Thinking of a Betta Sorority Tank

[Razzmatazz]

Hello all! Im thinking on making making my 3 week old 36G bf planted tank into a betta sority tank. I found a place online that sells female bettas that has been raised since birth in the same tank. Maybe 6 to 8 female bettas? For tank mates, im thinking
6 Harlequin Rasboras
8 to 10 Neon Tetras
6 Corys. ( Panda maybe)
2 ottos (when i get some algae)
Is this feasible? Besides my wifes 5 gallon betta, this will be our only tank. Thanks for any advise!

 

[Blackwater guru]

Hello all! Im thinking on making making my 3 week old 36G bf planted tank into a betta sority tank. I found a place online that sells female bettas that has been raised since birth in the same tank. Maybe 6 to 8 female bettas? For tank mates, im thinking
6 Harlequin Rasboras
8 to 10 Neon Tetras
6 Corys. ( Panda maybe)
2 ottos (when i get some algae)
Is this feasible? Besides my wifes 5 gallon betta, this will be our only tank. Thanks for any advise!

You may want to have a bigger tank if you want to keep 6-8 of these bettas mainly because of the additional fish like the raspboras,also keep in mind that just like male bettas they can kill each other but it depends on the tank size and personality of each fish.

I would probably invest in a 60 gallon tank or at the very least the biggest you can buy for the money you have,if you have the money and space for a 60 gallon go for it because bigger is usually better.

Also some fish can be fin nippers like certain tetras so research is key here

 

[Razzmatazz]

Thanks for the reply Blackwater! I did a bit of research and found neons could be fin nippers so I may scratch those out. Probably do maybe 4 bettas? Getting a bigger tank is a no go. Its not the money, its the space. Living in a small apartment. Wish I could fit a 4ft long tank somewhere but its just not feasible unless the wife agrees to get rid of the dining table lol! Not gonna happen. I did do some research and found some intersting videos on you tube. Still learning but not gonna take a chance if its not a good idea. Welp, back to the drawing board i guess lol!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I'd scratch out otos too. They need a group to be happy, they're a schooling fish that live in groups of thousands in the wild, and they're all wild caught, so keeping a group of at least six is the least we can do. Some people do keep just one or two purely to use as tank cleaners, but that's unfair to the otos. They're also delicate fish and sensitive to any changes in water parameters, and need a good supply of algae and biofilm to eat, so best to only add them to a very established, well planted tank, so would need to wait until the tank has been up and running for a few months before adding them, be sure you've got a handle on keeping ammonia and nitrites at zero, and nitrates below 20ppm, and better if it's a well planted tank.

I've never kept bettas so can't help there, I'd only go for a betta sorority though if you're a very experienced fishkeeper and can be sure you'll be able to tell when there's a problem and remove any trouble makers before it gets bad. From what I've read, there's no guarantees, and many people who set up a sorority have to try several different females before they find a balance that works, so you'd need spare tanks in case a problem arises, so you can remove a fish before it gets killed. To me, they're not worth the risk since it's for the keepers benefit, and not how these fish would live in the wild. I'd personally go for a regular community tank, sororities sound like a lot of stress for the fish and for the keeper, with a lot of potential to go wrong.

 

[Blackwater guru]

Thanks for the reply Blackwater! I did a bit of research and found neons could be fin nippers so I may scratch those out. Probably do maybe 4 bettas? Getting a bigger tank is a no go. Its not the money, its the space. Living in a small apartment. Wish I could fit a 4ft long tank somewhere but its just not feasible unless the wife agrees to get rid of the dining table lol! Not gonna happen. I did do some research and found some intersting videos on you tube. Still learning but not gonna take a chance if its not a good idea. Welp, back to the drawing board i guess lol!

A good starting point is to first choose the fish that you like the most such as a molly then sticking to tankmates that live in it's native environments ,this is great because you limit the amount of fish available to choose from which makes choosing the right fish an easier job than having to search all over the place for compatible fish.

But it can also help prevent mistakes commonly caused by impulse buying and a lack of proper research when newbies mix potentially deadly or dangerous fish like bucktooth tetra or oscar fish with non predatory fish from a different part of the world like bettas

Mixing fish from different parts of the world can work sometimes but not always and some fish species are better kept by themselves in species only setups like angelfish or with fish that live in their native environments that have the same water and environmental requirements such as driftwood being used as food for certain types of catfish or even leaf litter that can be used as a place to hide for small catfish like corydoras catfish.

 

[Essjay]

Betta sororities usually have only female bettas in them.

