Angry Wild Bettas

[Mudskipper]

Are all wild bettas very aggressive to each other?

In my 2 foot tank...very planted with lots of driftwood and tons of hiding places, I have three pugnax. George (aka Bush) keeps chasing Bill (aka Clinton with the lower part of the tail bitten like mad) and Gerald (aka Ford with the top part of the tail bitten badly) around like crazy. George is especially crazy during feeding times...he tries to george himself to the point where his belly protrudes and he looks like he's going to puke. Poor Clinton and Gerald have to wait until George is bloated before they can get any food.

In my 1 foot cube...also very full of plants and hiding places, I have two of what were sold to me as Mondos. Supposed to be a pair but Brad and Angelina really don't seem to be the loving couple they were named after. Brad is more like a wife beater...unless Angelina is actually Angelo. Can't tell. Brad is about twice the size of Angelina and chases her around when it's feeding time, trying to refuse her any of the frozen bloodworms as if trying to make sure she keeps her supermodel figure.

Why? Why can't they get along? I've put so much plants in I can't even see them anymore. A friend came over and asked me why I only keep wood and plants. Am I destined for disappointment or are there are more peaceful mouthbrooding species out there?

[Jitticus]

Bettas have a preset aggression level of "High" and that's the baseline. It's what drives us to keep them and what drives some people away as well.

[Mudskipper]

Oh dear...there goes my dream of creating a aquatic Disney bettaland. Do the males act that aggressively towards females too?

[kenny]

Haha very interesting story! The Angelo part super funny!

There should be really peaceful mouth brooders. Betta channoides (at least my pair) are really nice to each other, even when they are confined to a very small space without hidind places. And they even spawned twice, though eggs were swallowed due to accidents (naughty kids!!) at those crucial times.

[johannes]

your three pugnax could be all males.
you can get 3 or 2 more females to lessen the aggression and might even induce spawning. hm.. maybe i should pop by and have a look to id, or if you could post some pictures...

[Mudskipper]

I noticed that when I saw the b. channoides at another bro's place. His were so peaceful.

I guess I don't understand. Wouldn't a male fish be a little kinder and gentler to a female fish so he can get a little ... emm ... something something? I thought they would be aggressive towards other males only...not true?

[Mudskipper]

your three pugnax could be all males.
you can get 3 or 2 more females to lessen the aggression and might even induce spawning. hm.. maybe i should pop by and have a look to id, or if you could post some pictures...

How to post pictures? Cannot even see them...hahahaha. I think the pugnax are all males. they look alike...just slight difference in size. I really like them though. George comes to the font of the tank when I visit and looks like he's saying "Oy! Got more bloodworms or not?" When he realises that I'm just just paying a courtesy call to the White House...he just swims off to beat up Bill and Gerald.

And you're welcome to drop by anytime...we're pretty much neighbours!

[Mudskipper]

In my 1 foot cube...also very full of plants and hiding places, I have two of what were sold to me as Mondos. Supposed to be a pair but Brad and Angelina really don't seem to be the loving couple they were named after. Brad is more like a wife beater...unless Angelina is actually Angelo. Can't tell. Brad is about twice the size of Angelina and chases her around when it's feeding time, trying to refuse her any of the frozen bloodworms as if trying to make sure she keeps her supermodel figure.

Alamak, Brad and Angelina are supposed to be Mandors....not Mondos....hahaha...sorry about that. I think Angelina may actually be Angelo...her/his tail is quite pointy at the end too.

and ... after looking at the IBC species guide, they might actually be strohi because Mandors are supposed to have red opercular bars...and strohi have golden ones Mine do not have red bars...they look more golden/yellow/ochre. But then these guys are not shy and swim in the open a lot, which is not supposed to be characteristic of the strohis.

Oh whatever...doesn't matter to me at this point. I just want them to live. I go to the tank every day to make sure they haven't gone belly up.

