# Sorority Experiences



## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

I would like you to share your sorority experiences!

How big is the tank?
How many females?
Did it work, or fail?
And add pictures and other info if you want!


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## snowflake311 (Jun 19, 2013)

Kalari32 said:


> I would like you to share your sorority experiences!
> 
> How big is the tank?36 gal. Looking back I could of had more plants and hiding places.
> How many females? 8 or 7 at a time.
> ...


It can work kind of. You got to watch them you are going to be stressed out too. These are still betta fish they are not a social fish. If you get them young like really young you might have a better chance. I don't recommend it and will not do it again long term. I want to breed so I will keep the females together till they find homes that's it.


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## Fishy Mom (Feb 11, 2013)

I have a ten gallon with 5 girls at the moment. It's worked out great except for a boy sneaking in there disguised as a female. He got along great with the girls since he was so young, but after his growth spurt he was ready to breed and I couldn't do a spawn in a sorority tank even though he tried, lol.


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

For several months I had a 20 long. It started out with 11 females, which was fine; then I added another 8, which was also fine.

I now have had 28 females in a 75-gallon for several months. Everything is going well so far!


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

Awesome!  I know there was nipping at the beginning, but do you have have an outbreak?


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Nope! Very little nipping at all, honestly, even when I've added new girls. The caveat, though, is that both these tanks have been heavily planted and had lots of floating plants, as well, for hiding spots.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Best sorority I had: 4 females, live plants, snail, 6 female guppies, 29 gallon long heated and filtered.

Worst sorority: two giant females, menacing cambodian crowntail female, Janey, Lilith and a mini-Peaches (lookalike probably related). The giants were mean to each other, Peaches took them on, Janey tried to "break up" the fights and they teamed up on her... 30 gallon regular. Arg! 

My ideal sorority would be: 4-6 females in my 30 regular, with driftwood as natural barriers... Live plants, maybe bottom feeders like corys. Rigr now the tank I have set up (empty currently) has become darkly tinted by Malaysian driftwood, and I found a live plant I never knew was in there (java fern). I intend to use that as my next sorority/community.

It can work, but betta fish personalities are so dang diverse it's hard. But achievable. Stuff that tank so much with fake and live plants (even driftwood) and it could work really well. People's mistakes is using a small barren tank. They tolerate each other - sometimes have each other's backs... Otherwise they hate each other and are stalking each other o_o they can be more scary than piranhas...


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

this is my tank right now. I have more plants coming, and I've been dosing c02 and iron so they should blossom in the next two weeks, when I start my own sorority.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I had two separate sororities that died from columnaris. First I had 7 females 6 that died, and one who survived. Second I had 6 and all of them died. I am hesitant to make a third


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

How big is the tank? = 55 gallons
How many females?= 7
Did it work, or fail?= So far it's been going really well! Once in a while I notice a nipped fin, but I almost never see them chasing each other and when they do it's only for short distances. there is also no problems during feeding time. They all gather in a group waiting for me to drop pellets. Sometimes they steal each other's pellets, but they don't get nippy with each other about it.
It is a community tank that has been running since the beginning of April, and the bettas have been in it for about 3 months-ish.

You can see a YouTube video of my tank here:
http://youtu.be/gsUm9U1Uy9I


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## VegasShimmer (Dec 30, 2012)

I have a 10g with 8 females (I know, I know - at the top of my stocking limit). I do a 50% wc weekly. It's heavily planted and I picked girls of the same size/age. I am already planning to upgrade to a bow front 16g or a 20g long within a month or two. They had their usual pecking order to figure out with a nip or chase here and there, but no major injuries or deaths. They seem to be doing fine and have been housed together for about a month. I have a huge water sprite and crypt spiralis for hiding and lounging. They are so funny and nosey - when I'm doing water changes or fixing/trimming plants, they are RIGHT THERE! 

Funny story: I was just doing a wc this morning and I borrowed a floating log from another tank in order to pour the water in without disrupting the sand. I set the log in there and poured in my first pitcher. When I refilled from the bucket and went to pour the second pitcher, I found they were all in the log. Silly, silly girls!


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

How big is the tank? 30g
How many females? 9, used to be 12
Did it work, or fail? It's working so far  I removed one girl for blindness and she later died, and two died in the tank. I currently have the nine girls, 5 Albino Corys, and 4 Otos. Plus some pond snails


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

How big is the tank? 20G. Planted.

How many females? 7 beautiful girls.

