# Betta Sorority?



## LilyLilac (Jun 6, 2018)

So I have always had bettas in the past, but it was always a single male in a planted 5 or 10 gallon tank completely to itself. I love bettas they are beautiful and have great personalities. One of my males named Hermes lived 8 years. I was very attached to him and haven't gotten another betta since he passed away. 

So I have been gifted a 100 gallon tank for free from my parents and trying to figure out what I want to stock it with. It will be a planted tank for sure and I keep going back and forth between a community of schooling fish and such, or.... a betta sorority. 

So, I have been doing a lot of research, and the recommended size is usually a 20-30 gallon tank for 5 females. That seems a little small to me, and many people have had success. Betta sororities are a risk, and I will have to have a back up plan for any females that just can't get along.

So I guess my question to everyone (especially people with betta sorority experience) is, how much of a risk would a sorority be in a heavily planted 100 gallon tank? Do you have recommendations for the number of bettas? Tank mates? 

I need help deciding if I should take the risk, because I really care about quality of life, and to go from a single betta alone in a 10 gallon to trying a female sorority scares me a little. However, I just can't stop thinking about how much more I would like it over small schooling fish and maybe a gourami or something similar.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

In the past I was an advocate for betta sororities. I even wrote the thread about them on this forum. However, after witnessing the breakdown of my personal sorority, and reading about the failure of countless others, my opinion on the matter has changed. I don't believe a hobbyist can care about the welfare of their fish, and in the same breath, promote betta sororities. In my mind, the two are mutually exclusive. 

I've found most sororities are not successful long-term, and a large aquarium is not enough to guarantee success. Even in 'successful' sororities, it seems like the lifespan of the females is adversely affected. It also seems like the risk of disease is much higher, compounded by the fact that many hobbyists don't practice proper quarantine procedures with their fish. 

There's no getting around the fact that a sorority is a highly stressful environment, and all it takes is the wrong combination of females, and you can end up with a bloodbath. 

What I usually see happen, is that a hobbyist will start off with a group of young females. As young females tend to be much less aggressive, the hobbyist is lulled into a false sense of security, believing that their sorority has been a success. Then the females start to hit maturity and the signs of aggression may be subtle at first, limited perhaps to posturing and some chasing. With some females, that is as much as they will ever do, but others will soon escalate to physical aggression. This is when you end up with injured or dead fish. 

In my opinion, bettas are simply too unpredictable to live alongside conspecifics. I always say what they tolerate one day, they will try and kill the next. For example, I own a number of wild bettas. These are much more gregarious than their domesticated counterparts, so it's common to house them in pairs or mixed sex group. Even so, I've still had fish kill fish that they've lived alongside for several years without any issues. 

I think a community tank featuring a single (suitable) betta of either sex, is a much safer option than a sorority. It's certainly kinder to the fish.


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## LilyLilac (Jun 6, 2018)

Thank you for your reply, I do care more for the welfare of the fish, so if experienced people tell me no matter what I do the fish would be stressed, then it's out of the question. 



LittleBettaFish said:


> In the past I was an advocate for betta sororities. I even wrote the thread about them on this forum. However, after witnessing the breakdown of my personal sorority, and reading about the failure of countless others, my opinion on the matter has changed. I don't believe a hobbyist can care about the welfare of their fish, and in the same breath, promote betta sororities. In my mind, the two are mutually exclusive.
> 
> I've found most sororities are not successful long-term, and a large aquarium is not enough to guarantee success. Even in 'successful' sororities, it seems like the lifespan of the females is adversely affected. It also seems like the risk of disease is much higher, compounded by the fact that many hobbyists don't practice proper quarantine procedures with their fish.
> 
> ...


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## ErnestTheBetta (Jul 13, 2018)

*Wow...*

100 gallons is A LOT.:surprise: I myself have had a pretty successful sorority in a 10 gallon, and you guys are going to hate me for this, It is not heavily planted. I have had two casualties, but other than that it has run pretty smoothly. 100 gallons is more than enough space.:grin2:


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

ErnestTheBetta said:


> 100 gallons is A LOT.:surprise: I myself have had a pretty successful sorority in a 10 gallon, and you guys are going to hate me for this, It is not heavily planted. I have had two casualties, but other than that it has run pretty smoothly. 100 gallons is more than enough space.:grin2:



2 casualties = runs smoothly
Um, can I have your name so if you ever run for an elected office I can Not vote for you? 


100 gallons in enough for a betta sorority, and if you only add 10, each girl could have a nice sized territory. But, a single very classy male betta can punctuate a planted community tank like nothing else can. Not to mention if things go wrong you only need to supply a single tank, not several. I have a 40g betta community tank with a large purple betta and he is just stunning next to the other fish. He is the largest, brightest fish in there, and loves photo bombing.


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