Keeping Female Bettas

[onidrase]

Even though I've never really kept betta fish (aside from babysitting one for my teacher back in like 5th grade) I always take a look at the little guys.

Oddly enough though, recently, I've been looking at the females moreso than the males. I just find them prettier, in a sense. Definitely over looked. So over looked, in fact, that one of my LFS's doesn't even supply females

I've seen some people on here keep the females in big groups in tanks, which I'm kinda curious about.

On that note, would I be able to keep a decent group in say, a 15 gallon standard tank? anything I need to know in particular?

Thanks much

 

[MisssMarie]

You need a minimum of 5 so as to keep bullying to a minimum for each betta! You will need a backup tank in case one doesn't get along - and there will be a little bit of fighting at first I've learned, don't pull one out at the first sign of trouble, or it'll just resume as soon as you're not there. Just be ready, and if you feel like its getting bad, then pull the trouble maker out. More is better. I keep 6 females in a 10 gallon. I've found the younger you get them, the better it is. I kept a sorority tank with 3 females once, but, they were introduced to each other when they were 3 months old, 2 were sisters, and the other had been in a neighboring tank. There were some issues, so, I don't recomend it, but, yeah. More females = less bullying each one has to endure = better! I love sorority tanks in my opinion, they're the best! Such fun!

 

[lilfishie]

as said you want atleast 5, 6-8 would work fine in a planted 15gal with loads of hiding places, try get them all together if you can

 

[Fishy friend2]

Here is something copied and pasted from another forum im on

Female Betta Sororities.




It is fairly well known that male betas cannot live together however, female bettas can live together under the right conditions. Here are a few things you need to consider before setting up a "sorority" tank, a community of female bettas.

Tank size- The tank you house your females in shouldn’t be any smaller than 10 gallons. 20 gallon long tanks work very well. A larger tank gives the girls more room to move around and also gives you room for plenty of plants, hiding/getaway places and decorations such as small terra cotta pots, bridges and castles. You can use either real or fake plants. The tank should be cycled, filtered and heated.

Number of females- Females can be as aggressive as males. The more females you have spreads out the aggression. It is not a good idea to have only two females together as this will cause one to beat up on the other and it could result in the death of one or both of the females. It is also not recommended to have less than 4 females. Six or more is better. Be careful not to overstock your tank.

Adding your females- Add the least aggressive females first. Two to three can be added at a time. Opinions differ on the size of the females. Some say that it’s best to house similarly sized betas in a sorority tank and others say it doesn’t make any difference.

Aggression- Some aggression is normal. There will be some nipping and chasing as they establish a pecking order. One female will become the “alpha” or dominant female. If you remove them for any reason, then rearrange the plants and décor, they will reestablish their territories. If a female is being overly aggressive and it doesn’t slow down after a few days, remove her. After a few days of “time out” you can try adding her back into the tank. If she continues her aggressive behavior toward the others, she will have to be put in her own tank.
Each female betta has her own personality and some will do well in a sorority setting and some will not. After adding your females to the tank, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them. You’ll want to do this when you are home so you can remove a problem female or remove and treat an injured one if needed.

 

[MisssMarie]

Here is something copied and pasted from another forum im on

Female Betta Sororities.




It is fairly well known that male betas cannot live together however, female bettas can live together under the right conditions. Here are a few things you need to consider before setting up a "sorority" tank, a community of female bettas.

Tank size- The tank you house your females in shouldn’t be any smaller than 10 gallons. 20 gallon long tanks work very well. A larger tank gives the girls more room to move around and also gives you room for plenty of plants, hiding/getaway places and decorations such as small terra cotta pots, bridges and castles. You can use either real or fake plants. The tank should be cycled, filtered and heated.

Number of females- Females can be as aggressive as males. The more females you have spreads out the aggression. It is not a good idea to have only two females together as this will cause one to beat up on the other and it could result in the death of one or both of the females. It is also not recommended to have less than 4 females. Six or more is better. Be careful not to overstock your tank.

Adding your females- Add the least aggressive females first. Two to three can be added at a time. Opinions differ on the size of the females. Some say that it’s best to house similarly sized betas in a sorority tank and others say it doesn’t make any difference.

Aggression- Some aggression is normal. There will be some nipping and chasing as they establish a pecking order. One female will become the “alpha” or dominant female. If you remove them for any reason, then rearrange the plants and décor, they will reestablish their territories. If a female is being overly aggressive and it doesn’t slow down after a few days, remove her. After a few days of “time out” you can try adding her back into the tank. If she continues her aggressive behavior toward the others, she will have to be put in her own tank.
Each female betta has her own personality and some will do well in a sorority setting and some will not. After adding your females to the tank, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them. You’ll want to do this when you are home so you can remove a problem female or remove and treat an injured one if needed.

About the size thing, I have one in there who is much smaller than the rest, and she's at the top of the pecking order! So, in my tank, I found it didn't make much of a difference