Rick (Jun 3, 2009)

Yes. The males construct bubble nests. If you're lucky you might get some babies. The male guards them after they hatch.


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## PhilinYuma (Jun 4, 2009)

I raised a number of these for sale before I realized that it was a losing proposition! If you get to a stage where you want to breed them, P.M. me.


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## gadunka888 (Jun 4, 2009)

ok but will the adults eat the baby bettas?( BTW, will tank size be a problem with a community betta setup? i hv a 2 gallon( 7 liter) tank.)


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## Rick (Jun 4, 2009)

Nightlurker said:


> ok but will the adults eat the baby bettas?( BTW, will tank size be a problem with a community betta setup? i hv a 2 gallon( 7 liter) tank.)


I think the males guard the eggs and fry. You might want to remove the females.


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## Ntsees (Aug 21, 2009)

Nightlurker said:


> ok but will the adults eat the baby bettas?( BTW, will tank size be a problem with a community betta setup? i hv a 2 gallon( 7 liter) tank.)


It just depends on the fish. If the male is well fed, he might not eat the fry. I've had both males and females eat the eggs and fry. I've had both males and females not eat the fry. And I've had a happy family of bettas (both parents with the young). But, I deal with wild bettas (_Betta smaragdina_) and so therefore it might not be the same for yours. I haven't tried it on regular bettas but I'm sure it might apply to them too (at least for the male). It just depends on the fish.


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## Katnapper (Aug 21, 2009)

If you want to breed them, I think it's betta to remove the male 72 hours after the fry are free swimming.


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## petoly (Apr 12, 2012)

Also remove the females after the eggs are layed, some females start munching on the eggs, others will actually help the male carry the eggs to the nest, and others just wont do anything. Just in case tho i would take the ladies out once there are eggs.

Omg lol i didnt realize the date of this post. Im bringing some stuff back from the dead


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## maybon (Apr 13, 2012)

They will breed if the male gets a decent bubble nest going, but be careful as females are often just as aggressive as the males and you will need space for them to escape each other. The females get vertical stripes when they are ready to mate. After mating you should take all the females out of the tank as they will eat the babies &amp; eggs. The male will gaurd &amp; look after them until they are old enough to survive on their own. Once they hatch give them about 3 days before feeding and you want to feed them freshly hatched brine shrimp.

By the way, getting them to breed can be very tricky as they are picky with their mates. What we see as a pretty/cool fish is not the same to the females  

Good luck!


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 13, 2012)

maybon said:


> They will breed if the male gets a decent bubble nest going, but be careful as females are often just as aggressive as the males and you will need space for them to escape each other. The females get vertical stripes when they are ready to mate. After mating you should take all the females out of the tank as they will eat the babies &amp; eggs. The male will gaurd &amp; look after them until they are old enough to survive on their own. Once they hatch give them about 3 days before feeding and you want to feed them freshly hatched brine shrimp.
> 
> By the way, getting them to breed can be very tricky as they are picky with their mates. What we see as a pretty/cool fish is not the same to the females
> 
> Good luck!


Good info but did you see that date of this thread?


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## maybon (Apr 13, 2012)

Myrmecologist2 said:


> Good info but did you see that date of this thread?


nope lol, that other guy "petoly" tricked me by posting first, I just assumed haha


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