Sorority- ?s including moral ?

[azjen]

I just lost my first betta this week after we battled several infections together. She just had something internal that would get better and then come back.

I am considering trying a sorority but I have a few questions...

My conditions: I have a 10 gallon tank, filtered, heated and I will add more hiding places as I have some but should get more.

1. I have just been doing partial water changes and adding Prime to it for my other tanks. Will that work for a sorority? I see cycling mentioned- will I need to do this- will the upkeep be much more difficult now?

2. I am thinking 5 or 6 girls? Sound alright?

3. Moral question: I know that they may establish a pecking order and nip at each other a bit in the beginning. Do some of you see this as cruel to put the bettas through this so that I can have a sorority? Does it usually work out or does it end up being a nightmare more times than not?

I know for my dogs, they do that too when a new one comes home- is the same for the fish or is it harder and more damaging for them? I know there is not a "right" answer for this but I value opinions of those that have sororities or have chosen not to.

I just want to think this through before doing this...

[Zeetrain]

You should check out this post by dramaqueen
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=29402
It should answer most of your questions if not all of them.

[SweetnSpicy]

Originally Posted by azjen

3. Moral question: I know that they may establish a pecking order and nip at each other a bit in the beginning. Do some of you see this as cruel to put the bettas through this so that I can have a sorority? Does it usually work out or does it end up being a nightmare more times than not?

I have a 25 gallon sorority tank, that has been doing great since a week or two after Christmas :)

Yes, there is some nipping, but that wears away after a week or two, and the nips heal if it is a clean tank. I have just recently added another female and 2 cories, making it 7 girls, and 2 corydoras. I have no problem with it, I personally do not think it is cruel, to me it is like horses, to an extent. It takes a while for them to get used to each other, but after that, things settle down quite well. Our horses have almost opposite personalities, and the 6 of them have been together for almost 7 years...

[WuGolfer07]

i was pondering the same thing after my 4 girls finally stopped fighting/chasing each other around/stealing food. My littlest girl still hides from the others every now and then, but they do all get along and do all eat together now. Also, my littlest girl has some minor fin damage from the sorority war. I feel as a pet owner, that it MAY be border line cruel to put fish together that WE all know can be just as aggresive as males if not more and still do it anyways to see what happens. That would be like putting 4 humans together that are known to all have aggression issues and do not get along with one another in a 4 wall room with no way in or out. Just saying....yes, i am guilty of setting up a sorority house. Will i ever do it again? NO, because it was rather harsh what those 4 girls went through ( especially the littlest one) just for ME to have a sorority house for MY own pleasure.

[1fish2fish]

If you want a sorority you have to be willing to put up with a little nipping. Honestly ANY community fish you have whether its guppies, tetras, discus, angel fish, ....... your always going to have a pecking order.. your always going to have one fish telling another to bug off.. there is NO way to avoid that and it shouldn't be something to worry about.

I would cycle your tank before adding the girls.. it will make life SO much easier for you.

5 or 6 girls is a great number.. but a lot for a 10 gallon so again I strongly stress cycling before hand so the tank can hold that number

[sstacy19]

My girls fought like crazy at first..I have 6 together in a 46 gallon with a few community fish. But now they are best friends. No one got hurt in any of the fights though..tails and fins all intact. Fishy, my HUGE combtail was the dominant female and she is pretty easy going.