This is actually a very bad idea, keeping the male and the female in the same bowl. Bettas can be extremely aggressive fish and males and females should only be housed together when you're actively trying to breed them. In the wild most males have a territory of about a square yard which overlaps the territories of several females. This may not sound like much, but 3x3x3 is 27 feet of space for them to exist in, and the females can always flee past his range should he become aggressive. In captive breeding situations males and females frequently injure each other, tear each others' fins, and even kill each other when placed in the same tank. This is why people who show their fish often wait to breed their males until after they're done showing them, since the female can utterly ruin his fins. In practical terms, fish of any species who injure each other should be separated.TxCat wrote:We have two betta fish, a male and a female. They currently reside in a glass bowl in my office. I had given them plants, but they ate them. We don't leave them in stagnant water. Ours have a small pump with an air stone to keep the water circulating and they both love to ride the bubbles. Once in a while Ryo gets amorous and chases Yoko around the bowl. I understand, from reading my aquarium books and fish lover sites, that it's somewhat normal for the male to nip at the female when courting. He initially tore her tail fin up badly, but she's recovering. Both of mine are of the dark blue crown variety and I adore them. Both beg shamelessly whenever they see a human face appear at their level.
Really the only bettas that can safely be housed together are groups of females, typically five or more in a large tank. Breeders and show breeders typically use no less that a 10 gallon tank and bigger is better. These are still aggressive fish, and they will pick on the smaller females. Having more females spreads that aggression between several of the smaller girls, and even then people sometimes lose fish. It is also imperative to have small hides and densely plant the tank so that the smaller ones can flee. Even then, it's not always a good setup. I've tried a "sorority" tank, and lost all my girls when one of them got a fairly mild bacterial infection. I caught it quick and removed her, but it spread through the tank and killed the rest. A friend of mine who used to breed them mentioned that it is still a high stress situation and makes he fish more susceptible to disease.
Your setup may be working for now, but for the safety of your fish I'd really recommend getting another bowl. There is some evidence that providing mild heat (making sure the bowl is over 70 degrees) can also help with keeping them healthy in the long run.
