# female betta sorority tank...HELP!



## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

I would LOVE to set up a female betta sorority tank. I have a 10g tank that I could use. I would like a large tank but since I already have 9 (8 up and running) hubby says no, not that I can blame. They have taken over the house. lol! 

Anyway, I have had female bettas before but I have never had a sorority tank. From what I have read online you must get all the females and add them at the same time. I also read that you should have no less than 5 females.

Will a 10g tank be large enough for 5 females? Do all the females have to be the same size? I seen several that I liked but some were kinda small and I don't want to take a chance of them being a target for the larger ones. 

I'd love to hear how you have your tank set up, how you got started and any advice you would like to give would be wonderful. 

Thanks!


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Yep, a ten gallon is a great starter sorority! I have a ten gallon with seven girls in it currently and it's working great! There was a bit of fin nipping and some stress stripes in the beginning, but everyone is settled in and calmed down at this point.

My girls are all pretty much the same size, but I do have a giant in there. At first, some of the other girls were pretty stressed about her, but they got over it within a few days. Now she's just one of the crew, and even she gets bullied a little sometimes by the alpha.

Sororities are a ton of fun, I'd say do it if you want one and have the space/supplies!


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

I had a sorority recently, very worth the money. ^.^
Yup, 5 girls can definitely fit in a 10G. You can actually increase it to 6 or 7 girls, depending on the amount of plants. It has to be cycled and heated.

The females don't have to be the same size, not at all. I've heard many stories here with their smallest females the alpha, in my case my biggest was the nippiest. IMO the minimum is 4, but always get as many as you can. You don't have to get all of them at the same time, I added mine every few days up to 7 fish.

My tank setup in the past wasn't really "jungle" like. Just some silk plants in the back, and a few decorations at the front. My sorority did well, everyone gets nipped time to time. haha But it's normal.

The best advice I can give you, always quarantine new arrivals. My sorority was wiped out by guppies I only quarantined for 3 days, columnaris is a nasty disease.


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

Thank you! I'm so excited! I still need to set the tank up and everything so it will be a little while before I'm ready. Do I have to add them all at once? I mean say I find 5 I really like but the next week I see another I just can't live without, could I add her? 

So, a little fighting is ok and normal, correct? I hate the thought of someone getting hurt. 

Oh and do the females have to be the same type, say all VTs or CTs and so on? 

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I do this right so I don't end up with an injured (or worse) betta.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

A little fighting is okay. Missing scales, nipped fins, and runs are all normal. They're just trying to establish their pecking order. 

Their tail types don't have to be the same at all, they don't really care. lol 

And it's okay, to learn you must ask questions. ^.^

(I'm probably replying too fast, you didn't even get to reply to my post above yet. haha)


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

kjnewcome said:


> Thank you! I'm so excited! I still need to set the tank up and everything so it will be a little while before I'm ready. Do I have to add them all at once? I mean say I find 5 I really like but the next week I see another I just can't live without, could I add her?
> 
> So, a little fighting is ok and normal, correct? I hate the thought of someone getting hurt.
> 
> ...


Yep, you can add fish after the fact, just use one of those breeder boxes that can either float in the tank or suction to the side. That way, the girls can see the new addition and she can see them and they can all learn to play nice without any danger to the fish. After a week or so, she'll be a nonevent, and you can quietly release her into the tank with the rest... no muss no fuss!

Fighting is absolutely normal, and unless you see serious damage being done (fins being ripped off or lots of missing scales or one girl constantly striped and hiding), don't interfere. They need to establish their pecking order, and the alpha needs to keep the others in line if they get uppity every now and then. ALL of my girls have had nipped fins at one point or another. Stress Coat is a wonderful thing for fast regrowth.

They don't have to be the same tail type. I have six VTs and one CT and they're just fine together. Also, as stated before, I have a giant among the littler girls and she's just fine, even with her outrageously long fins.

And tons of questions are fine!! I suggest PMing Lilnaugrim, she helped me when I was starting my sorority. Her advice is awesome!


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

Thanks Lebron! I really appreciate the info. Oh and by the way Lil' Blue is doing great, I would have never thought that raising the water temp a couple degrees would do him so much good. He still has some issues with his fins being clamped but he is getting better, eating more and swimming around like a nut.

Took this picture 2 days after raising the water temp, look how much better his fins look? You can actually see them now. 

Thank you for you help!


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

Thank you Seki! I really appreciate your help.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

kjnewcome said:


> Thanks Lebron! I really appreciate the info. Oh and by the way Lil' Blue is doing great, I would have never thought that raising the water temp a couple degrees would do him so much good. He still has some issues with his fins being clamped but he is getting better, eating more and swimming around like a nut.
> 
> Took this picture 2 days after raising the water temp, look how much better his fins look? You can actually see them now.
> 
> Thank you for you help!



