# the 10 gallon sorority



## fishcrazy99 (Feb 14, 2015)

I noticed on the compatibility thread it said a 10 gallon is the minimum tank size for 4+ betta sorority. I have an extra 10 gallon tank that I havent taken down yet and I was curious about the details of this set up. I understand that it has to be very well decorated but could someone provide a picture example? Also, how much filtration will i need for 4 females? I currently have the tetra whisper 10i in that tank as well as a 50 watt heater set at 80F. How many can I put in the tank since it seems that the more the better because of aggression. I currently have 1 female betta that i keep in a filtered, cycled, 2 gallon and i was hoping to do this set up with her but i also want to do it right since i would be sad if she died.


----------



## amcoffeegirl (May 7, 2009)

I would think it would need to be heavily planted for lots of hiding spaces.
Either with real or silk plants.
This is not my photo- I found it online.
Also I think a bigger tank would be better but that's just my opinion.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

If you are going to be sad that your female died, don't put her in a sorority. These are an aggressive and territorial species, and forcing them into close quarters always has its risks. If I had a female I was very fond of, I would not put her into a sorority tank, and this is coming from someone who has had several of them in the past. 

My opinions on sororities have changed over the years. They seem to have a high failure rate even when done right, and I just don't feel comfortable advising people to risk the health and lives of their fish. 

With that said, if you are determined, I would probably do six females in a 10 gallon tank. I have gone as high as ten females in a 10 gallon, but there is much less leeway if something goes wrong. 

With a sorority tank, you shouldn't be able to see from one end to the other. The photo above is a good example. Constantly being in sight of each other is stressful, and having a lot of open space in your tank means that females can chase each other around. You want to minimise chasing, and you do this by placing obstructions in the tank. 

Quarantine is *essential* for a sorority. Nothing would go into any sorority I had now without a minimum two week quarantine. I don't care if they came from the same tank in the fish store or look healthy. Columnaris is a huge problem with sororities and is often introduced by fish that have not gone through proper quarantine. 

I used to run Fluval 1 and 2 plus internal filters in my sororities, but I'm not really an expert on filters and the sort of bioload different brands can handle.


----------

