[chrissylee13]

okay, so there's this 20 gallon long tank that i LOVE at petsmart. i think it's perfect for a sorority and i love the idea that i have more space to decorate than just up and down like a taller 20 gallon would be. but i have a few questions even though i've been reading as many sorority threads as i can find. ha. right now i only have 1 female and i haven't bought the tank yet but i wanted to find this stuff out first!

so, first off, how many girls can i put in this tank? i've read at least 4 but 6 is better, but for more you should have 2 gallons per female. also, i thought i may want to get a cory catfish or 2. possibly a snail? maybe some ghost shrimp? if they don't eat them haha..

the other thing... i've read that you should put them in according to first the least aggressive to the most aggressive last. how do i know this? by how often they flare?

also, i've noticed mixed things, a lot of people QT their new fish before adding to a tank. but i've also noticed a lot of people who start sororities just get all their fish and add them the same day. should i QT them all? if so, how long?

thanks in advanced for any and all answers!

 

[Hopeseeker]

I, too, would like this info....only mine would be for a 10 gallon, for now!

 

[chrissylee13]

i thought about doing a 10 gallon just simply because it takes up less space. but i thought i'd be more limited in what i could do with it, decoration and fish wise. so, thats why i want the 20 gallon. :]

 

[Bombalurina]

I have a sorority, so I'll answer as best I can.

okay, so there's this 20 gallon long tank that i LOVE at petsmart. i think it's perfect for a sorority and i love the idea that i have more space to decorate than just up and down like a taller 20 gallon would be. but i have a few questions even though i've been reading as many sorority threads as i can find. ha. right now i only have 1 female and i haven't bought the tank yet but i wanted to find this stuff out first!
Sounds like my dream sorority tank!

so, first off, how many girls can i put in this tank? i've read at least 4 but 6 is better, but for more you should have 2 gallons per female. also, i thought i may want to get a cory catfish or 2. possibly a snail? maybe some ghost shrimp? if they don't eat them haha..
My minimium would actually be 5. 2 would obviously harass each other, with a trio the two dominants would bully the omega girl to death then battel it out...4 is just not far enough away from 3 for me to be comfortable. I have 6 in a 16 gallon. In a 20 you could have 12, but only if you didn't want other fish. I find 6-8 to be a comfortable number.
If you want cories, don't just get one or two. They are shoaling fish and should be in groups of 4 or more. 8 betta girls and 6 cories would make for a happy tank. I pesonally wouldn't bother with a snail, as they have a heavy bioload and do nothing to keep algae under control. Shrimp are far more interesting (though I prefer cherry to ghost). With plenty of hiding spots, you should have a good survival rate, even if you never see them. Java moss is great for this, as are lacefern and hornwort.

the other thing... i've read that you should put them in according to first the least aggressive to the most aggressive last. how do i know this? by how often they flare?
This is one method. Of course, it can be difficult to determine who is the aggressive girl. Mine were all in one tank at the petshop and too stressed to even flare, so I just added them all at once since I had no idea who the alpha was (I still have no idea. I have the most docile bettas on the planet). When in doubt, add them all together. They'll soon figure out a pecking order.

also, i've noticed mixed things, a lot of people QT their new fish before adding to a tank. but i've also noticed a lot of people who start sororities just get all their fish and add them the same day. should i QT them all? if so, how long?
QT is always an excellent idea, especially if you have other livestock in the tank. It just allows you to see if a fish is healthy. I don't have a quarantine tank (not allowed to set one up, and we get our fish in bags, not cups), so I just had to risk it. If you get your fish in cups and can't set up a seperate tank, fill up your tank with the right temperature water and float the cups in there for a week. You'll have to change the cup water daily, but it will keep them warm and may give you some hints as to who the alpha is.
1-2 weeks is the recommended QT period.

thanks in advanced for any and all answers!

As you probably already know, you need your tank to be extremely heavily planted and/or decorated. It's also a good idea to have spare tanks in case something does go wrong. Naturally, siblings used to living together make for a better chance of peace than random girls in the petshop, but they can be hard to get if you aren't an Aquabidder.
I hope this is of some help.

 

[chrissylee13]

thanks for answering my questions! i knew some catfish were schooling, but i didn't know ALL cories were. thanks for clearing that up.

i wanted to try and get some sisters from aquabid but i haven't seen anything i liked from the US yet.

oh, and another question, what about live plants? the majority of my plants will probably be artificial. i thought i may want to try some live ones, but i didn't really like the idea of having to get soil or sand, i thought it would be messy and super expensive for me. are there any that don't need this to survive?

 

[Myates]

Java ferns, Java moss, anubias, naja grass are just a few that I know off the top of my head that don't need much light, don't need substrate, some can be floating on top, or weighed down on the bottom by a rock, etc.

Bom gave you some excellent information, so no need to add to it other then highly recommend getting some kritter keepers in case you do have to home some individually as at any time the sorority can fail and you will have to remove some/all.

Good luck to you, and looking forward to pictures!

 

[chrissylee13]

okay cool! thanks! and will do. i have to start stocking up on a lot of stuff. haha. not just for fish either.