female and male betta

[Ben268]

I know it seems like a rookie mistake, but i'm attempting to keep a male and female betta together. (permanatly) Before I get attacked, I have another tank on standby. (which the female was origanally in) I've placed the female betta inside of the males betta tank. The tank is 5 gals, although it's only half full, and It's got a fair bit of java moss in it.

The male betta has a history of making bubble nests about once a week, so if they should breed, I do know of some friends who are interested in taking one or two, and the local fish store said they'd take them in as well.(depending on what they look like). Also I have brine shrimp eggs and salt as well s a container, on standby should they spawn. (I also have another fish bowl, so both parents can be removed)

I'm not stupid enough to dump the female in and just leave her though. As tonigth is the first night they've been together it's to ahrd to tell (3 hours now) So I plan on removing the female when i go to bed and when i'm at school (or out and about ) and just placing her in the tank only when they can be "supervised" until I feel safe with leaving her in there, and then I will continue to check on them VERY frequently for the first week or so that they're together for the whole day.

If it makes any difference the male is a red crowntail and the female a white crowntail. They both have boisterious, but not aggressive personallities.

I have researched it a fair bit and most people do not recommend it (hence the caution) but I have read a few claiming for it to work, I realize that bettas are individuals so it's seems possible (despite the majority saying it won't work)

So question for you guys, do you think this will work? or am i being foolhardy?

 

[landmineyouth]

will NOT work as a permanent solution, only to breed.... read up on www.bettatalk.com ....

 

[PennReels84]

cant keep em together the male will kill her. only to breed whne he makes a bubble nest!

 

[benzjamin13]

I don't think it's going to work, not in a 5g. A group of females in a small tank will work, there has been rare occasions of 2-4 males in a very large tank, and male/females tank but also in a very large tank. Those large tanks are also heavily planted and are over 200g.

 

[Lady G]

VERY bad idea. Yes if you want them to breed, you have to put them together..but keep an eye on them the entire time. The male WILL kill her after mating no way around it.

 

[Ben268]

yeh i've already read EVERYwhere that talks bout betta, and yes i'm aware its a pretty much unanimous agreement that it's a bad idea.

O i know if they breed I'll have to separate them, they work fine together so far...except for one thing...when i turn off the lights, he goes right for her and does the hole macho thing "MMMM i'mma eat you " as soon as i urn on the light their fine though . Anyways since i'm not gonna have the light going 24/7 looks like a no go as of right now. (Also the tank did have places for the female to hide, lotso java moss.)

Anywho I knew it wasn't a god idea, just thought my bettas may ahev been special or something ahahhaa. Ah well it was an experiment and it FAILED.

But yeh Benzjamin, thats what made me think that they *may* work is because i heard of it working in extremely large tanks, i thought mabye if i had alotof places to hid it'd work i a smaller tank, but no go.

Disclaimer: No bettas were hurt during this procedure

Edit, I do have a permant set-up of sorts right now... the smaller tank is placed inside of the large tank, so the females in the middle, and the male can circle the perimiter (yes i have a cover on the inside tank, he ain't jumping in there)