# Betta sorority tank mates, 34 gallon



## thendeathsaid (Oct 3, 2013)

What I have in mind right now is:

8-10 female bettas
A shoal of pygmy/dwarf cories (12-16)
Shoal of otos (8)
Cherry shrimp (I'd start with 6 I suppose)

I'm also thinking of getting a shoal of rasboras, but I don't know how close I am to overstocking with these numbers ^


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## SeaKnight (May 24, 2013)

With 8 girls, 12 cories, and 8 otos your stocking level would be right around 75%..... Personally I would ditch either the otos or the cories, as both are in the same "family" (as in they are both a type of catfish, and go with the Rasboras... and, of course, make sure there are plenty of hiding places for everybody....


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## thendeathsaid (Oct 3, 2013)

Okay I think I'll get the rasboras instead of the otos for variety's sake~ Any thoughts on what types of rasboras NOT to get? Like, woudn't mix well with bettas, etc.


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## SeaKnight (May 24, 2013)

I think Harlequins are the most regularly recommended.. However, they are all known to be good community fish. So I suppose any, in theory, should work.. Not sure but I think a couple of varieties prefer slightly different parameters than the other fish mentioned. May want to read up some and then decide.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I advise not to get any schoolers for the sorority other than cory cats. Yes otos and corys are similar but they do very different jobs. Schoolers like tetras, even rasboras and others can be very rambunctious. The girls are already in a high stressed environment and they don't need the extra stress to add disease to the tank. Keep with your original stocking if you ever want a successful sorority.

I prefer the Corydoras Habrosus over C. Pygmeaus as Habrosus tend to be more bottom dwellers and the Pygmies are mid-dwellers; this can frustrate your girls and they have a chance of being eaten and/or killed by your larger females. I've successfully kept Habrosus in my sorority without issue, same with Otos and BN Plecos if you have room for it but again, no schoolers if you want your sorority to live.


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## SeaKnight (May 24, 2013)

lilnaugrim said:


> I advise not to get any schoolers for the sorority other than cory cats. Yes otos and corys are similar but they do very different jobs. Schoolers like tetras, even rasboras and others can be very rambunctious. The girls are already in a high stressed environment and they don't need the extra stress to add disease to the tank. Keep with your original stocking if you ever want a successful sorority.
> 
> I prefer the Corydoras Habrosus over C. Pygmeaus as Habrosus tend to be more bottom dwellers and the Pygmies are mid-dwellers; this can frustrate your girls and they have a chance of being eaten and/or killed by your larger females. I've successfully kept Habrosus in my sorority without issue, same with Otos and BN Plecos if you have room for it but again, no schoolers if you want your sorority to live.


Well duh!!! I have no idea where my mind was, for some reason I was thinking Community Tank set up not sorority... OP: please feel free to basically ignore most of my previous statements..


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

^_^


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## thendeathsaid (Oct 3, 2013)

Alright, I'm a total noob at this so I'm happy to go along with what you guys suggest! I'll stick to the otos then and look out for the Habrosus cories in my LFS~ Thanks!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

No worries! That's why we're here ;-)

Honestly, I normally don't recommend sororities as I've been through this process and it's a lot of heart break in the end. I've only heard of maybe one or two successful stories on here that have had them running for over a year without any serious deaths or injuries and even then, it's shaky business. I know the novelty of having so many Bettas in one tank is fantastic and really it is, but not for the price of death in the end. You can talk to most of the people on here who have had non-sister sororities and most of them have ended not so great, I'm not fully trying to talk you out of it but I just want you to know the potential. There are some serious rules that you MUST follow to even ensure a moderately stable sorority:

Quarantine EVERYTHING; plants, snails, shrimp, new fish, new girls, everything!!! For at _least_ two weeks but a month is better as not all disease will show up so quickly.
Sanitize nets, hoses, pumps, buckets, etc., any equipment regularly with either 5% bleach solution or Rubbing Alcohol.
Plant your tank like it's the Amazon Rain forest, stuff that thing full of plants! lol It's your best defense for bully girls who like to chase the underdogs.

Hides are okay but Bettas utilize plants much more than they do hides, which is why having a fully planted tank is your best bet.


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## SeaKnight (May 24, 2013)

lilnaugrim said:


> No worries! That's why we're here ;-)
> 
> Honestly, I normally don't recommend sororities as I've been through this process and it's a lot of heart break in the end. I've only heard of maybe one or two successful stories on here that have had them running for over a year without any serious deaths or injuries and even then, it's shaky business. I know the novelty of having so many Bettas in one tank is fantastic and really it is, but not for the price of death in the end. You can talk to most of the people on here who have had non-sister sororities and most of them have ended not so great, I'm not fully trying to talk you out of it but I just want you to know the potential. There are some serious rules that you MUST follow to even ensure a moderately stable sorority:
> 
> ...


Seriously, we need a like or thumbs up button.....


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

There is on the TFK side lol, just go on that side and find the post and hit the like button or the thank button XD But I agree we need one on this side!


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## thendeathsaid (Oct 3, 2013)

lilnaugrim said:


> No worries! That's why we're here ;-)
> 
> Honestly, I normally don't recommend sororities as I've been through this process and it's a lot of heart break in the end. I've only heard of maybe one or two successful stories on here that have had them running for over a year without any serious deaths or injuries and even then, it's shaky business. I know the novelty of having so many Bettas in one tank is fantastic and really it is, but not for the price of death in the end. You can talk to most of the people on here who have had non-sister sororities and most of them have ended not so great, I'm not fully trying to talk you out of it but I just want you to know the potential. There are some serious rules that you MUST follow to even ensure a moderately stable sorority:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice and warning! Will definitely do all that~~ I've heard that the more females the better to spread out aggression; does this hold true the larger the tank gets? What I mean is, if each female has more space to herself, is a smaller number actually better for a bigger tank, or is more females better regardless of the tank's size?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yes and no, it's a good question!

Each sorority has its own number of which it is happiest at. I've seen sororities of four work out just fine if all other needs are met. My sorority was in a 33 gallon flat back hexagon so similar in size to yours. The happiest mine was at was 9 and I figured that out after i added 10 and things started to go bad but I didn't think much of it as I was still a newb for the most part. It was made clear that 9 was a good number enough though I tried all sorts of numbers including up to 24 girls in at one point. I lost them to a nasty strain of Flexibacter Columnaris. But it really just depends on your girls and what suits them, I started with six if that helps any.

But they will all hang out anyway so even if there is more room, it won't make much of a difference other than the bullied female will be able to get to a different spot rather than in a small tank where they can't. So it is great to have the extra space but of course, you'll still have your bullies.


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## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

My non sister sorority ended in on a very sad note. It was a good run for about 6 months, but I really miss my girls.


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## Firefly85 (Jul 11, 2012)

I only recently have had issues with my sorority.I had six females bettas,but then alpha female passed this tank has been up and running for just over a year. big blue died a while back she was old, then the next one in charge was my vt pineapple, who sadly died since I had some issues with water quality becasue of a broken filter and then a power outtage. I just had some bad luck recently. I have resolved the problems with a new hopefully dependable filter system. I had too many plants die off as well, makes me sad becasue my double tail also is passed. so from 6 i am down to 3, i am off to buy some new plants and hopefully a few new females to restore peace to the tank. If only my pineapple and double tail were still with the tank i have no doubt it would have been running happy longer. since they all go along so well.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

lilnaugrim, you just have the best answers for everything.


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## thendeathsaid (Oct 3, 2013)

Okay, thanks for all the tips!  I'll see how it goes and hopefully it'll work out decently aha *fingers crossed*


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