Can Half Moon betta's be kept together in pairs?

Question

Siamese fighting fish can't be kept together (obviously) but what about half moon and crown tail betta's? I see them being sold in pairs on websites, males and females both for sale. They CAN live together? I'm confused. Is the Siamese fighting fish the only betta that fights? How many types of betta's are there?

Like here for instance:

http://bettysplendens.com/articles/page.imp?articleid=2589

There's a male and a female. (I know those fish are sold thats just what I'm using as an example)

Answer 1

Male Bettas (Betta splendens) of any tail type (veiltail, crowntail, halfmoon and plakat) will fight with each other and will be aggressive towards females except when breeding, and should not be kept together in the same tank. Breeders usually sell fancy tail type in pairs because most of those who are willing to spend for them are experienced aquarist and will more likely than not want to try and breed them,

There are several species of Bettas (ie. B. chanoides, B. picta, etc.) and some of them are less aggressive and maybe kept together. It just so happens that Betta splendens aka Siamese fighting fish has been around in the aquarium trade for a long time and that they are generally refers to as bettas.

Answer 2

There's only one Betta Splendens and that could be taken as a very misleading site.

Go to the links on the left of the page and click, "About Bettas", then scroll down to the question, "Can I keep males and females together".

They are trying to sell you a pair, but you have to read the small print to find out you can't keep them together.

Well worth the question, you have discovered a scam :0)

Answer 3

i don't think so they can go in the same tank with a divider and yes some male and females can be put together but i would leave it up to the experts to determine which one can it probably depends on each fish  

Answer 4

The reason why most breeders sell their bettas in pairs is for breeding purposes. When you are breeding fish (and most animals actually) inbreeding is a very useful tool in preserving desirable genetic traits, such as the halfmoon tail. Usually if you breed two siblings together, the offspring will look very similar to the parents.

Females are less likely to kill each other when they are housed together, but can still be very aggressive. I have a tank filled with females, and it is one of the most beautiful setups I have ever seen, but occasional fights do break out.

"Wild" species of bettas (i.e NOT Betta splendens...the kind you normally see on display) are usually much more tolerant of the presence of members of their own species. I however don't have any personal experience keeping these fish.  

Answer 5

Two male bettas cannot be housed together. Neither can a male and a female. If the female is not ready to mate, the male will harrass her until she is seriously injured or dead.

If you use the tanks with the dividers the males will become used to one another and stop displaying. Don't house a male and female in a divided tank unless you plan on breeding them.

Answer 6

The reason why they sell them in pairs is because:

a) They usually throw in a female in those cases, because since they're not as colorful and do not have long fins, they're harder to sell

and

b) Many people who buy show-type bettas are interested in breeding them, so buy adding a female sibling they can keep up the color strain, since both fish are similar and come from the same breeder

You CAN'T keep a male and a female betta together unless they're conditioned for breeding, which takes a long time and is a very detailed process. Read about betta breeding here:

http://www.bettatalk.com/breeding_bettas...

You CAN keep five or more female bettas together in the same time, but at first they will establish a pecking order, in where they'll decide who will be the top (alpha) fish and who will be the lowest ranked one. You can't keep a male betta with any other betta fish, unless like I mentioned it's breeding time and they're both properly conditioned :)

EDIT: You're right, that's a very pretty lady betta! But I was just generalizing, usually people go for the longer fins, the attitude, and the colors that male bettas usually pack -- I say go for that pair though, absolutely gorgeous. Love the colors. :D