But as Adorabella said, they are not for the inexperienced fish keeper as so much can go wrong.
Some females are as aggressive as males and have to be kept alone.
Shops have been known to sell short finned males as females.
There must a be a lot of decor to break up line of sight and hiding places for those females at the bottom of the pecking order.
There will be fighting when the group are first added to the tank as they need to establish a hierarchy.
Adding more females later is a bad idea as this will disrupt the hierarchy, leading to more fighting; they should all be added at the same time.


Personally, I would stick to harlequins, tetras and cories in groups of at least 10 each - provided you have soft water.

 

[HoldenOn]

Betta sororities usually have only female bettas in them.

But as Adorabella said, they are not for the inexperienced fish keeper as so much can go wrong.
Some females are as aggressive as males and have to be kept alone.
Shops have been known to sell short finned males as females.
There must a be a lot of decor to break up line of sight and hiding places for those females at the bottom of the pecking order.
There will be fighting when the group are first added to the tank as they need to establish a hierarchy.
Adding more females later is a bad idea as this will disrupt the hierarchy, leading to more fighting; they should all be added at the same time.


Personally, I would stick to harlequins, tetras and cories in groups of at least 10 each - provided you have soft water.

Community tanks for the win. Betta live alone in the wild and only ever see another fish of their kind when mating. Like essjay said, you will find it way more interesting to get a big group of harlequins and cories IMO. Good luck

 

[Freddo96]

The best way when adding more than one betta is to ensure there females from the same fry and have been kept together

 

[Razzmatazz]

Thanks for all the advice. Nothing is written is stone just yet anyways. If my parameters is still good after work, ill be heading to get some harleys! Ill keeps researching to see a good combo of fishes for this tank. Thanks everyone!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks for all the advice. Nothing is written is stone just yet anyways. If my parameters is still good after work, ill be heading to get some harleys! Ill keeps researching to see a good combo of fishes for this tank. Thanks everyone!

Are you sure the tank has finished cycling? Three weeks is fast for a cycle, unless you added a cycled filter or something? Just want to make sure it's safe before you add any fish to the tank.

 

[Razzmatazz]

It was yesterday. I will check again today. I did put some neons in there the day the tank was filled. I trusted this API quick start that claimed i can instantly add fish. They all died the next morning. I recovered 4 of the 6. I learned my lesson on that and started to read up on tank keeping. Information on yhe net is definitely all over the place. Tank have a bit of live plants so im not sure if that sped the cycling? I can wait if so advised. I posted in the newcomer section titled Hello from Las Vegas. I have a pic of my tank there.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

It was yesterday. I will check again today. I did put some neons in there the day the tank was filled. I trusted this API quick start that claimed i can instantly add fish. They all died the next morning. I recovered 4 of the 6. I learned my lesson on that and started to read up on tank keeping. Information on yhe net is definitely all over the place. Tank have a bit of live plants so im not sure if that sped the cycling? I can wait if so advised. I posted in the newcomer section titled Hello from Las Vegas. I have a pic of my tank there.

Tank is beautiful! You did a great job with the scape and plants.

There is another concern though, the stocking you want are all soft water fish (as are bettas), while you said in the other thread that your water is hard? Keeping soft water species in hard water will lead to problems in the longer term. They might look well and happy for months, but it's building up and causing internal damage, severely shortening their lifespan. You might want to make a thread about potential stocking for this tank, showing the tank and listing your GH, KH and pH so people can suggest species that will work with your tank size and water parameters. Much as I understand the excitement with a new tank and the desire to get fish as soon as possible, it's better to wait and plan it so you have long term success, as you found with the neons.

If you can list your other water parameters for the last few days and today (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) @Ch4rlie is great with cycling and can tell you whether your tank is ready for fish or not

 

[Razzmatazz]

Vegas tap water is hard. Thats why I have to mix RO/DI water to soften it. 2:1 mix ro to tap gives me a nice 7.4 ph and kh/dh of 6 using API text kits

 

[Razzmatazz]

Yesterday, ammonia and nitrite was at 0 and nitrate was at 10ppm. Ill check again today when i get home

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Vegas tap water is hard. Thats why I have to mix RO/DI water to soften it. 2:1 mix ro to tap gives me a nice 7.4 ph and kh/dh of 6 using API text kits

Yesterday, ammonia and nitrite was at 0 and nitrate was at 10ppm. Ill check again today when i get home

That's awesome, sounds like you have a good handle on things now and have done your research! And you might well be cycled, depending on todays results. Of course I'm sure you know to monitor the levels as you add a school of fish, and wait a while for the bacteria to catch up before adding the next school, etc. Even better if you can quarantine the second batch while the first batch are adapting, so you have less change on introducing disease or parasites into your main tank.