Betta Sorority Question

BettaNewbieX03

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Aug 1, 2007
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I plan to start up a Betta Sorority as soon as I get some money to buy the fish. It's a 12 gallon, cycled tank. Had my male betta in it for a few months, but I want to turn it into a sorority. I swapped my Female from her 2 small tank and the male from the 10 gallon last night.

Now my question is, how fast do you think my female will get used to the 10 gallon tank and claim it as her territory? If I get the rest of the females today thinking between 4 or 5 more, will I have to rearrange the tank or don't you think she has taken it over as her territory yet. If I can't get them today, I will just rearrange the tank when I do.

And also, about quarantine, I think it will be a bit too difficult so what do you think about me putting them right in the tank when I buy them (after of course adjusting them to the params) ?
 
I'm not sure that a 10 gallon tank would be enough for 4-6 females. Anyone else feel that way?
 
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yeah that would be a little tight... I'd stick to maybe three.

and yes, there's a good chance the current female will claim territory very quickly, so if you put any more in there, you'd probably be better off rearranging. that being said, some females are more pushy than others, and you may not have a problem.
 
I hate it, depending on where you go, you get different info. Some sites say no less than 3, others said no less than 5-6. Some sites say 6 can be in a 10 gallon easy, others say not... such a pain in the butt.

Will 3 be alright? I have always heard they make a pecking order and the two dominant ones will pick on the weakest? Maybe even 4 at the most eh?
 
4 would be good, I'd say.
 
the problem is that different fish have different moods.. even if you have several of the same kind of fish, there's no guarantee that they will accept the same exact environment. with bettas there's a VERY broad range of behaviors, and while you may be able to keep 5 with no problem, chances are you're going to have some that are more territorial, and others that are not. by only having 3ish, that means you have a better chance of everybody having their own territory.
it really depends on the individual fish that you get, as well as your maintenance habits as an owner, and what stuff you have in the tank.

i say stick with 3, and then if they seem to be doing well (or in the opposite case, if one in particular is getting picked on by the other two) then add another and wait it out for a while before thinking about adding another.
 
You think it will help any to keep them in their seperate bowls and let them float in the tank for a while when I first buy them? I know that the local pet store also keeps Female Bettas all together in a tank, maybe about 20 or so in a 30 gallon. If i get them all from the same group I would think they would get along much better. What do you guys think?
 
It's the same as with any semi-aggressive species: if you have enough of them, there will be less overall aggression because no one fish can become dominant. You get the same thing with tiger barbs: 2 or 3, you have issues. 8 or 9, and they find an equilibrium.

I would say, even if you took them from the same tank at the LFS, as soon as their numbers are reduced, any dominant fish will move to assert themself. That being said, you also don't want to overload the tank, and as bettas are a clam water fish, you don't want to use overfiltration to try to get one or two more in.

So, I'll go along with consensus: try with 3, and see how they react befor trying to add any more, and also keep an eye on your water conditions. If things are calm, and levels are 0's, you can try adding more 1 at a time.
 
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