Is it okay to have 2 females in one tank?? or do they fight?

Is it okay to have one male and one female? or do they fight??


I'm thinking of getting another betta.. i currently have a male betta.

Usually, male and female Bettas should be kept seperatly unless you are trying to breed, but that needs to be done very carefully, you can't just put them together or they will fight.

I don't have any female Bettas myself but there are a few members on here who do and I'm sure they can offer you some more advise. There have been a few threads about keeping female bettas recently, maybe do a keyword search of the forum too?

My understanding is that female bettas should either be kept on their own or in groups of 3-5 minimum to prevent fighting. How big is the tank you are going to use?

If you just wanted to keep a single female betta, you may be able to keep her with your single male using a divder and making sure the environment is right for them both, depending on the tank size again. I think I have heard of that before. Somebody else will need to confirm that, because I'm not completely sure. Or you can keep a single female betta quite happily in her own tank

Females as MrB said can be kept in groups of usually around 5.It is best to buy them all at same time to minimise conflict and to have a tank with loads of hiding places so each has their own space.
Do not put a male and female in together as the male will want to mate and he will hound the female to death.

okay thank you for the info. I have an extra 4 gallon tank.. i dont know the standard range to keep bettas in.. is that big enough?? for maybe 2 bettas?

Definately not big enough to house two female Betta's unless you use a divider. Any time you group females together,you need at least a ten gal. tank,and and average of 4-5 Betta's for it to really work.

oh I see.. how much room does a single betta need?

I'd say about 2-5 gallons, with or without a filter. It mostly depends on how often you are willing to do waterchanges. I keep one betta in a filterless 3 gallon and he needs 100% waterchanges at least once a week. I have another in a 3 gallon with a filter, and once that is cycled I'll only need to change part of the water 1-2 weeks.

okay thank you all for your help! I am actually thinking of keeping my betta where he is now (3 gallon tank) and decorating the other tank for maybe some tetras.

Tetras are small, but they feel very insecure without a school of at least 6, and 6 tetras is too many for a 4 gallon. If you get a filter, how about a few african dwarf frogs or a couple apple snails? Or maybe if you still want a small fish, a few white cloud minnows (very pretty) might be more appropriate.

thanks for the advice. I will be going to the store soon to check them out ;D