I will watch this with interest since I'm toying with the idea of a 10 gallon sorority...

 

Also, if it's ok with the OP, I also want to pick people's brains about stress in a sorority. I wonder how much stress you think they go through in such an tank.

 

Female bettas are awesome!

I have three girls of my own in a divided 10g and seriously, go for a girlie if you haven't. They're beautiful, bubbly little fishies with tons of personality - they're curious, intelligent, and can be just as aggressive as the boys. They're also very endearing and sweet, and tend to express themselves moreso because of their smaller body and finnage.

Sororities are tricky, and females are still bettas ... and bettas fight. Just a few thoughts - it's been awhile since having a sorority but here's what I remember:

Always aim for the Rule of Odd -That a sorority is better established when you have an odd number of females to disperse the aggression. I've had up to eleven in a 15g tank and they were very placid with one another ... it was a great sorority.

At first they will nip and bite but once they've established a pecking order and mini territories they should be okay. Just watch them carefully.

You have to have plenty of dense plant coverage and hides, however, and you need to switch decor up at times to give them a new area of exploration.

As for owner interaction, yes! They still recognize you, only it's several bettas instead of just one (plenty of little googly eyes looking back at you, it's adorable). My girls tend to do spyhops when they see their food (always food related, lol) and lunge for it, or nibble fingers when I'm doing tank stuff.

In a sorority there will be a few who jump ... again, the whole pecking order. The lower downs will often stick to the bottom and eat as it comes to them, rather than risk aggression.

In a nutshell, sororities are very tricky to maintain, but are very rewarding if you do it correctly. Females are lovely, intelligent fishies and I personally love them.

There's a really informative sticky in the main betta section on sororities, and that should give you more info on them than I can provide.

 

My husband and I both own 1 female (separate tanks). His, Chiyome, is very bonded with him and REALLY enjoys petting, she gets very demanding of food at feeding time, and has flared at me twice (never at my hsuband.. even though she knows I give him the food he feeds her). She'll leap out of the tank to grab food if my husband takes too long, and lunges aggressively at pellets when they hit the surface.
I got my female, Freya, after he had his for a while and she's not quite as pet-able but she's newer. She's inquisitive but not aggressive with the ramshorns in her tank (to clan diatoms). S he does NOT like eh reflection in the thermometer and will occasionally peck at it (perhaps the distortion make her look fat? haha). Shes the calmest of my bettas (I also have 6 boys) when it comes to feeding-no lunging or hurried gobbling of food.


IMO I'd steer clear of a sorority, they are extremely delicate and easily fall apart (lead to damage or death). I'd admittedly looked into setting one up but after reading how so many sorority owners had to dismantle and separate their girls or had complete disaster (many deaths/all dead form fights or disease) I'd never do one. A sorority is stressful for the girls, they'd rather have a small space to themselves than have to contend with others and deal with hierarchy and competition to get food.

 

Personally I'd stay away from sororities as well. It's a high-stress, volatile, unpredictable environment that you must monitor closely. All the time. I've always thought that it is something newbies like me should not mess around with. Don't do sororities unless you know full well what you're doing.

That being said.

I've had two girls, and now I'm partial to girls no matter how beautiful those boys can be. My late girl Memory was so friendly and interactive. She used to dance on the tank wall whenever I come home, and enjoys attention as much as my dog does. Seren, my current fish, loves to chase fingers and would "put on a show" when she knows I'm watching. I have a habit of checking on her before I go to bed, and one night I forgot. So in the middle of the night I sprang up and turned the tank light on. I spotted her sleeping under the microswords (she just loves that plant), but the moment she realizes the tank light is on she lazily swam up and did a sleepy version of her usual "oh hi there" dance. They're just precious.

Don't get me wrong. I still miss my old male Blue and I'm getting a male for my next fish. But Blue sorta keeps himself entertained. He loved to play too, but if my finger gets too close he'd flare. He never really paid too much attention to my presence, unless I stick a finger to the tank wall or into the tank. Still a wonderful fish all around, but like I said, I'm partial to girls now. They're like... little aquatic dogs XD

 

Cool to hear about their personalities since One of the things I like about Bettas is how they interact. I've only had males.
Yeah, the more I read about sororities the less tempting it is.

 

magpie, YES! Please feel free to jump in with any questions about females and sororities. I put this in chat to encourage an open conversation and hear from multiple folks!

fleetfish, aqua aurora, seren27, thank you all so much for sharing your insights and experiences! Sororities are definitely not something I could handle right now from reading your information. I'm also hesitant because of the potential stress to girls, but I definitely will get myself a lovely betta lady next time I get a fish!

Also, seren27, I absolutely love the term "aquatic dog" and am stealing it from now on! I always struggle to explain to people how excited and energetic my boy, Camillus, is to see me when I come back home from school/work, and aquatic dog is the perfect characterization for him!

I just love all of their sweet personalities, which is why I actively encourage everyone I can to adopt a betta!

 

No you can't steal it, the term is copyrighted

Anyway. I realize that I only discussed the bad sides of sorority and that's not fair. Sororities CAN work if done right, and from this short time I have spent on this forum I can say that if you're looking to learn more, look no further than here. There are people experienced enough to guide you the right way.

 

I've never done a sorority since I'm kind of paranoid about them all getting along and also hadn't had bigger aquariums until recently.

But I have had a girl and if I hadn't bought her, I probably wouldn't've fallen down the rabbit hole into having bettas. Addie had a lot of spunk and was really curious about stuff.