# Female Sorority - Waiting Game?



## pixiemods (Jun 14, 2015)

I bought a female betta about 4 months ago thinking I would start a sorority. My only problem was that I never went through with it. I ended up bringing 1 female home.

The female has been in a 10 gallon tank herself since then, and just yesterday I bought 2 more females still wondering if I can continue the sorority.

I managed to clear out the plants, and arrange some things differently in the tank to "change" the home of the original betta. As of right now they are in cups floating with the first female, I've let them out to see how my initial female would react when I let them loose. 

My first female is much more aggressive as the others are already aware of each other since the store I bought them from came from a sorority tank itself. My initial female nips them at times. And so I cup her into a floating cup for 10 minutes then proceed again.

Not honestly even sure if this will work out, or if I'm doing this wrong, or if they're compatible.

Any advice would help. Thanks.


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## Euro (Nov 13, 2015)

First problem is that there isnt enough girls. For a 10 gallon sorority you're looking at a minimum of 5 because with three, what might happen here is that they will bully the weakest one to death and then it will just be two and they will go at each other.

What youre doing with the timeout cup is the right idea, how long do you wait before you step in? if it is instant, thats too soon. there is going to be nipping, body slamming and chasing for the first few days while the girls figure out who is who. so my immediate suggestion is find someplace to put these three for now, get 2-4 more girls and then try again.

how heavily planted is your tank also?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I agree that you are likely going to run into issues with three females. I also would not have recommended setting up a sorority without a minimum quarantine period of two weeks for each female, as even healthy appearing fish can be carrying disease or parasites. It seems that females living in a sorority environment, are especially vulnerable to disease, probably a result of the stress of being forced into close proximity. 

You need at least two more females. With that said, more females may not be the answer to your problems. A female that is overly aggressive, has no place in a sorority, as she will be constantly picking fights. A mature female that has lived a solitary existence for the majority of her life, can make a poor candidate for a sorority environment, as they can be more aggressive/territorial. 

As to when to intervene, it can be a difficult question to answer. Bettas can cause a surprising amount of damage in a very short space of time. Fin damage can 'look' bad, but often does not pose any serious health risks to the fish. What you have to be careful about is damage done internally, or damage done to the mouth (I think they call it a mouth/lip lock) as this can be permanently debilitating. 

Usually I intervene if one female has kept up a sustained attack on another for more than a couple of minutes. I'll see if they lose interest if I physically force them apart. It's when they continue to engage that I will step in an separate the aggressor. 

Finally I did want to ask a couple questions about the tank itself. Is it cycled? If it is, you may see a spike in your parameters as the beneficial bacteria adjusts to the increased bioload. Water quality isn't something you can be lax about with a sorority tank. A slight rise in ammonia/nitrite, can be enough to cause a big headache. 

If your tank isn't cycled, you really have to be on the ball about testing your water and getting the tank cycled ASAP. 

Also, you mention 'clearing out the plants', I assume you put the plants back in? In my personal opinion, a sorority should be so heavily planted you can't see from one end of the tank to the other. I think it's important that the females are not in constant view of each other, as that's undoubtedly quite stressful.


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## LittleAzul (Dec 7, 2013)

I agree with the above. Also isnt 10g not big enough for a sorority? Ive heard you need at least 20g or 30g.


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## Euro (Nov 13, 2015)

It ~can~ be done in a 10g, but thats playing more with fire then you already are IMO. I would do 15g or 20L as the minimum because those extra 4-6inches of tank length make a huge difference. But, again, there have been successful sororities in a 10.


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## pixiemods (Jun 14, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies!

My tank is heavily planted, in which all bettas can hide without being noticed unless I look hard enough. I also have caves for them and rocks to hide between in case. The tank is something I've grown for a good year and a half so I think the plants are fine, it is also cycled. And yea, when I cleared my plants I put them back in, in addition to adding new plants. 

After doing that I put the bettas back in after having them adjusted to the tank, and everything seemed to be going fine. I'm assuming it was only because they were all exploring the new space. So... my first betta was no longer bullying the others. But that only lasted about 3 hours until she started becoming aggressive again. 

Within this time I was able to pick up on how they are. I realized she will follow and come into terms with another betta no matter what. She immediately chases one, would tail whip, flare, but after a while it came to her biting and ongoing on her chasing. I would have to cup her. I think shes just aggressive in general which I won't be able to fix. And as you guys mentioned, because of her aggression, one of the bettas I bought as well has started to lead to aggression to the the other betta.

So yeah. I think I've learned that shes just not compatible in a sorority. Secondly, 3 is bad lol. And lastly, I'm going back to the pet store to return my other two. I would have done 5 in a tank but my initial female was fairly large and the other 2 had to be around the same size to hopefully avoid being picked on.. but that didn't work so.. oh well lol. In addition my tank is larger in height rather width which is another con. 

Thank you again for all the replies. Maybe next time I will have to purchase a longer tank if I were interested in doing this again. As of right now I'm just going to keep her alone heh.


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

Sounds like a good decision and kudos to you for seeing the writing on the wall and not forcing the issue. Some people aren't willing to give up on a plan for a tank but it sounds like you want the best for your fish- so kudos on that. Better luck next time if you decide to try again.


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## pixiemods (Jun 14, 2015)

Thanks! Yeah I'd rather have all bettas in happy environments in all honesty.


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