"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
All this talk of Betta females has me considering a buddy or 2 for my
lone male Betta. He seems very peaceful, as I've never seen him flare.
But he's only in a 10 gallon tank, so I'm concerned that it would not
be enough space for the three of them.

Should I put a divider in the tank and see how he reacts to the two
females before letting them interact? He's been in the tank about six
months now, so he likely considers it his personal space. Should I add
both females at the same time or space them out? Any preference for the
colours of the females (male is Indigo with red highlights) in terms of
compatibility?


Success (mixing M&F Bettas) is a function of their personalities and the
tank size, so I think you might be making this very difficult for
yourself, having only a 10g.

The sequence is to reset the tank (remove male, re-arrange plants,
decoration etc), install the females (typically at the same time) and
wait a few days (let them settle in, and the surroundings to fade from
the male Betta's memory).

Feed them all well and re-introduce the male into the tank (they will be
less likely to go to war on a full stomach ;~). Seriously, a full
stomach does reduce the magnitude of their energies if things go badly.
Lower water temperatures also helps keep things cool.

Then watch. I would overlook a bit of fin damage if it occurs and let
them settle in. With enough hiding holes, and a male Betta who is a
benign ruler ;~) then you have a chance.

If things go well, then it might only be the start of your problems
;~)... you will have bubble nests, the beta female gets kicked out by the
alpha female, eggs laid, alpha female gets kicked out, and fry (leaving
you scrambling for fry food). This is why folks who keep more than one
Betta often have multiple tanks/containers. What you're planning (with a
few additional twists) is normal procedure for line-breeding Bettas, but
breeders expect and are ready to rescue them when things don't work out.

I'm not trying to scare you Bill. Just giving you some possible and
likely scenarios. There are people who have wall to wall bookcases (no
books, only Betta jars), and some of them got started by thinking "I
wonder if I should give my Betta some female company?". It can be a lot
of fun, but very addictive.
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