36 Gallon Bowfront Betta Sorority

Here's my 36 gallon medium planted bowfront. Not much activity during this photo. It was a quick turn the lights back on, snap a photo, and turn them back off activity...

Stocking includes 9 female betta, 1 male betta, and 9 cherry barbs.

I'll have to post another photo during daytime feedings or something... I'm sure you'll want to see what 10 betta living together look like (I would). It's a relatively new tank that I set up with this composition on June 21.

Honest truth so far? The male shouldn't be in there. He's looking way worst for the wear compared to when I bought him. The thing is, I've never seen HIM being bullied. It's almost like he gets sniped in the night while nobody is watching. He doesn't act like a bullied fish at all. No hiding in the upper rear corner. No cowering. In his mind, he rules the roost.. But the 2 Koi females clearly have no fear, and generally ignore his fearsome displays...

Honestly, this dynamic doesn't seem to be much different from the many mixed cichlid tanks I've had and seen over the years. There's definitely a pecking order. But now that its established, the female betta's seem to mostly ignore each other. If the male had been something other than a "Halfmoon Double Tail", I honestly think he'd do a better job watching his six.

But things may now be settling down. I would say the male hasn't gotten any worst in the last 2 weeks. So we may actually have a balance.

 

This was my favorite large tank setup... 150 gallon with a custom cabinet (back when I was more into woodworking).

I miss the tank, I miss having a "pet" fish (jardini) - there's just something about the personality when you have and care for a single fish this size.

 

Id be terrified to have an arowana.

I also think you need to get your betta boy out of there. I've been researching sorority tanks and they all have said that a male is an absolute no no. And to have "emergency mason jars" on hand for quick removal.

 

Id be terrified to have an arowana.

I also think you need to get your betta boy out of there. I've been researching sorority tanks and they all have said that a male is an absolute no no. And to have "emergency mason jars" on hand for quick removal.

Arowana's are great pets honestly. Obviously, they require a very large tank, and in the case of my Jardini, he was aggressive with other fish. But if I was ever going to keep monster fish again, there's just something about the prehistoric gracefulness of those fish.

This guy was also pretty easy to take care of since I got him to accept HikarI Food Sticks.

The sorority (+ house boy) has seemed to reach a pecking order, and I really don't see any aggression. The appearance is that the male betta's fins are growing back a bit (still looks bad). Generally, were I to compare the behavior of the betta sorority social dynamic to the cherry barb social dynamic, the barbs exhibit significantly more chasing and pecking (if you will). While it's still early, and I suppose I can't allay detractors with their prophesy's of inevitable mass kill-offs just yet. So far, for a relatively experienced fish-keeper, I honestly don't see anything controversial here... Results always vary, and you can always have a single fish with abnormal aggression... But that's not a betta-thing, it's a general fish thing and is applicable to many families of fish.

For photo's...RESPECT to you guys on that. It's HARD getting photo's of moving fish... Bare with me on the amateur photography...

 

While it's still early, and I suppose I can't allay detractors with their prophesy's of inevitable mass kill-offs just yet. So far, for a relatively experienced fish-keeper, I honestly don't see anything controversial here...

No one really ever said why it was bad to have the male in but I assume it has something do do with aggression during breeding as males have been known to frequently kill the female.

Keep us updated! I have a new 55 gallon that I’m considering turning into a sorority and I’m eager to see your experience. It’s a very pretty tank.

 

I'll definitely update with any changes. I've been reading through WRS2's account today, and it definitely has me wondering if I'm just lucky so far, or if his/her 20 long may just be a bit small for a sorority.

So far, my male betta has displayed plenty for the females. But no chasing or violence. Less displays over the past week... If I could go back in time, I'd probably do it without the male to be safer. But as long as nobody looks stressed (which they don't), I want to give the guy a chance.

This is also an a-typical case study because these are my first betta's. I just kinda took the plunge with both feet, and am finding out whether I can swim.

I didn't mention it, but the 9 cherry barbs were added two weeks after the Sorority had been in place. So their immediate social dynamic was already "worked out". I do think there's something to having an active dither species in place to discourage / distract from fixated attacks.

