Topic: Maximum Number of Females Together?

[supersixone]

if theyre very aggressive they simply may not be suited for community life.  mine were just a little more nippy than i'd like, so i added one more and that helped.

[AiWen]

I think 3 and 4 is a good number.  But I have heard of other people keeping 6+ females in a 10 gallon tank.

[skyebloo]

I have personally kept 3, 4, 5, and 6 in a community tank. And of all those, i found that 6 worked the best, with very little bickering in the beggining and absoultely none later on. 5 was pretty much the same, except it took them longer to settle down, 4 and 3 did not work very well at all. It resulted in torn fins, shy fish who would not eat, and alot of bickering.

[Kali]

I got 5 in my 10 gallons to and its a peacy tank with only females ^^

[Squeek]

They way I look at it is 1" of adult fish per gallon.  A 10 gal tank will never have 10gal of water in due to displacement from the gravel etc.  Also, females are known to be feisty, so to give them a bit more room than the suggested 1gal per inch, seems like the best thing to do.

And I thought the one inch rule doesn't apply to Bettas because they can breathe air and don't need as much Oxygen in the water as other tropical fish.  Is this true?

Not necessarily.  This guideline was produced as a way to keep fish happy and healthy in the tank that they live in.  The rule also help fish to be comfortable and to lessen the disease and sickness severity, length and the frequency that they happen.  With females, giving them more space lessens the frequency of injuries that they can inflict upon eachotehr, too.

I also think that 3 females in a 10 gallon would make the tank look kind of empty too.

Yeah, it may look empty, but in the long run, its not about how full or empty the tank looks like; its about how happy and healthy you want your fish to be.

[Butterfly]

but in the long run, its not about how full or empty the tank looks like; its about how happy and healthy you want your fish to be.

True, but if there is a lot of aggression between the 3 girls, and they're always picking on each other and fighting all the time and being stressed out, then they aren't going to be happy or healthy either.  

[Squeek]

True, but if there is a lot of aggression between the 3 girls, and they're always picking on each other and fighting all the time and being stressed out, then they aren't going to be happy or healthy either.  

yep, true.  Thats why it is important to monitor their behaviour.  Sometimes it can be hard to predict just how the females are going to react, too.  This is why I said: "Also, females are known to be feisty, so to give them a bit more room than the suggested 1gal per inch, seems like the best thing to do".  Female bettas are strange, too.  Sometimes they get along and sometimes they don't.  Play it by sight and take it from there.

[frogsnbettas]

Actually, the inch per gallon rule only applies to thin-bodied fish like tetras, barbs, etc.  And it's like that for the bioload.  I know people who have had 8 females in a 10-gallon with no problems.  Just provide lots of live plants, hiding places, weekly water changes and you'll be fine.  It really depends on the females though.  Some are just much more fiesty than others.

[Mugsy]

I am so confused.  If the rule applies to thin bodied fish, then the rule should be something like a quarter inch per gallon for fish like Bettas right?  I don't understand "Bio-load."  Is it just the oxygen in the water that warrants how many fish, or is it how much they poop and put ammonia in the water?  Thanks.

[Jessie226]

The rule was not made JUST in regards to the bioload. It was made because of the bioload, oxygen, territory, etc. Just like Nessa said. I suppose this is a sticky situation. I agree with Nessa that with less females, they would have more territory, and less fighting. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently it seems the majority of people agree that when they added more females, aggression lessened. I wonder why... ???
I suppose it all depends on the fish. Bettas are very territorial, more like an oscar in a small fish body and perhaps that has to do with it. They're very smart fish and all have distinct personalities.