Yep, he's getting so much better! His fins aren't as clamped, it's great to hear he's getting progress. ^.^


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

LebronTheBetta said:


> Yep, he's getting so much better! His fins aren't as clamped, it's great to hear he's getting progress. ^.^


I'm so pleased, he has become my favorite (let's pretend I didn't say that..:lol. He's so cute, every time I go over to talk to him to will swim up and just stare at me, hard not to love a little guy like that.


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## VegasShimmer (Dec 30, 2012)

I started a sorority over a month ago and it's doing great! Of course, having them establish the pecking order the first few days gave me anxiety, but all is calm now. I just added a 9th girl. She was smaller than the others, so after QT, I floated her for about 6 hours. By the time I released, the others could care less. My tank is heavily planted, so there are plenty of hiding places and the water conditions are excellent. I do a 30-40% WC twice a week and test weekly. I plan to upgrade them to a 20g long in a month or so. I love them so much, and they are so fun to watch!


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

What I've noticed about sororities is that the bigger of one you start with, the less likely you are to upgrade it! :-D They've very addicting. You should let your husband know that of course it would be better to have one big sorority rather than three small ones....


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

Deanna01 said:


> What I've noticed about sororities is that the bigger of one you start with, the less likely you are to upgrade it! :-D They've very addicting. You should let your husband know that of course it would be better to have one big sorority rather than three small ones....


lol! I told him that if I had one I would want another so I should just start out with a big one. He isn't going for it. My tanks are already all over the house so I can't really blame him. I have 8 up and running so far plus the 40 breeder we have for our breaded dragon. Of course I could always play the "you got a new boat" card and make him feel guilty. lol


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Well, I have seven plus a spawn tank full of babies. But if I didn't have my 75-gallon sorority, I'd have even more tanks! :-D

Truthfully, the bigger a tank you have, with the more girls in it, the less likely aggression is to be a problem. I haven't had any issues at all in mine, with 28 girls in it. I just added four more, but I don't think I'll have problems. I have lots of plants for them to hide in.


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## kjnewcome (Jul 25, 2013)

Deanna01 said:


> Well, I have seven plus a spawn tank full of babies. But if I didn't have my 75-gallon sorority, I'd have even more tanks! :-D
> 
> Truthfully, the bigger a tank you have, with the more girls in it, the less likely aggression is to be a problem. I haven't had any issues at all in mine, with 28 girls in it. I just added four more, but I don't think I'll have problems. I have lots of plants for them to hide in.


Wow! I'd love a tank that size. I just have no idea where I would put it.


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## bettaHI (Jul 20, 2013)

I have a 10 gallon that I have up and running with 5 female bettas and 2 female guppies. I did not have any problems with my females chasing or fin nipping at each other or at the guppies. The tank is NOT heavily planted but there are some silk plants in there. I guess my success is possible because 3 of the betta females were bought from petco as tiny babies and were raised together and eventually lived together for quite some time. The two bigger females are sisters and are not aggressive at all(maybe because they are smaragdina hybrids..idk). So yup..thats my sorority .

My only advice is to allow the females to see each other for a few days maybe even a week just so they can get used to each other. After that, release them all in the tank all at the same time and hope everything goes well. Make sure you keep an eye on them for a few minutes(or hours). Do not panic when they start to chase each other or nip at each other because thats normal for many new sororities. If any female gets SUPER beat up(like its about to go belly up) immediately remove her and place her in a hospital tank. Don't worry about the size or tail differences. I have 2 CT, 1 VT and 2 PK hybrids in mines.

Goodluck !


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

I have a 55 gallon community tank with 7 female bettas. The females have been in for about 2 months. I floated them all in their cups at the same time for a couple of hours, watched them flare at each other (hehe so cute when females flare), and then I let them out all at the same time. Actually, at that point I only had 6 and then I was in Petsmart a few days later and I saw an orange/pinkish cambodian girl and just had to get her.
I have 3 crowntails, 3 veiltails, and one roundtail. I thought the biggest one was going to be the alpha, but right away it was obvious that the red one (second largest) was the alpha. Right now it's harder to tell- it almost looks as if there is no alpha, but I think she still is. I have one crowntail who is obviously the bottom in the pecking order. She is the smallest and she stays by herself near the bottom a lot. The rest of them are usually spread out around the tank until I get home and they expect food. Then they all congregate in the area where I usually feed them. Haha.
Once in a while I see a torn fin, but I never see any chasing and I never have actually seen nipping. My smallest girl got a chunk nipped out of her tail, but that was a few days ago and the only time that's ever happened.
I think the large size of my tank helps, too. They're not in close quarters so there's less fighting for territory.


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