Introducing Male and Female Betas

Question
Hi Ron,

I have a male beta that I have had for about a year now. A friend of mine said I should get a female (beta) friend for him to keep him company. She seemed to know a lot about the subject so I went out a bought a female beta. When I brought her home I decided to look online (perhaps a little late thinking on my part) to research how to go about introducing them to each other. Now I am reading that the only reason to put a male and female together is for breeding and their interaction should only be limited to the time it takes them to breed.

I assumed that breeding would happen eventually, but it was not part of the initial plan. I guess my question is: can they coexist peacefully for the long term or will it be a fight to the deaths?? And if they can't live together, can the female coexist in the same tank with other types of fish, like a couple of goldfish?? HELP!!

Thanks!
Lacy

Answer
Hi Lacy,
 It all depends on how large a tank you have.  If the tank is say 30 gallons or so, then the two can coexist. If it is less than that, then basically the male will court the female to death.  In other words, he is very territorial and when he sees a female he expects that she is there to mate.  So, he will keep trying to get her to mate. If she isn't interested in mating, then bad things can happen.

 As for putting a female betta in with goldfish, I am not a big fan of that idea.  Goldfish are cold water fish while bettas are tropical.  I wouldn't put them together.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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