Betta Sorority Tank Setup Guide

It is a funny name isn’t it? Perhaps the first question you will be asking especially if you are still just into the aquarium hobby is what is Betta Sorority? To better answer this question in simple terms is to call them a group of bettas that are housed together in one tank or a tank that holds a group of female betta fish. What must be recognized however is the fact that sororities that are housed together in the same tank may be successful or total failure. It all depends on the steps that the aquarist will take from the onset of things; one of being the selection of the fish to keep in the same tank. Other things that include tank setup and maintaining the right environment therein are also very vital for success to be achieved.

Betta Sorority Tank Requirements

Your female betta may live in a sorority environment that is very peaceful but may not be all. She will have to work hard to compete for food with the others she will also have to mark her territory, and most of all she will still have to contend living in close proximity with other aggressive and territorial fish.

Because stress is usually the leading cause of disease outbreaks in fish kept in enclosures, more effort should be put to ensure that stress is reduced for any fish that lives in the tank. This is why any keeper must take special attention to the water quality in the tank. Remember when there is poor water quality in the tank, there is a very big chance for your fish to have very weak immunity. With week immunity the fish will readily susceptible to diseases.

Here below are some smart tips that will help you perform the perfect tank setup for your female bettas:

Minimum tank size

The minimum tank capacity for holding your Betta Sorority together should be 10 gallons and nothing less. The tank can be bigger than the minimum requirement of 10 gallons because he female bettas need ample spaces where they can comfortable create their territories because they are very territorial. When the space is too small for them, more fights will erupt amongst them something that will cause stress or even death. A great tank for the fish should be wider instead of being taller as this helps to give the fish more space to spread and even get away from bullies.

Provide as much cover

It is best to offer your fish as much cover as you possibly can, you can use driftwood, rocks, foliage and freshwater plants etc. Such cover helps to provide the much needed cover from bullies and in effect helps to minimize conflict amongst the fish inside the tank.

Tips when adding your Bettas

Now that you have everything ready such as the tank and the water, the ultimate test for you will be choosing the bettas that will reside the tank. It is important to choose only the best bettas because even having a single betta that is bad can be a disaster in the tank. So here are some tips on how to choose the most suitable female bettas for your sorority tank:

The right number is important

Have at least four bettas in the same tank and not less than four. In fact it is best to have even more of them in the tank. If you put less than four bettas in the same tank, you risk the possibility of weakest betta being extremely bullied something that may result in death. But even as you proceed to add numerous bettas in the tank, just ensure that they don’t exceed 6 in a 10 gallons tank. Having too many in a small tank can also be disastrous.

Be sure that it is a female betta

There is one tip that many people even some experienced aquarists do not know about. Female bettas usually have an ovipositor located in their belly showing a white speck any female that doesn’t have this is possibly a male that is mistaken for a female. Basically during selection there is a big chance for you to choose a betta fish that has got shorter fins for a female!

Get female betta that are familiar with one another

If possible when choosing the females, you better choose those that were close to each other when in their cups. These have been found to show less aggression to each other for the fact that they are familiar with each other.

Choose younger female bettas

When choosing your female bettas to take with you, it is best to choose those that are still young because young ones are not very aggressive.

Add bettas that look different

When choosing the bettas that you will put to share a single tank it is best to choose those that look slightly different from each other. Best still if all the bettas are of different types. This helps to reduce the chance of aggression towards each other as they have been found not to attack fish that are not closely similar to them.

Add ALL bettas at the same time

When it is finally time for you to add them in the tank, it best to do this for all the fish in the same time. This will reduce the chance for them trying to create territories and fighting each other for space.

Aggression in sororities

Many new aquarists especially those who are still not conversant with sororities are usually not well versed with how much aggression there should be in the tank. While in female betta fish aggression is usually a natural instinct for competing for food and marking territory, it is not a good idea to ignore things. When you first introduce your female betta sorority into the tank, it will be natural for them to fight off each other. This may be characterized with some bit of body slapping, chasing, flaring or biting.

Under normal circumstances though after a few days the fighting will simply just start to reduce and eventually subside. There are times though when you will definitely have to intervene to help save things especially when you notice sustained fighting where injury is clearly obvious. It may be best to remove the aggressor and place her in a separate tank. Another case you will need to intervene is to rescue a weaker female that is constantly bullied and place her in a separate tank away from the bullies.

In conclusion

Creating the perfect betta sorority requires a lot of consideration due to the nature of betta fishes. However, with proper planning and preparation, it is possible and you never know that you might end up with one of the best tank you ever setup. So go ahead and start planning for your next betta sorority tank.