 

Don't feel bad I too jumped in with both feet with bettas. I have 15 females and 3 males in a 55. Over 3 years now and other then the girls occasionally chasing or the males displaying I see no aggression.

 

This is also an a-typical case study because these are my first betta's. I just kinda took the plunge with both feet, and am finding out whether I can swim.

I found this woman the other day and she has 3 stunning sorority tanks. She gives fantastic advise that brought on more research topics for me.

Minimum 15 gallon and 5 fish is her recommendation.
Her tanks are my life goal at the moment.

 

That's funny you post that. Seriously, that was the video that green-lighted the idea for me. Yep, i'm not sure if she's the pioneer for this concept. But she's definitely helping with marketing.

Don't feel bad I too jumped in with both feet with bettas. I have 15 females and 3 males in a 55. Over 3 years now and other then the girls occasionally chasing or the males displaying I see no aggression.

That's awesome!

 

Don't feel bad I too jumped in with both feet with bettas. I have 15 females and 3 males in a 55. Over 3 years now and other then the girls occasionally chasing or the males displaying I see no aggression.

Have they ever tried to breed?

 

Have they ever tried to breed?

So far I have 1 baby born in my tank. I didn't help in any way as breeding them wasn't a consideration and its probably almost impossible in a community tank.

 

I found this woman the other day and she has 3 stunning sorority tanks. She gives fantastic advise that brought on more research topics for me.

Minimum 15 gallon and 5 fish is her recommendation.
Her tanks are my life goal at the moment.

Just FYI her sorority tanks all crashed and she was not remotely transparent about the reason why. I’ve followed a lot of sorority keepers and it ends the same way every time. “Tank crashed, I have no idea why.” She’s also consistently losing bettas to jumping out of the tank.

Sororities sound and look super cool, and I’m in love with the aesthetic. But I have a gut feeling that it’s not truly sustainable, though there’s always an exception to the rule.

 

Just FYI her sorority tanks all crashed and she was not remotely transparent about the reason why. I’ve followed a lot of sorority keepers and it ends the same way every time. “Tank crashed, I have no idea why.” She’s also consistently losing bettas to jumping out of the tank.

Sororities sound and look super cool, and I’m in love with the aesthetic. But I have a gut feeling that it’s not truly sustainable, though there’s always an exception to the rule.

Yeah, I’ve been researching crashes lately too. I had no idea her tanks crashed but I’ve seen several people post about their crashes. I also just saw that a major fish store was considering promoting sororities in their stores.

I’m sad because I am in love with the idea but after continuing my research I just don’t think the risk is worth it for me. I saw that it might work with wild caught bettas but I’m not for wild caught aquariums unless you happen to luck upon a baby that won’t know any better.

 

Yeah, I’ve been researching crashes lately too. I had no idea her tanks crashed but I’ve seen several people post about their crashes. I also just saw that a major fish store was considering promoting sororities in their stores.

I’m sad because I am in love with the idea but after continuing my research I just don’t think the risk is worth it for me. I saw that it might work with wild caught bettas but I’m not for wild caught aquariums unless you happen to luck upon a baby that won’t know any better.

It's such a bummer because believe me I was starry eyed at the thought when I found a_betta_world and motherofsharks on IG. I'm glad I didn't have the space or money at the time to start a sorority then! That said, I do think there are people breeding wild type bettas that can live with one another. B. albimarginata is one that I know of. They're gorgeous, but definitely not the rainbow of color you get with a splendens sorority. (Do go look at motherofsharks' older posts on IG if you want to feed more of your sorority fix though.)

However, Muzen already has a sorority, and I'm definitely going to follow for updates! You, too, should go look at those two IG accounts if you can. From what I learned there, the more heavily planted your aquarium, the better.

 

Still OK on the home-front here. My primary concern at this point is whether there is a seasonality component I've yet to be faced with - a breading season or something.

