Angry Female Betta

Question
G'day Trish,

I have a small picture frame tank (healthy conditions) with one male and four female bettas (as well as a few tetras which seem pretty cool with it all).  The male has a bit of a go but there is plenty of hiding spots and 'the girls' take little damage.  All has been well but recently one of the females has been stalking and attacking the male, kind of ironic.  Are all the females eventually going to turn on the male and start attacking and what should I do with the rogue female?

Cheers,

Marty.

Answer
Unless you have a 55 gallon tank or larger, it is very difficult to keep male and female bettas together. They may be fine for days, then all of a sudden, POOF, one or more "go nuts".  It's just not a good idea to do, but obviously up to you.  I cannot give you any suggestions of what to do, because it will always be an unpredictable situation. You could very well wake up one morning to see all the females dead, some of them dead and others torn, or the male dead. Again, it's really hard to say.  I personally have a male and a female in a 55 gallon tank and never had a problem, but in a tank that large, they seldomly run in to each other. Anything smaller I would not even entertain the thought.

So, it's really up to you how to handle it.  It's something that will never "stop" fully, that is one thing I CAN say with certainty.  Do people do it.....well, yes, they do.  Some have problems and some do not. It's really up to the fish, their temperments and the size of the tank.  I'd say just deal with it as you see fit.

If all else fails, just remove the male to a different tank.  So long as it's at least 5 gallons and you do water changes weekly, he will be fine.

Good luck.