Making a betta sorority
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
Joined
·
901 Posts
There is a sticky with more details, but from what I've read....
10 G minimum, you have that covered.
At least 5 females!
Lots of hiding places
Monitor them closely when introducing so you can take action if one is being a bully - and a place to give any such offenders a timeout.
I've been thinking of setting one up myself (the kids keep asking about getting "our girls"), and I saw a lovely pink and white girl at the store last weekend, and was sad to have to let her stay.
10 G minimum, you have that covered.
At least 5 females!
Lots of hiding places
Monitor them closely when introducing so you can take action if one is being a bully - and a place to give any such offenders a timeout.
I've been thinking of setting one up myself (the kids keep asking about getting "our girls"), and I saw a lovely pink and white girl at the store last weekend, and was sad to have to let her stay.
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
Tons of plants.
Like... live, fabric, silk. TONS :lol: Stuff the tank so you can barely see through to the other side! Trust me. You'll regret it if you don't. Low plants, mid plants and tall plants, floating plants...you name it
Also, have a few cheapy quarantines on hand. DO NOT ADD FEMALES RIGHT AWAY. they can be carrying parasites, or unseen diseases that can kill off your sorority, have you tear the tank down to sanitize, etc. Don't risk it!
Umm...Well I had a 29 long, with 4 gals, which was nice. It looked empty. But I'm finding 5-8 girls is enough :lol: 10 is alright too. Just so you can count and see each one, they can scout a good amount of territory, and generally will get along. Don't over stock
Be aware torn, chewed and ripped fins will happen, don't pull everyone out because of it... they have to sort themselves!
Like... live, fabric, silk. TONS :lol: Stuff the tank so you can barely see through to the other side! Trust me. You'll regret it if you don't. Low plants, mid plants and tall plants, floating plants...you name it
Also, have a few cheapy quarantines on hand. DO NOT ADD FEMALES RIGHT AWAY. they can be carrying parasites, or unseen diseases that can kill off your sorority, have you tear the tank down to sanitize, etc. Don't risk it!
Umm...Well I had a 29 long, with 4 gals, which was nice. It looked empty. But I'm finding 5-8 girls is enough :lol: 10 is alright too. Just so you can count and see each one, they can scout a good amount of territory, and generally will get along. Don't over stock
Be aware torn, chewed and ripped fins will happen, don't pull everyone out because of it... they have to sort themselves!
Joined
·
318 Posts
Do the torn fins ever go away? Or do they just keep chewing each other? Just wondering because my sorority has been going for a few weeks and they all look tattered (though some are worse than others).
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
Ehhh....yes and no. I mean, my alpha tends to heal better than the others, the lowest of them gets tattered fins now and then... I've had 4 siblings who maybe once in a while took a chunk of fin out. But then they were fine. Now this new sorority, they seem to have tattered fins no matter what :roll: and they have 40 glorious gallons for 4 of them.
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
Oh, of course Try getting ones of equal size... this is your first sorority right? I know some people get away with giants and youngin's with normal bettas, however for a first time sorority owner, I suggets equal size... grab at least 4 =D
Try getting ones of equal size... this is your first sorority right? I know some people get away with giants and youngin's with normal bettas, however for a first time sorority owner, I suggets equal size... grab at least 4 =D
Joined
·
1,108 Posts
my sorority has been running great- since i got the male plakat out xD just make sure they didn't accidentally mark a boy as a girl. also if you just do 4 or 5 girls you can have other community fish in there, just like Sena said, don't overstock
oh also, if you do other community fish, make sure your females don't hog all the food. Peach always gorges herself on bottom feeder wafers @[email protected]
oh also, if you do other community fish, make sure your females don't hog all the food. Peach always gorges herself on bottom feeder wafers @[email protected]
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
I agree on that :lol: make sure to get for sure females: egg spot, rounder tummy, shorter ventrals (plakat males tend to be more...husky. streamlined. and longer ventrals!!!), etc.
I had female guppies with my sorority, in the 29 long and it was pretty good! I added males eventually, and only the long finned one was bullied... so he was removed.
I had female guppies with my sorority, in the 29 long and it was pretty good! I added males eventually, and only the long finned one was bullied... so he was removed.
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
Ahh it's okay just remember to have tons and tons of fabric/silk/live plants!!
just remember to have tons and tons of fabric/silk/live plants!!
Joined
·
318 Posts
One of my males started out with an egg spot and the other still has a big, round tummy... sometimes it's very hard to tell when the fish is very young or small. I suggest you stick with medium or larger-sized females if you're not 100% certain. It can be hard to really tell the sex if you're in a pet shop that keeps its bettas in a dark corner!
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
I agree on that :lol: some males are well disguised
Joined
·
318 Posts
I've found a few plants that are made of silicone, they are also very soft and lifelike. I just set up a new tank with a big bunch of silicone grass. I'll post a pic once the water clears.Ahh it's okay
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
I have some silicone ones too, and my females think they are worms :roll: silly things. I forgot about those! They are very nice, and pretty.
Joined
·
8,895 Posts
You want pristine water quality for a sorority. Because cohabiting for females is a stressful environment, if your water quality is poor (ammonia or nitrite are present in any amounts) you are going to see either an increase in aggression because of stress, or an outbreak of disease such as ich or columnaris.
They can devastate a sorority so always watch your bettas and your parameters very closely for the first 6-8 weeks.
As others have mentioned, you want plenty of cover at all levels of the tank but particularly around the middle and surface as this is where my females and other bettas spend most of their time and where fights are likely to occur.
I've also found keeping everyone well-fed leads to a more relaxed environment as the bottom-ranking fish don't have to be worried about missing out or become unhealthy because of a lack of sufficient nutrition.
If you have a good eye you can usually spot the difference between young females and young males (I've found if the anal fin is more angulated it tends to be a male). If this is your first sorority I'd go for the youngest, most identifiable females I can find and use them as this is what I did with my first sorority and because everyone grew up together, they rarely if ever fought.
Sororities are loads of fun if they go well. I admit I have had some horror stories, but I think anyone owning bettas always has a few of those up their sleeve.
They can devastate a sorority so always watch your bettas and your parameters very closely for the first 6-8 weeks.
As others have mentioned, you want plenty of cover at all levels of the tank but particularly around the middle and surface as this is where my females and other bettas spend most of their time and where fights are likely to occur.
I've also found keeping everyone well-fed leads to a more relaxed environment as the bottom-ranking fish don't have to be worried about missing out or become unhealthy because of a lack of sufficient nutrition.
If you have a good eye you can usually spot the difference between young females and young males (I've found if the anal fin is more angulated it tends to be a male). If this is your first sorority I'd go for the youngest, most identifiable females I can find and use them as this is what I did with my first sorority and because everyone grew up together, they rarely if ever fought.
Sororities are loads of fun if they go well. I admit I have had some horror stories, but I think anyone owning bettas always has a few of those up their sleeve.
Joined
·
11,653 Posts
Hey, can I see a picture of Romeo?
:lol: Mollies are notorious for P'Oing bettas, being the nippers and being the nippees!! :lol:
:lol: Mollies are notorious for P'Oing bettas, being the nippers and being the nippees!! :lol:
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!