# Gabriel's Sorority



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

So... my original plan when we first got an aquarium was to get some cute fish for my son, Gabriel. He has been asking for fish for months, and it seemed like fun, but we got a larger tank right away and I kind of took over 

Yesterday, I moved our empty 20g into Gabe's room, and set it up on top of his dresser. We just got home with four girls and moved them into the tank. He is loving having his own fish to watch in his room. Now I am totally jealous of the beautiful girls he has in his room compared to our 55 with tetras :lol: The bettas are just so colorful and have such amazing personalities already, I love them!

We're hoping to add a few more, one at a time, as we find ones that we really like.


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Sororities are so much fun, but can be stressful.  Your best friends will be QT's and breeder nets.  I've found the breeder nets work the best for introducing new girls, because they can stay in there for days or even weeks before going in with the general population, and by that point, there's not usually any fighting or fussing because they've gotten used to one another.  

Good luck with your girls! They are totally fun.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

Blue Fish said:


> Sororities are so much fun, but can be stressful.  Your best friends will be QT's and breeder nets.  I've found the breeder nets work the best for introducing new girls, because they can stay in there for days or even weeks before going in with the general population, and by that point, there's not usually any fighting or fussing because they've gotten used to one another.
> 
> Good luck with your girls! They are totally fun.


Thank you! :-D


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)




----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh...how old are the girls, and how long have they been in there? 

Please don't take offense, I'm only mentioning this as a just in case measure.  I don't want to seem like I'm overstepping my bounds and giving advice that may or may not be wanted.  

You might get really lucky and just have laid back girls. Or something could change...and then they'll start going after each other and you can end up with a tragedy very, very quickly.  

Your tank looks a little bare in the plant department (silk or live). Normally you want to have LOTS and LOTS of plants in a sorority, plants at all levels, enough so that it can be somewhat hard to see the fish. This is so that if someone is chasing someone else, they can get away or out of the line of sight of their attacker, and be "safe". 

I know you mentioned that your son enjoys watching them a great deal, with lots of plants though, he'll still be able to see a few of them (probably not all), but he might also enjoy the challenge of finding them in their hideouts.  So double benefit, he gets to have more fun with his fish, and the girls stay safe.  

Your girls are cute though, and you've got a nice variety of colors.  I love the bright blue one and the lighter bodied Cambodian.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

Blue Fish said:


> Oh...how old are the girls, and how long have they been in there?
> 
> Please don't take offense, I'm only mentioning this as a just in case measure.  I don't want to seem like I'm overstepping my bounds and giving advice that may or may not be wanted.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure how old they are, but we've only had them today. I know it's too bare :-( For some reason I thought I bought more structures the other day, but I can't seem to find anything. I should have probably waited til our plants get here but I was too impatient. I think I'm going to transfer some from the 55 tomorrow. I want to thank you for your advice though. I'm completely new to this all yet, so any tips are appreciated. I'll definitely work on filling their tank out more.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh good, I always worry that people are going to be insulted.  It's so hard to get inflection on a written post, lol!  

I'm sure they're fine for now, especially if they're still young.  If all else fails, if you've got any silk plants floating around the house, throw those in there, lol! I've actually taken silk flowers I have from millinery projects and stuffed them in there when I switched from a 20 to a 30 and realized that they were going at it...It looked *awful*...but it got the job done until I could get proper plants in there.  

If you can use a glue gun, and you have a walmart around, it's actually really easy to make your own plants.  I started doing that when I didn't like what was avail to me at my LF stores in terms of colors/types, and I also realized it's SO MUCH CHEAPER.  You can do flowers, but greenery really looks the best/most natural. Just clip off the metal portions and glue the greenery together into what looks like plants/bushes/trees/etc. Then just silicone some rocks to the bottom and you're good to go.  From five bucks worth of silk plants you can fill up a tank really quickly.


----------



## Saber (Jul 13, 2013)

Your sorority is looking great! It was already mentioned, but yes, you should definitely have some more plants in there for them to hide in in case conflicts arise, and maybe a cave or two. Share photos with us as it progresses!


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh, and I think it's zoomed, but they make this wonderful green ivy-vine-type plant for reptiles, and my girls LOVE IT. It comes with two little suction cups, and you can twist it around and stuff it down the back of the tank, securing each side with the suction cups, and viola, instant "greenery wall" along the back and the girls will hide out in.  Every morning I find my girls snuggled up in the leaves happy as little clams.  

Reptile stuff is aquarium safe, and for some reason it's usually cheaper as well. I don't know why...often times it's the same companies making both...and the reptile plants are usually bigger as well, so you get more coverage.  

