[leedavidford]

Hey,
I have normally only kept male betta but after reading about the females I decided to get some.
The lady that helped me in my LFS said the females get on better in groups of 3 or larger. so I got 3, a white one, a double tail and what appeared to be a plakat. (They were all in the same tank in the shop)
They were put into a 10g tank of their own. They got on fine for a day or two but then started fighting. The plakat who was the smallest of them relentlessly bullied the other 2 until one if them just gave up and I came home from work to find the white one dead
I separated them, the DT is now in the 10g with 4 cory and the plakat is in a 5g of her own (I think she's too aggressive for company) they've been in their new homes a couple of weeks now and seem to be getting on really well.
I've done a lot of research on this and all the information I get back is so conflicting, some say you can keep females in groups of three, some say it has to be a min of 5.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had success with keeping them together.
Thanks!

 

[Canis]

Sorry for your loss, but the person at the petstore misinformed you. A group of three is a deadly combination, as the two higher ranking girls will often kill the lowest, and then proceed to try and kill each other. Four is sometimes okay, but five is definitely better. Sororities are very stressful for the fish, so they often end due to deadly stress-related illnesses or a large fight. My tank ended up getting columnaris, which killed off about ten of my girls. I have five left now in my 36 gallon tank. Others have been picked off for being weak as well, due to the inherent nature of the species. You can try to babysit them all day, but its always when you aren't looking that something bad happens.
I've learned my lesson, and as much as I love the look of sororities, I won't ever try one again. Once these girls are gone (which hopefully won't be soon, as I love my girls to death) I am sticking to peaceful community fish.

 

[Canis]

Also, are you sure your plakat is female?

 

[JDragon]

I have a successful sorority at the moment, however, it is in a 55 gallon. I have heard mixed results with 10 gallon sororities. Not as much space to run away.
A group of at least 4-5 individuals seems to be the go to number, but you should check out the sticky of sororities.

 

[leedavidford]

Hey, thanks for your reply! I normally wouldn't go with the advice from the people at my LFS, I feel pretty guilty for putting them in a stressful and what proved to be a fatal mix!
My 2 remaining girls seem a lot happier in their own tanks so I don't think I will try a sorority again!
I'm not 100% sure she is a plakat, I posted a pic of her and a couple people said she was. I'd put a pic on here but where I'm on my phone it won't let me. There's an album of her on my page, she's called misty day.

 

[leedavidford]

Sorry, misread your question!
Yeah she is female, she clearly has the white spot on her belly.

 

[lilnaugrim]

white spots/egg spots are not clear determinations of sex. Many young males and even mature males will have a fake egg spot. The only real way to tell a female is from her ovaries, which can be hard to spot if you don't know what you're looking for.

EDIT: but yes, I've seen your girl and she's definitely a girl

 

[jaysee]

Many of those with "successful" tanks have had their failures as well. I think a lot of people don't know what they are getting into when they attempt this - definitely a much higher risk of failure than any other stocking that people suggest.

I've been following this "sorority" business for a while now and one thing I've noticed is that even those that claim success haven't kept them together for very long. These fish don't seem to live as long as they should when kept like that.

 

[leedavidford]

white spots/egg spots are not clear determinations of sex. Many young males and even mature males will have a fake egg spot. The only real way to tell a female is from her ovaries, which can be hard to spot if you don't know what you're looking for.

EDIT: but yes, I've seen your girl and she's definitely a girl

Ah cool thanks for checking! like I said I'm pretty new to keeping female betta! I'm beginning to prefer female betta I think, they have so much personality!

 

[leedavidford]

Many of those with "successful" tanks have had their failures as well. I think a lot of people don't know what they are getting into when they attempt this - definitely a much higher risk of failure than any other stocking that people suggest.

I've been following this "sorority" business for a while now and one thing I've noticed is that even those that claim success haven't kept them together for very long. These fish don't seem to live as long as they should when kept like that.

Yeah, a sorority isn't something I'm gonna try again! I want my betta to have a stress free long happy life!

 

[shellieca]

Depends on your definition of success & success for how long? I had a sorrority & one by one the females died off, I have one left & will not be adding anymore females.

 

[leedavidford]

Oh no sorry to hear that!
My girls definitely seem happier now they don't have to worry about other betta in their territory

 

[amphirion]

sororities are definitely not for inexperienced fish keepers. it is better to introduce multiple females at the same time rather than one by one as the pecking order is still established. multiple females will disrupt the order. prepare to provide ample amounts of hiding places for the weaker and smaller females. not caves and such but more like thickets, where larger females would be slower or unable to chase them. violence is usually high the first week or two until everybody learns their place.