But I'm a true novice with these fish, and would be lying if I tried to claim a high degree of sophistication or a violence-avoidance strategy I've implemented in my approach. I knew I needed a lot of plants, and my primary effort has been in trying to keep them alive (something I've never truly put forth the effort on). While the tank is reasonably planted, I could probably add some floaters to achieve more of that ideal (probably will at some point).

The various crash stories have me somewhat reminiscent of the several times I've had red-bellied piranha - many many years ago when I thought that would be cool. It wasn't, and they're truly boring fish. But if you started with 4-5 in an ordinary sized tank, a crash was inevitable, and you could guarantee you'd be left with a single fish in the end... It's possible that a sorority goes that route. But I just don't see that in these fish - at all. Then again, I guess piranha's never let on that cannibalism was an inevitability either. So I guess that example doesn't prove anything...

For a (mostly) community cichlid / tank-buster keeper (as I would summarize the majority of my tanks over the years, it's just hard to fathom these fish could so suddenly turn on each other so suddenly. Now believe me, I respect and believe the stories, and plan to be as vigilant as possible, because I really do love this tank so far.

We have a camping trip in the early stages of planning - possibly a couple weeks from now. That has me a bit nervous. My tank has a timed day / night cycle. But the feeding would be non-existent for a week - or I'd have to pick up an auto-feeder. I'll think on it...but regardless, I'm going to be nervous being away for a week.

Just FYI her sorority tanks all crashed and she was not remotely transparent about the reason why. I’ve followed a lot of sorority keepers and it ends the same way every time. “Tank crashed, I have no idea why.” She’s also consistently losing bettas to jumping out of the tank.

Sororities sound and look super cool, and I’m in love with the aesthetic. But I have a gut feeling that it’s not truly sustainable, though there’s always an exception to the rule.

Can't imagine I'll have a problem with jumpers...

 

Nice Saratoga Jardini. I used to have one a few years back. Great pet. Mine used to eat out of my hand.

 

We have a camping trip in the early stages of planning - possibly a couple weeks from now. That has me a bit nervous. My tank has a timed day / night cycle. But the feeding would be non-existent for a week - or I'd have to pick up an auto-feeder. I'll think on it...but regardless, I'm going to be nervous being away for a week.

Healthy fish can go a week without food, so I think you will be ok that way. As for aggression while you're gone, I would suggest separating them in compartments inside the tank...kinda like those Christmas ornament storage containers? They still get the water flow of the main tank but they will be separated so they can't attack each other. If you're crafty you could make something out of plastic canvas stitch cards that would not be as expensive as buying these breeder nets and you could customize them to your own size and needs. The plastic would also give a little more opaqueness to the setup than the net would. You have plenty of time to play with the design and figure out what would work best for you.

 

If it's going good I see reason to separate them. And yes 7-10 days with out feeding should be fine.

 

My daughter wants to do a betta sorority tank; I am not convinced.

But what if you bought 4-5 female baby bettas and they grew up together? Any chance they could be nicer or does natural instinct take over and they get territorial?

 

I started with 3 baby girls. They fought so I got 2 more. It calmed some. Then when I got to 7 it became a whole different tank. Everyone settled down. Then I just added more babies here and there and got a few mislabeled males but they seem to each keep to themselves. But bear in mind this is in a 4 foot tank and it looks like a jungle. Pics are on my media page.

 

My daughter wants to do a betta sorority tank; I am not convinced.

But what if you bought 4-5 female baby bettas and they grew up together? Any chance they could be nicer or does natural instinct take over and they get territorial?

I probably did everything wrong... I just went to Petco, purchased the 9 female bettas (already had the male), brought them home, and put them in the tank. There wasn't really any "aggressiveness evaluation". Again, I could be lucky here. Or, it could be way too early to make any determination.

But I will say, the tank is not stressful - at all. Nobody is really being bullied. The male obviously took a beating at first. But he actually looks to have regrowth on his fins now. The females will hang out together quite a bit like its no big deal.

 

Nice Saratoga Jardini. I used to have one a few years back. Great pet. Mine used to eat out of my hand.