This isn't quite the same as what I bought (I didn't pay this much for it), but it's similar, and gives you an idea:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9754


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

I'll try to make a trip to Walmart today. I'll have to check our hot glue and see if I still have the bag to see if it's non-toxic. Hopefully I don't need to buy more of that, we have so much! lol


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

Alright, so our hot glue is safe, I've got silk plants, extra glasses at home, and a squidward house to go with spongebobs. Pictures to come later.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

I have no clue what happened but I was gone for less than two hours and when I returned one of the red/maroon girls were gone :-/ I cleaned her out before Gabriel saw her, but after I looked at her, I don't see anything wrong. I'm kinda disappointed. I made the extra half hour drive past walmart so this wouldn't happen, but I guess it didn't make much of a difference. But on a happier note, I guess, I got some silk plants in the tank:


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

added hydro s. japan we got to this tank today. I was going to wait and add it to the 55 when we get the sand in tomorrow, but I wanted more life in the sorority. Or should I call it a "sisterhood" since we only have 3 girls? :lol:

Speaking of this... are females really super territorial? DF suggested adding other fish to this tank, like a few tetras, but I have a feeling it's a bad idea.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yes, females can be territorial. That's why it's recommended to put plenty of hiding spots in a sorority so each girl can kind of stake out her own spot.


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

First off, I'm so sorry about your lost girl! I know I've had some trouble keeping them alive in sororities, I think it's the stress. They QT for weeks, float for days, and then I put them in...and they're gone the next morning, often without any bites or scrapes...  And I never can seem to tell who's going to make it and who's not...they seem feisty and happy in their QT containers, but they just can't handle the sorority life.  

Anyway, I don't know about stocking...that's something for someone else to answer.  I've only ever just had bettas and some goldfish when I was a child. 

If it will survive it, you might let the hydro float, that'll give them a little cover at the surface/upper level as well.  I'm still new to plants and unsure of what requires planting and what can really just float or be planted.  

Your tank is looking so much more full now, lol! I'm sure your girls are happy.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

Blue Fish said:


> First off, I'm so sorry about your lost girl! I know I've had some trouble keeping them alive in sororities, I think it's the stress. They QT for weeks, float for days, and then I put them in...and they're gone the next morning, often without any bites or scrapes...  And I never can seem to tell who's going to make it and who's not...they seem feisty and happy in their QT containers, but they just can't handle the sorority life.
> 
> Anyway, I don't know about stocking...that's something for someone else to answer.  I've only ever just had bettas and some goldfish when I was a child.
> 
> ...


I tried to get it to float, but it ended up sinking after an hour or so. I didn't actually plant it, I just stuck it towards the front of the tank, and so far all three girls love it. They all swim through it and have there own "area" of it that they just rest.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

No real updates. Everyone is still holding up fine. I think there is enough space for all of them to feel comfortable. I see the girls interact once and a while and flare at each other as they pass by, but otherwise they each have their own house or cave, and they all enjoy the greenery I scattered around.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

We had to stop at a walmart today so I swung by the fish section in the hopes of rescuing some females for our sorority but they didn't have any! They had several males, one of which really tugged at my heart but DF said we really can't swing another full setup right now :-( 

I'm hoping we can make it to petsmart sometime soon again. Our tank looks unbelievably empty :-/



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

Added three new girls today! Two large blackish girls with purple in their gins, and white ct with light purple fins. They are so beautiful! Hoping to get pics later.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

We have a bacteria bloom! My guess is it's because I had to replace the filter. I left the sponge that's there for bacteria growth, but the filter was so gunky and clogged, it wasn't able to be rinsed out anymore :-/

I'm also having a huge problem with my plants thriving in this tank. I had to throw out my hydro s. japan today and try to suck the last of the dead leaved out of the gravel, and the beautiful water sprite I transferred from my 55 are browning. It's the same water, I really don't understand what the issue is. Maybe it's the gravel" Though, after my water change today, one plants wants to float instead of stay nested nicely in the gravel lol. *sigh* Maybe it'll do better floating in this tank?


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

My largest girl passed away :-( I think the other five ganged up on her sometime today. Everyone looked fine this morning, but when I brought Gabe up to bed she was at the bottom with almost all her fins ripped off. Two other girls had a tear in their back fin, and one had stress stripes. I got her out and did a water change and hope the remaining five are feeling alright in the morning. We've also decided we are not adding anymore girls to the sorority. As the fish in our 55 start to grow more we'll be transferring a school of tetras to the sorority. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Sorry to hear that.....:-(


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm sorry for your loss.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Sep 5, 2013)

We had one more girl pass away today. With only four remaining I gave our original three girls to my brother for the sorority we just set up at my dads, and am floating my little white girl in the 55. My brother currently has my three girls floating in their own cups, and five other girls floating in cups in a 20. It's heavily planted with mostly silk plants I've put together, and plastic tubing and coves all over the bottom for hiding spots too. I'm really excited for his tank, I got to put a lot of ideas into it that I had wished I had done with mine after I had it for a while. 

I'm going to continue updates with this tank on the thread with my 55 from now on. I haven't decided which tank I will keep Princess in, but I can't handle a sorority again  I'm just thinking of ideas for this tank now.

www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-journals/our-new-55-gallon-265105/


----------

