# Sororities.. is it worth the possible headache?



## ElmoFish (Jul 18, 2009)

So, my bf okay-ed the idea of me starting a 10 gallon sorority tank today (possibly out of guilt for not getting me a bday present.. but I won't question it) and I'm just wondering if it's really worth the possible headache to set one up.. I know there's a good chance that it may not work out, or some of the girls may not get along, etc. It will also be expensive to set up, as I would need a whole new tank, plenty of plants, and hiding places, not to mention fish.. females are hard to come by and over 8 bucks each around here at the only place that I've ever seen them. 

I really don't want to end up with more than 1 additional tank to clean.. which would be balanced out by hopefully being able to introduce little Lily as one of the girls.. and a cycled 10 gallon would be much less maintenance than her current habitat.

Would it be better, or easier to get maybe 1 female and some other community fish to go along with her? What kinds of fish would be likely to live peacefully with a female betta?

I've heard of communities with 3 or so females and other fish to keep them amused.. would this be more likely to have a positive outcome?

Just wondering what my options are, I'm not even sure at this point if I will get a second 10 gallon, but I'm really excited that my bf said I could.. and I kinda want to take advantage of his niceness.. normally he says I have too many fish already..


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

8 bucks each?! Wow, that's expensive. Veiltail females are less than three bucks here. Granted, their price goes up about 8 bucks if it's anything other than a veiltail, but still...
And that's a good question. I think I'll lurk, since I have the same question myself.


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## ElmoFish (Jul 18, 2009)

I know!! Betta in general are expensive in my city, there are 3 petstores, and normally all any of them carry are standard mutt veiltail males, with the occaisonal shipment of crowntails.  2 of the stores charge 7.99 a piece for a mutt veiltail, and the other one charges 5.99 or something like that.. I actually tend to buy from the more expensive stores as their males are kept in half gallon critter keepers, while the cheaper store keeps them in tiny mason jars.. one of the stores currently has some crowntails in, and they want 12.99 a piece for them.. it's ridiculous.. I LOOOVE crowntails though, so I'm going to check them out tomorrow, the bf is giving me his debit card to get a new betta in lou of my forgotten birthday present.


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## AlexXx (Aug 23, 2009)

What exactly is needed for a 10 gallon female sorority. I would like to know Step by step. What are the cleaning procedures and such, i have only had vases, so far, no filtered tanks. Do you change the water in filtered tanks often? Id LOVE to have a female betta sorority.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

If you're going to pay so much for females and not have a lot of choice - It may be more worthwhile to deal with the shipping costs and get the bettas sent to you by someone who breeds. There's plenty of folks here who post over on the betta breeding part of the forum. 

Doing it that way, you may also be able to get sisters from the same breeding - meaning that they'll be more likely to remain compatible as they get older. 

You could always post on the breeding section and ask if anyone lives near you, (at least in the same country) to prevent possible worries with shipping live fish across borders (as well as to save on shipping costs). 

Good luck.


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Agreed with RoseyD.

I know there are a few people who are breeding soon. (including me!) and would sell you some. 

Wow! Females are only 2.99 around here!


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## puppyrjjkm (Aug 2, 2009)

Alright I'll see if I can help you guys out  I started my 10 gallon sorority on a whim, I really wasn't planning on it. So I just set up my 10 gallon with a nice rock wall (with rocks from my backyard, scrubbed of course). And lots of plants. I had one female in there for a while by herself then bought 2 more a week later. I took out that female then released all 3 together. No fights. The older female chased and nipped fins occasionally saying that she is the boss, but other than a few nipped fins, and some squabbling at feeding time, nothing went wrong. Plus these females were not already in a sorority when I bought them, they were just in their own seperate cups. I later introduced a 4th female without changing the decor. Bad idea, she got the wrost of nipped fins and is still recovering. But after a few days she was also accepted. So 4 females is perfect for a 10 gallon. Last week I moved my 4 females into my 29 gallon. They love it, and share it with 3 cories, 10 neons, and 2 hachetfish. They like is better since they can hide from the others but also be social. I added my fifth female 2 days ago, and no nipped fins  So I would say it's totally worth setting up. I am 16 and got it right! haha I was very surprised that it all worked out. Maybe I'm just lucky and picked some good females! haha sorry for such a long post, if you have any questions let me know! good luck!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on the personality of the females. I think buying sisters from a breeder is a good idea.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

Yeah, I agree. I have a 14g sorority set up and it's great, but even after a few weeks there are still a few nips from Rosie. :/ I'm a bit worried, but none of the girls have been injured so I think she's fine.  What I did was set it up so there were plants everywhere, released the girls at the same time and they explored, saw each other, flared and swam away. By the time the girls came up for food / air the next day, they didn't flare again. It's my pride and joy of my room, and when it works, its gorgeous!!! I would go for it, but watch closely for the next week. The fish's personalities are not at all what they seem. Zip flared when I first picked her cup up, and then she flared at Periwinkle. When I brought her home, all she did was hide for the first few days and now she is fine, but not aggressive as I thought. Rosie, I thought would be the Underdog (correct saying???  ) and she's the alfa!!! lol So yeah, just watch really closely.


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

Sororities are totally worth it!
Yes, the headache comes along... It's a package deal lol
But once all of the close supervision and the initial fighting for power is over it's definitely worth doing. 
My girls fought for a couple of weeks, wouldn't even interact during feeding time, now they shove each other out of the way for food (yes. it's cute. lol), they swim together sometimes (Nina and Jayde are buds), and it's so adorable the way all of them come up to me to say hi (or I'm hungry) when I watch them. 
I'd say do it if you can afford it, and if you have the time. Mine was pretty expensive.


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## Chicklet (Feb 9, 2009)

Betta's sell here at Walmart for $2.49 .ea at pets Unlimited they want $9.99 for the exact same thing.

It's really ridiculous what some places are charging and then the fish are in such a poor state.

I offer my Betta's as well as other fish For Sale locally, But oft times I just end up giving them away to folks..


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

I agree that it can be expensive, but no more expensive than any other full tank set up. Total, mine was a little over $70.00 but I got the tank on sale. If I were you, I'd go with something a little bigger than 10 gallons. I was hoping for a 15, but 14 is pretty darn close.  You can have more fish, better decorations and over all, it's worth the extra 5 or 10 dollars initially. Plus you have more options all across the board between the amount of fish, and the type of fish. But one thing thats great about sororities compared to regular fish tanks is that you only have one breed of fish (one type of food) and yet they are all different colors. Then the fishies' personalties are all different, making watching more fun. Also they swim all over the tank, not just top middle or bottom.  It's awesome!!! So I would SOO go for it!!!


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