Bettas are beautiful fishes but they are aggressive too. Betta male and female can’t live together for some reasons we have provided in detail.
Betta males and females cannot live together because they will fight until death. Male bettas are very aggressive and they have built territory for protecting themselves any fish that come to the territory will attack them.
In this article, you will learn more about the bettas and their aggressiveness, behavior, and temperament.
What are Betta Fish and Their Temperament?
Betta is freshwater fish that are known as Siamese fighting fish. A lot of people call them fighter fish because they have a tendency to attack other fish.
They are native to Southeast Asia and there are different varieties of color. Betta fishes are very sensitive and complex individuals.
You should keep them single male for a particular tank. Otherwise, it will attack and kill the tank mates.
Bettas are aggressive fishes so you need to keep them alone because the temperament of the betta is aggressive.
They can’t be kept with peaceful fishes like goldfish, plecos, and otocinclus.
Are betta fish aggressive?
Betta fishes are aggressive and they should be kept alone in a tank. Bettas fight to establish territory, shelter, food resources, and access to females at the breeding time.
Male bettas are highly aggressive compared to females because they are incredibly territorial. So you need to keep the adult male bettas in a separate tank.
Basically, betta fishes are aggressive, So you need to keep the male and female bettas in a separate tank for avoiding a collision.
In the fry stage, they will not attack each other. But when they become adults, the betta starts to show aggressive behavior.
Can betta male and female Live together?
Betta male and female can’t live together. If you put them in a single tank then one of the bettas will die and another betta may have injuries.
They will fight till the end of one betta.
You can put the female betta in the male betta breeding tank only during the breeding period. That’s only for a short period of time they can stay together.
Male bettas are highly territorial and they will definitely start attacking other fishes even the female bettas.
Do you have snails in the betta fish tank, I’ve written an article about betta and snails.
How long should you leave a male and female Betta together?
You can keep the female betta in the male betta tank only during the breeding period. You should wait until the female release the eggs.
After that, you need to remove the female betta to separate the tank. Otherwise, the male betta will attack the female.
The female will be already tired after laying the eggs. So you need to remove the female betta ASAP.
Why are betta fish attacking females?
I already mentioned that in the beginning. Betta fish are very aggressive towards other tank mates. That’s why people put them in a separate tank.
Otherwise, They start attacking the tank mates and make a lot of injuries or even the fish may die.
It was very important to keep them alone. You can provide them filter, heater, almond leaves, etc.
The reason for betta fish attacking the female is due to highly aggressive behavior and to protect territory.
If any fish enter the territory of male betta then they will start attacking and kill them.
Male bettas are bigger when compared to the size of female ones. So the male betta fish attack the female when they reach the territory of the male betta.
Can betta will attack the snails, here are the reasons.
What is the Reason for betta attacking tank mates?
I have found 3 reasons for betta fish attacking the tank mates. If you male betta attack the female then here are the reasons.
Temperament
In many countries, betta fishes are known as fighter fish because their temperament is aggressive.
So they attack other fishes when they see.
It’s better to keep them alone in a tank. They can live without any tankmates.
Territory
The second reason for betta fish attacking was due to territory.
Betta fish will build the territory, if any fishes come near the territory they will attack them.
If you’re a beginner then keep the betta fish alone for avoiding unwanted collisions to fish.
Behavior
The Male bettas will show aggressive behavior towards the female betta. It was their behavior to defend the territory and attack if any fish destroy.
The betta will show some abnormal behavior when we introduce the female betta to the tank.
So these are the main reason that betta fish attack the female, But they will leave for a short period during the breeding time.
Is it possible to keep two male bettas in the same tank
Male bettas are highly aggressive compared to the female betta.
It was not possible to keep the two male bettas in the same tank. They will start fighting as soon as you put them together.
If you have two male bettas then keep them in a separate tank.
If your betta fish stay on the top, then read my article to solve this problem.
Wrapping Up
Now you know the reason for the betta fish’s aggressive and attacking tendency.
If you’re a beginner then you need to know the basic information about the fish that you wish to keep.