[dwarflala]

welcome to the wild side bro.. it's called the wild side for a reason you know... *smiles*

ANyhoos... think like a fish!

pugnax -
they can be found in shallow streams and puddles. They hide at the side of the stream or near structure (rock) under floating debris (leaves). They are mainly ambush fishes and will only patrol nearby sections with cover for food. They allow females and sometimes juv. males within their territory. Anything close to taking over the reigns of "king" will be whacked.

Now put what you know of their nature in the tank. Tank 4 corners. Tank not that shallow. Tank no place to run. Tank with no filtration or airstone.

You can pack the tank with pugnax (make sure cover, they jump alot) have the tank packed with leave litter (and I mean, floating suspending and bottom sections of the tank)... and driftwood.

Second. Let it be. Pecking order. Nature will take care of itself.

Look at these photos below. Stripped pugnax - not king. kena whack and bullied to submission. Not killed because not a threat. After pecking order is established, the aggression tone down tremendously.

based on my observation ofcos..

[Mudskipper]

Haha very interesting story! The Angelo part super funny!

There should be really peaceful mouth brooders. Betta channoides (at least my pair) are really nice to each other, even when they are confined to a very small space without hidind places. And they even spawned twice, though eggs were swallowed due to accidents (naughty kids!!) at those crucial times.

Alamak, bro Kenny. Your response made me so depressed I went to Midori and bought a pair of channoides and a pair of foerschis. This week ... fish get bloodworms, human makan instant noodles only.

[spirit]

wah.. you took a lot of time to write this story.. huh? hahaha...

i wonder what sp. are you keeping.. the first paragraph is about pugnax.. 2nd paragraph is about mandor(i assume), so why got channoides pop-up one.. i was so confuse..

Try to catch more pugnax and put into the tank, will lower down the aggresiveness, keeping around 7pcs in a community will be ideal. or if want to monitor them, put a pair in a tank or a male with 2 female..

mandor.. wooah.. you are new into wild, but you took this challenge, mandor and strohi are known to be aggresive type...
to kick start your mouthbrooder journey.. i will suggest you to get a B.channoides.. they are not so aggresive and they spawn like a rabbit.. and can even spawn in a Small plastic container, which make them very easy to maintain...

and ya, just like jit said, without the aggresiveness and the nature behaviour of them, i doubt we will hang around here...

[kenny]

Hahaha Mudskipper ,
Welcome to the club! :P

Now you and your bettas have another thing in common, you all eat long-ish things. Hurray !

[Mudskipper]

Catch? Hmmm, I'll think about that. Maybe I'll beg for some, how's that?

I did buy a pair of channoides and foerschis today too. Now have go out and get two more cubes, ADA soil and filters. Luckily, no more space after that.

[kenny]

No More space on the shelf?
I smell a new shelf coming ...

[Mudskipper]

Shhhhhh! We won't mention anything like that any time soon. Let me get used to the ones I have first.

BTW...the channoides are sooooo small!!!! cute cute cute. When I let them out in the small tank, the male went into full colour and the female follows him everywhere. So cute. So Disney G rated. I love it.

[spirit]

wah female keep follow the male.. Should congrats you sooner or later.. female initiate the spawning.. So, if female chasing male.. normally, it is good sign..

[Mudskipper]

This is so amazing. I am so in love with these channoides, the pics of these fishes were the ones that got me hooked on wild bettas to begin with...thanks to Bro Johannes who posted them in the marketplace. I am so seriously thinking of getting another pair. And another pair. And another pair. They are such peaceful fishes.

[spirit]

wah.. take your time on first pair first lah.. successful already, just buy another pair..

bought so many at once.. i scared....

[Mudskipper]

I know what you mean. I have two empty tanks cycling now, wait and see how or what I will keep. This is too exciting, though. I feel like I'm 21...err, 31...no lah, maybe 41 again.

[spirit]

i know the feeling because i was no different from you when i bought my first pair macrostoma, especially when i saw the spawning/mating process..

i am just worry when you have too many once, you lost concentrate and you may not able the observed beauty of each species..

your last sentence gave me some hints that you are around 50 now.. i am 23 now, but my friends around always laughed at me, said that i have the hobby that belongs to veteran..."i spent most of my time on fishes, they spent most of their time on club/games"