29g First Sorority

[Syriiven]

So originally it was going to be my new girls in a 10 gallon (6 of them and yes with the water changes needed to make it work) but today my boyfriend bought me a 29 gallon I've been wanting that went on clearance. So I'm in the process of setting that up.

This gives me the opportunity to add more betta females to it, as well as possibly different fish. I already plan on a nerite or two in a few months, but don't know much about other types of fish.

So, firstly, I have this young female (how young I dont know) since the end of December. I'm pretty sure she's at least 6 months or more. These new girls I'm getting this weekend though are only about 3 months. I was wondering if the age difference would be a big deal if I decided to add her to the sorority (prior to the new tank, I was going to keep her separate to not overstock).

Also, assuming I don't want to just stock betta females, what other fish do well in a sorority tank?

And though this is my first sorority, I have done my research and am well prepared for it. I only want those initial questions above answered - thank you.

[bettaisbetter]

Great for you to have a 29G instead of a 10G :) They're really lucky to have some extra space to roam and swim. As for age, it won't really matter. As long as she's not a fry, (I know she's not) then she should be perfectly fine in the sorority. Just remember that some females aren't suited to sorority life, luckily all my females were. Hope it's the same for you.

A 29G with decorations, fish, and tank supplies will be around 25G or so... Cories will do well, maybe some harlequin rasboras, or a few small tetras. Don't forget about shrimp and snails. Look through the "Betta Compatibility" section threads...

[MattsBettas]

Yay! I eventually want a sorority... I don't believe age matters, and you want a good cleaner like a octo or some cories and some non flashy fish like neon tetras, rasboras, maybe even some mollies?

[Syriiven]

Thanks for the reply!

I'll be sure to monitor them the Sunday after and I got a day off work to keep an eye on them especially =) So if things don't work out, I will definitely save them before it gets too bad. I think it should be okay, as these youngsters I'm getting are in sosority/community tanks as I speak - so them I'm not super worried about. Sylvannas however has had her own 2.5 gallons of space for a month now. So we'll see =)

I keep seeing 'cories' pop up xD I like the look of panda cories =) I think they're super cute.

But I've also heard horror stories of sometimes a pack of girls attacking a tank mate....

[MattsBettas]

Hahaha bettaisbetter posted and I didn't even see it, even though they said pretty much the same thing! Where are you getting three month old girls? Logistics guy?

[bettaisbetter]

Mollies are better off in brackish water, they're weaker in pure fresh.
Oh, and I forgot to add. If you want cories or any fish with barbels, you'll need sand or at least smooth gravel so they won't get wounded and soon infected.

[bettaisbetter]

Originally Posted by Syriiven

But I've also heard horror stories of sometimes a pack of girls attacking a tank mate....

I have albino cories with my 7 females, they leave the alone pretty much all the time. It seems that in most tanks with mixed species, the bottom dwellers usually get ignored.

[Syriiven]

Hmm~ maybe I should get some sand to go over top of my gravel then. I don't have enough gravel to fill the base of the tank any ways, gosh it's so big xD And I just need it to seed the cycle and hold stuff down any ways. How long would I need to let the sand settle before adding my girls though? They'll have travelled for about 5-8 hours by the time I'm getting home.

I am getting 6 girls from Sena, and was getting 1 girl from Logistics, but now, if he'll allow me, I might get a few more. Havent had a chance to discuss that with him yet.

[bettaisbetter]

If you get sand and clean it really well, it should settle down fairly quickly. Under a few minutes or so, mine needed a few minutes to settle once I started setting it up. And now, during water changes it settles in a few seconds.

[Syriiven]

Oh that'd be great then! Does it matter what type of sand? I mean is light easier for them to spot food (but I guess if they have barbels they don't really need sight all the time to find their food, derp) or any types of sand that make life difficult?