Can multiple betta fish coexist safely in one space

[skylark]

I'm just curious - has anyone ever successfully kept them, or is it a lost cause? I'm not planning on trying, since they're solitary fish, but I figured I'd ask - maybe if you kept a small group of females in a large tank with lots of distractions, it could work?

[angelica]

You'll find loads of examples if you type sorority into the search box, all of them featuring only females though.

[coltin]

yes people have kept 2 males and females in the same tank. I had an 18inch tank with 2 prs and they lived happily together for over 2 yrs. The males even built bubblenests. It comes down to the individual fish. Some are pleasant natured and others kill anything that looks like them. However, the common Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) is best kept away from other males unless you have a very heavily planted tank and watch them closely. Even then it is not recommended to keep more than 1 male per tank.

[angelica]

yes people have kept 2 males and females in the same tank. I had an 18inch tank with 2 prs and they lived happily together for over 2 yrs. The males even built bubblenests. It comes down to the individual fish. Some are pleasant natured and others kill anything that looks like them. However, the common Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) is best kept away from other males unless you have a very heavily planted tank and watch them closely. Even then it is not recommended to keep more than 1 male per tank.

Just be aware that there are far more people who have tried and failed

[_SlowDoom]

I've recently done it too, with four females, and it's working out just fine. I've got a lot of plants in the tank and plenty of space for them to swim around.

[goldminer]

I've kept multiple females together in a tank before and it's worked out fine, but I've never tried with males due to their aggressive nature.

[skylark]

Lovely setup you have there, goldminer.

[Aurorae]

I do know of one person who managed to keep 2 males in a heavily planted 6ft long tank which they had each adopted one end of.

[goldminer]

When starting a sorority, it's best to get young fish or fish that have lived with other females. You'll sometimes get a fish that just won't play well with others.

[Aurorae]

I've had no luck with this, despite buying tiny young fish from the same breeder batch. Every time, I've had one that's just ridiculously aggressive. Fish end up covered in those little half-moon bite marks, tails aren't just torn but completely ripped off, and even pectoral fins get shredded. I've tried gradually increasing the tank size, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.