-Alois-Trancy- wrote:Guys i need help. I think they sold me a male at the pet shop... I came home to MASSIVE amounts of bubbles albost like a foam in my tank. and then i noticed one of my girls... Esmerelda... wedged vertically, above water in a corner with two females resting below the water under her. I freaked out and got upset thinking she had suffocated and died. So i pushed her down into the water nicely and she darted away, still healthy and alive. Visually there is nothing wrong with these bettas other than, now, sligthly nipped tails.
I don't know which one (or ones) the males are and it scares me a litttle. i dont want babies or loads of harassment (why i have them in a 46 bowfront)
What causes this behavior?
And also the betta my sister chose is super stressed all the time except for when i bought her. since she was put in the tank, her stress lines have not faded to my knowledge.
post pictures and at least I will be able to tell you what are males and what are not.
try to catch the one you think is a male flaring. flared up females and flared up males look very different.
in the event that one IS male. you could leave the male but remove his nests. if he is chasing the females around let him, but if he starts being OVERLY aggressive with them(more than just nipping the tips of the females dorsal fins, more like biting the body and causing wounds) then I would remove him.
it may also be(as I have said before) a female ACTING like a male. females flare, females fight, and some females even blow bubble nests(sometimes they will only spawn in their own nests, and will destroy bubble nests made by the male). aggression in female bettas is something that needs to happen if you want a peaceful tank. it may seem crazy but they need to sort out a pecking order, otherwise they will fight over everything(food, places to rest, a piece of gravel).
another way to fix this aggression among females(again may seem crazy) is to GET a male(short finned, or plakat males do best, especially the dragon scales, most docile bettas you can get without buying a wild fish). I would then up the water flow at the surface(preventing bubble nests). now the male will be the dominant fish and the fighting would mellow out to simple chasing.
stress lines on female bettas are not always signs of stress. if the fish is not ready to breed, or is too young to breed, it will show those lines. it may also be that she submitted to the other bettas and is showing that she wants no trouble.
betta tanks are almost as hard to set up as aggressive cichlid tanks. simply put faith into your choice and keep aquarium salt on hand. some people are even bold enough to keep all male betta tanks. there was a guy(I forget where I saw it) who had a 45 gallon tank with 7 male bettas in it. he said that they fought for the first week or so, but after they established territory they calmed down and don't even care about each other. its all about trust and good betta picking.