# Female Betta Sorority



## TequilatheBetta (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi!I just wondering about starting a female betta sorority....
How many females could live in a 28 gallon with 2 tiny guppies that are about 3 years old?
Also, will the mirrored back effect the fish in any way?
I have 2 plastic plants, a small castle like thing, a terracotta pot, a glass dolphin and a no fishing sign, and 2 bamboos. What other decorations do I need?
thanks in advance


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Add more plants, silk if not real. Females get nit picky and need a lot of hiding spaces to spread out the aggression. I've been told 4-6 in a ten gallon, so I'd say 8-10 for a 28 gallon.


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## JHernandez (Jul 2, 2011)

I have 10 in my 20Gal and they do just fine.


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks J. I've been researching doing a sorority myself, but someone with experience is more help than me. >.<


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## JHernandez (Jul 2, 2011)

I'm setting up a live stream for the sorority soon. And what i do is i look at their behavior as i add them. and so far they are really happy.


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Cool, if you get the live stream going link me and I'll check it out. I have two females right now, one's a fry-from-Petco rescue the other an average Petco rescue. I'm thinking about building a sorority around them {they're separate til the fry is at least old enough to have her colors >.<} and that would probably be helpful


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## JHernandez (Jul 2, 2011)

I Just made a video. Editing now.


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## caitic10 (Apr 30, 2011)

I'd keep an eye on the guppies. I personally don't reccomend keeping them with bettas, as sometimes they are mistsken for other bettas and attacked. Im not sure if that goes with females, but it does with males.

You say your guppies are tiny? How tiny? Bettas have a taste for guppy fry.

Whenever keeping fish together always have a emtpy tank on hand. 

Decoration wise, Id say more plants. Live if you can. If you look around on the site, there is a plant guide somewhere.

If you want, you can take out the bamboo. Its useless in fish tanks and just takes up space. It does look pretty but its not ideal for fish tanks.

If you want you can add a marmio moss ball. They are balls of algea that eat the nutrients algea feeds on. In a way, they keep your tank clean.


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## MaggieLynn (Jun 24, 2011)

I agree more plants like make is so you have it full! I have a 10 gal with 5 fish, with 4 caves ($2 at walmart) and i have 7 plants. I also found that switching up the decor, like some say you can do, was not good for me personally because to put it nicely all hell broke lose after i put them back >.< i would strongly recomment a sorority they are fun


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## TequilatheBetta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks everyone  
NcPanthers, are real plants hard to keep? Because i Don't want to have to trim them and throw them out if they rot or die. 
Jhernandez, do your girls nip all the time? Or do they just swim together peacefully?
caitic, the guppies are small because I didn't feed them properly when they where younger D: They're the length of half my thumb and their tail is the width of my thumbnail. Thanks for the info 
MaggieLynn, my tank is pretty tall, compared to some others. Not as tall is it is long, but could I have anything that floats in the middle of it? Not possible, right?


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Check this out: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=76428&highlight=plants 

It will help you with the live plant/fake plant decision.  I think my sorority will be live plants, but I'm still deciding on that.


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## caitic10 (Apr 30, 2011)

Your guppies should be fine. Just keep an eye out. If you see any nipping take them out for awhile.


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## JHernandez (Jul 2, 2011)

No picking they do fine. Just took this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3V9X2HzX4


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## MaggieLynn (Jun 24, 2011)

There is this floating log thing from zoo med you could get. I have been debating myself on getting this


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## TequilatheBetta (Apr 5, 2011)

JHernandez said:


> No picking they do fine. Just took this video.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3V9X2HzX4


That's so cool  They're so peaceful together!

Thanks everyone!


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Awesome vid :3


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## kathstew (Feb 23, 2011)

That video is lucky. The person got really lucky :/
You need to be prepared for a lot of fighting. Have aquarium salt, and epsom salt on hand, as well as some type of QT container. Once hierachy is created (which can take weeks to create!) fighting will be rare, but CAN AND WILL still happen. 
Do A LOT of research before starting your sorority. 
Will you have space to put any girls that don't work out in the sorority?
If the females are sisters, there is less chance of fighting. 
You need to HEAVILY PLANT THE TANK. I repeat, HEAVILY PLANT THE TANK. They need places to hide, and get away from any fighting. 
Here is my tank (since then I've added even MORE plants): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inL2VvQb-yw
Do you have experience with bettas before this? Sororities are not for beginners. I suggest owning a single betta for at least a few months before even considering a sorority. :/


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## JHernandez (Jul 2, 2011)

kathstew said:


> That video is lucky. The person got really lucky :/
> You need to be prepared for a lot of fighting. Have aquarium salt, and epsom salt on hand, as well as some type of QT container. Once hierachy is created (which can take weeks to create!) fighting will be rare, but CAN AND WILL still happen.
> Do A LOT of research before starting your sorority.
> Will you have space to put any girls that don't work out in the sorority?
> ...





Looks like you have quite some current there. I only run my filter once a day every week and keep almond extract at healthy levels. Maybe that's why i get lucky


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## flowerslegacy (May 10, 2011)

Betta sororities are tricky. They can be very peaceful for a long time and then suddenly turn. I tried a sorority and wasn't successful. All of my females, one by one, slowly took turns at being the alpha and after a while I couldn't take the carnage. After reading pages and pages of threads from this forum, the general consensus, from the most experienced betta keepers, was a sorority has about a 6 months life span. The best scenario is to get sisters from the same fry that were raised together. As Kathstew stated, please be prepared with enough cups and seperate homes for the girls you own. A long term successful sorority is a tough thing to accomplish. It's possible, just not common.


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## kathstew (Feb 23, 2011)

JHernandez said:


> Looks like you have quite some current there. I only run my filter once a day every week and keep almond extract at healthy levels. Maybe that's why i get lucky


Lol, i was gonna baffle the current, but they love it! They get mad if I turn it off  They would sit underneath the filter, waiting for the current to start back up. They love sitting under it the current and getting a "massage".
I can't use almond extract, cause my sister and I have nut allergies :/


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