Jump to content

female betta aggression question


venzi
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I had bought two female bettas and placed them in a QT tank together (no other fish) and noticed something interesting.  Initially, the smaller betta was flaring and aggressive towards the bigger betta.  The smaller one would not eat, while the bigger one would eat and run away from the smaller one.   Then, after 2 days or so, the bigger one started flaring at the smaller one and the smaller one would run away.  Has anyone noticed a similar reversal of roles?  After a few more days, they were settled down and both were eating just fine and seemed healthy enough for me.  The aggression I saw did not seem too violent.  The fish would chase each other, but it almost looked like they were playing flag football (vs tackle football).  What I mean is that the fish would chase each other, but stop short of actually bumping into the other fish.  Like no attempt at ramming or nipping that I could tell.

Today, I tossed the two female bettas into my main 20g tank which already has a female betta, which is the biggest of the three.  So the biggest one starts chasing the smaller ones around, but this time it's an aggression that's on another level. I can see the big one's mouth trying to nip.  So I thought that was interesting that there are levels of aggression at play.   

The most interesting thing for me was that even though the one big betta that's chasing the two small bettas (one at a time, never both at the same time), the big betta does not seem like it's "out of breath" at all.  I don't see it's gills moving rapidly, but for the two smaller bettas, I see their gills moving rapidly.  I would think the big one would be out of breath b/c it's trying to chase 2 smaller bettas, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  I do notice that when the smaller bettas are running away, they do seem to not "efficiently" expend their energy.  They are darting around in short  bursts, while the bigger betta more casually chases them in a straight line.

Anyways, just wanted share my story and check if anyone else has noticed similar aggressive patterns. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/12/2022 at 8:47 AM, venzi said:

So I had bought two female bettas and placed them in a QT tank together (no other fish) and noticed something interesting.  Initially, the smaller betta was flaring and aggressive towards the bigger betta.  The smaller one would not eat, while the bigger one would eat and run away from the smaller one.   Then, after 2 days or so, the bigger one started flaring at the smaller one and the smaller one would run away.  Has anyone noticed a similar reversal of roles?  After a few more days, they were settled down and both were eating just fine and seemed healthy enough for me.  The aggression I saw did not seem too violent.  The fish would chase each other, but it almost looked like they were playing flag football (vs tackle football).  What I mean is that the fish would chase each other, but stop short of actually bumping into the other fish.  Like no attempt at ramming or nipping that I could tell.

Today, I tossed the two female bettas into my main 20g tank which already has a female betta, which is the biggest of the three.  So the biggest one starts chasing the smaller ones around, but this time it's an aggression that's on another level. I can see the big one's mouth trying to nip.  So I thought that was interesting that there are levels of aggression at play.   

The most interesting thing for me was that even though the one big betta that's chasing the two small bettas (one at a time, never both at the same time), the big betta does not seem like it's "out of breath" at all.  I don't see it's gills moving rapidly, but for the two smaller bettas, I see their gills moving rapidly.  I would think the big one would be out of breath b/c it's trying to chase 2 smaller bettas, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  I do notice that when the smaller bettas are running away, they do seem to not "efficiently" expend their energy.  They are darting around in short  bursts, while the bigger betta more casually chases them in a straight line.

Anyways, just wanted share my story and check if anyone else has noticed similar aggressive patterns. 

You’ve either got some very aggressive bettas or accidentally got a male…could you post some pics?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/12/2022 at 8:57 AM, venzi said:

@TheSwissAquarist sure.   The bright blue is the biggest one.  The white one is the middle size and the dark blue one is the smallest (I just took that pic as the big one was coming after her - looks like a shark is after it from that shot 🙂

20221019_224023.jpg.9c57a35a9942fc00642461396208f6f3.jpg20221111_235134.jpg.a59ffa53f94aa450ad0154be757bf252.jpg20221111_235158.jpg.0f099475476767b05af7a1f4388c6cc7.jpg

The blue one has quite long fins for a female….

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm.  I got that  big one from a petco and it was in a community tank with one other female betta and several other smaller fish.  I prob need to get a shot of the fish together for better size ratio, but from what I can recall, the male bettas I've seen in cups have much longer fins.  But yea, that's something to consider perhaps if they don't settle down in the next few days, which I'm hoping they will 🙂 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All bettas are territorial I tried keeping females together briefly and after initially they swam together and rested together but after a few weeks some damage appeared and the chasing was constant. I divided the tank but one would glass surf constantly so separate community tanks for them. 

I would not be convinced that blue is a girl either with those fins. But either way that tank is Big Blues territory and will probably not let up on the new girls. Keep a close eye and your quarantine tank handy you might get lucky and they find harmony but get a plan together on what to do if it doesn't work.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So small update.  It's been like 2.5 days and the big blue betta has calmed down now.  It's aggression has been reduced to about 50%.  It will still chase and try to snip ocassionally, but it's not w/ as much aggression or energy as initially.  They all hang out at the top of the tank when I feed and they don't seem aggressive while feeding.  I think it'll be OK 🙂  Will keep monitoring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...