Newbie To Bettas - Advice On Having A Female Group?

[CezzaXV]

Hi everyone.

I've been looking for a few more fish to finish off the stocking in my tank. I was in a new LFS yesterday and they had the most gorgeous female bettas I've ever seen. If you'd asked I would have said they were males if not for the fact there'd have been a massacre in the tank.

I've done some research online but I always prefer to talk to people who have actual experience in these things.

My current stocking at the moment is:
6 cardinal tetra
6 cories
2 German Blue Rams
4 female honey gourami
Assorted shrimp and snails

I know gouramis and bettas can be iffy together but I don't know if it makes a difference that I'd have all female groups of both?

If I get past that question, how many female bettas is it advisable to keep together? Different websites tell me different things.

May have some more questions but all advice is appreciated.

 

[372xp]

How big is the tank? Female bettas are quite territorial and have there own favourite spots in the tank so you need enough room. I believe 6 is the magic number, or more if you have room. Also make sure that what you buy are actualy female. Forget the fins and look for the little white egg spot behind the pectoral fins, chances are if you cant see one its a male. In a group of 100 females you will probably find up to 40 are actually male.
As for weather gouramis and rams will work I couldnt tell you, however no problem with the tetras and corys.
Good luck, female bettas are the queens of all the fishes.

 

[CezzaXV]

It's a 155L tall tank, the dimensions being 60 x 40 x 60cm.

I didn't know that about the egg spot. Hoping to go back and have a look at them again some time so I'll look out for that.

 

[sharpchick]

155 L is about 40 gallons, right?

Personally, I wouldn't mix bettas of either sex with the gouramis. Generally speaking, they share the same space in the tank, and both can be quite possessive of space. The gouramis are faster and usually win any dust-up.

In addition, you'd need to add all the female bettas at once, just for their own territory and aggression issues between members of their own species. I've only tried a sorority tank once - a 20 gallon long, highly planted and with multiple hiding spaces. It was not successful, and I think only slightly less stressful for me than for the fish as I had to rescue one gal after another and find a place for her. (I did not have multiple QTs running.) Rehoming was a nightmare.

Cardinal tetras are also not terribly wise tankmates for bettas.

If you want a sorority, I'd do a species tank, and hold my breath. Unless you're a breeder, and all your girls are truly sisters with no aggression issues, you just can't tell who's going to try and beat up on whom until you put them in the tank.