Siamese Fighting Fish - Female: Sheepish and Hiding

[diddle]

Hi, wandered if anybody could help me out? I have a male and female Fighting Fish in a Large BiOrb - there is a centre-piece in the tank which i bought as i thought it would be a good hiding place for fish, but the female has been in there for a few days, she pops her head out when i put food in, but if she comes out any further she is chased by the male, who has got rather aggressive lately - i read on the internet that this could mean they are spawning, but i cant see any other signs that this is the case. When i first bought them they were quite happy swimming around together and i enjoyed watching them as they are very vibrantly coloured, seems abit of a waste if she is just hiding away all the time.

Could anyone help? maybe give me some more info on the breed, i have searched the net and found nothing of much help.

Thanks!

[Rue]

I doubt you'll be able to keep a male and female successfully in such a small space. The males are very aggressive and after spawning may kill the females. Breeders always remove the females after spawning.

I have one male and 3 females in a 25g tank with floating and planted plants...this provides everyone with a large enough territory...

[cocoa_pleco]

keeping multiple bettas can only be achieved in heavily planted tanks usually 33-infinite gallons. Small spaces make territory wars like cichlids have

[sergo]

i doubt they are spawning as it takes some work to get them to. aggression is due to lack of territory. they need more room and the they'll both be happier.
welcome btw.

[diddle]

Thanks Sergo - More room isn't really an option for me as im limited to the BiOrb due to having no space in my house - so i know how the poor fella's feel lol.

In my tank ive got 5 neons, 2 mollies, a Plecostamus, and the male and female fighters. I want more fish - but i suppose it is not a good idea? i have been doing a 20% water change every 1 and a half weeks as instructed by a guy at my nearest Aquarium supplier.

Am a newbie so any help is much appreciated, my mother always kept tropical fish when i was youg, and she did it successfully for years, but we had a much bigger tank then.

[Betta_noob]

Well despite what other people are saying, I never condone keeping a male and a female together ever unless it is to breed.
They don't naturally hang out with each other in the wild unless to spawn, so why put them together in your tank for your amusement?

When you say its a large bio orb how large is it? Because I didn't know that they made ones big enough to house 10 fish. And most likely if it was just the run of the mill pleco that they sold you, they get to be 18 inchs, so his growth will get stunted or he will have to be given to someone else, for smaller conditions I reccomend you return him and get one or two "otto cats" this is assuming that your aquarium is not already overstocked.

[diddle]

Its a 60 litre. i know how big the pleco get, and will be giving it away when it gets too big, i just like the fish so i got one. and putting them together in my tank was not for my amusement - they are pretty fish, and i was told at the shop i bought them from that it was ok to keep a male and female together. I am new at this so constructive criticism and advice are appreciated.

Thanks

[Lady Hobbs]

You will usually get some of the worst advice in the world from where you buy your fish. Never get advice from Walmarts or any department stores regarding fish. These are part-time employee's that spend one day in household supplies, another in cosmetics and now and then hit the pet department. They don't know beans. Will sell people pleco's that have a 5 gallon tank, bala sharks to people with 10 gallons, etc.

Some of the LFS have good employees and others don't as well and it's always good to read up on fish before purchasing them and go armed with your own knowledge. In one night of reading you will know more than these people do, believe me.

In the wild, betta's are loners and spend all their time in dried up rice paddies. The reason you see them in small amounts of water is because that's as they are in nature. Not saying we like it that way but that's just what it is. They don't get along with even their own kind and as the others mentioned, will kill a female.

Generally they are put together for a very brief time to spawn but even then must be watched closely and be ready to be separated immediately. If I were you, I would move the male out into a large fish bowl or vase if you haven't another tank. He will do just fine in there but his water will have to be changed very often since there will be no filter for him.

Good luck

[cocoa_pleco]

if you want them to breed, you can put M/F together. else wise no.

Its like puting the kryps and bloods together. The bettas are gonna fight because one another is in eachothers territory. In my 20g heavily planted, the betta goes after my 2 Female platys, thinking theyre bettas. The platys easily get away, but its bad to keep multiple bettas in small tanks

[Lady Hobbs]

They tend to go after other brightly colored fish more for some reason. Just want to be the prettiest in the tank, I guess. :)

[cocoa_pleco]

That must explain it. My platys are bright orange.
The betta doesnt really care for the dwarf gourami. If they meet, which is rare, the betta just lets off a little puff, but doesnt hate the gourami