Did it work, or fail? It worked, until I introduced a few guppies and the girls all developed columnaris. :/

*Lesson: Always quarantine. You'll regret it if you don't.*


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## TGIF (Jul 2, 2013)

How big is the tank? 10g planted/deco

How many females? 6 girlies 

Did it work, or fail? I love it. The girls don't fight at all, and they roam in a bunch of little shiny fins XD I've been having troubles with water and stupid toxic decorations, but they are very hardy and forgiving. 
I love my sorority. It's really fun to watch then eat too... I give them omega flakes and every time a girl acts like hers is the best and zips around the tank with the flake in her mouth, and the others are curious. It's funny XD


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Here is a higher quality video of my girls. I took this today.
http://youtu.be/n_SoaLYpPsQ


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

OrangeAugust said:


> Here is a higher quality video of my girls. I took this today.
> http://youtu.be/n_SoaLYpPsQ


 Gorgeous sorority!!


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Kalari32 said:


> Gorgeous sorority!!


Thank you! :-D


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

You're welcome


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

VegasShimmer said:


> I have a 10g with 8 females (I know, I know - at the top of my stocking limit). I do a 50% wc weekly. It's heavily planted and I picked girls of the same size/age. I am already planning to upgrade to a bow front 16g or a 20g long within a month or two. They had their usual pecking order to figure out with a nip or chase here and there, but no major injuries or deaths. They seem to be doing fine and have been housed together for about a month. I have a huge water sprite and crypt spiralis for hiding and lounging. They are so funny and nosey - when I'm doing water changes or fixing/trimming plants, they are RIGHT THERE!
> 
> Funny story: I was just doing a wc this morning and I borrowed a floating log from another tank in order to pour the water in without disrupting the sand. I set the log in there and poured in my first pitcher. When I refilled from the bucket and went to pour the second pitcher, I found they were all in the log. Silly, silly girls!


I love your tank! My plans for the 30 is to use mostly live plants. What kind of lighting do you have?

Anot another poster's comments, about columnaris woes... I agree and understand. I ended up having it so any new fish, was quarantined 2-4 weeks, so stress of the ride home and any potential "unseens" could be dealt with if something showed up (usually usually ich or columnaris) then I added hem in, after a water change and cupping the females (to which I re-add them all together so they establish new territory... Anything that could be moved was moved around as well so it was a "fresh" tank to them all.


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## VegasShimmer (Dec 30, 2012)

Thank you! It's fluorescent lighting. I upgraded the light that came with the kit to an actual flora light specially for live plants. Seems to be working really good.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Awesome! I have to find a proper hood for some of the "higher maintenance" plants so I can get the proper lighting. The hood I have is made for two small bulbs... Aka the regular plain janes.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

My sorority... I love it so. ^_^ I currently have a ten gallon with seven lovely females in it. It's been working wonderfully for about a month now. Things have settled down after the new addition last week, and everyone is doing great!

I think sororities are fantastic, but you do have to give the girls some room to work things out among themselves. I can't stand seeing my babies getting nipped and chased, but those things DO happen in the sorority as they establish a pecking order, and it's best not to interfere unless things are getting out of hand. There was a ragged fin or two and some stress stripes in my sorority at first, but things have calmed down and I see very little aggression anymore except at feeding time.

















http://s17.photobucket.com/user/Aseku/media/Fish/VID_20130726_233329_402_zps8068dcf6.mp4.html
Pardon my mess of water testing supplies in front of the tank! ;-)


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I believe you have a male in there... How long are the ventrals on the "camera hog" in the second picture?


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

She's a girl, just a longfinned girl. I've seen her ovaries, don't worry.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

That guy definitely looks like a male to me... I've seen long finned vt females but they were never THAT long... Lol.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Guys, I assure you, she's a GIRL. I have seen her ovaries. I posted an entire thread about my two longfinned females. They are quite rare, but they are 100% female.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

We just want to make sure...


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

I understand that, and I appreciate your concern, but I wouldn't have put her in my sorority without being certain she was female first. Trust me, I look at her every single day.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Most of my long finned girls still had smaller ventrals. I always use ovipostor teamed with ventral length teamed with (light colors only) ovaries teamed with eggy-ness. Even then young females turned into males -.-; bettas can be a pain that way.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Her ventrals are smaller than a male's. She has an ovipositor and an overall female body shape. And she has ovaries. She's definitely not a young anything since she's already a solid 2 inches long not including fins.

This was her in quarantine. Shorter ventrals.


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## Mar (Apr 9, 2013)

She's a cutie!


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

Beautiful sororities! Thank you for sharing your sorority experiences. Lets keep this going


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