Thanks! Yeah, I miss that guy. Hope he's ok. I had to sell him and that tank a few years back when we moved.

What a great fish! HUGE personality. He would definitely eat out of my hands (but that's a great way to get splashed). I had a niece who named him....she thought "Earl" made sense... So I guess he was a bit of a redneck fish.

 

I probably did everything wrong... I just went to Petco, purchased the 9 female bettas (already had the male), brought them home, and put them in the tank. There wasn't really any "aggressiveness evaluation". Again, I could be lucky here. Or, it could be way too early to make any determination.

But I will say, the tank is not stressful - at all. Nobody is really being bullied. The male obviously took a beating at first. But he actually looks to have regrowth on his fins now. The females will hang out together quite a bit like its no big deal.

thay all look gorgeous together!

 

It seems sororities fall into 2 categories. A complete success or an utter failure. Nothing in between.

 

Or they can start as a success, but then all of a sudden fail. That’s what happened to my last one. Always need to have a back up plan.

 

I got myself one of those Eheim Everyday Fish Feeders for pretty cheap on Amazon, and it seemed like the solution that could get me through a week away while camping. The thing is, it arrived, and it worked when in manual mode. But the darn thing would never feed when scheduled. I found that out a day before leaving with no time to address it. So that didn't help...

Anyway, 1 week away camping, no fish getting fed, and all is well (as predicted). I've never fretted not feeding fish for a 1 week (even 2 sometimes). But I guess some of the betta horror stories around here had me a bit more cautious than I otherwise would be. Much ado about nothing - which is good.

On the other hand, a week without liquid carbon seems to have my already challenging diatom / BBA problem getting even worse... But I digress. Keeping plants happy and healthy remains elusive to me. I think I'll have to look into adding some Nerites or Otto's or Siamese Algae Eaters or something...

 

I'll have to post another photo during daytime feedings or something... I'm sure you'll want to see what 10 betta living together look like (I would). It's a relatively new tank that I set up with this composition on June 21.
Honest truth so far? The male shouldn't be in there. He's looking way worst for the wear compared to when I bought him. The thing is, I've never seen HIM being bullied. It's almost like he gets sniped in the night while nobody is watching. He doesn't act like a bullied fish at all. No hiding in the upper rear corner. No cowering. In his mind, he rules the roost.. But the 2 Koi females clearly have no fear, and generally ignore his fearsome displays...

Honestly, this dynamic doesn't seem to be much different from the many mixed cichlid tanks I've had and seen over the years. There's definitely a pecking order. But now that its established, the female betta's seem to mostly ignore each other. If the male had been something other than a "Halfmoon Double Tail", I honestly think he'd do a better job watching his six.

But things may now be settling down. I would say the male hasn't gotten any worst in the last 2 weeks. So we may actually have a balance.

I have a double tale who has a private tank cuz he is Fiesty. He occasionally has fins nipped off also. Self mutilation can happen when they have such long fins because they get frustrated by the weight. So its possible he is stressed and just wants to be faster.

 

I have a double tale who has a private tank cuz he is Fiesty. He occasionally has fins nipped off also. Self mutilation can happen when they have such long fins because they get frustrated by the weight. So its possible he is stressed and just wants to be faster.

Wow, I never would have thought of that. Just like a dog chasing it's own tail! What a trip. The good news is, the grow-back is continuing. Honestly, I can't think of another fish I've ever had with fins like this, so badly damaged, and then regenerating like this. I'm assuming the color will come back at some point as well? It's been pretty interesting to watch.

Over this last weekend, I added some Water Lettuce as well as 2 Panda Garra (to hopefully help with the algae).

 

Wow, so far, I can't say enough good things about the Panda Garra...

I walked into my LFS (The Wet Spot) with a primary goal of picking up about 5 Nerite Snails - possibly a Siamese Algae Eater or two as well. I needed something for a single utility - eating algae. I was willing to overlook aesthetics to get that. I didn't have to...

The employee there talked me into Panda Garra - a fish I'd never heard of. Now I gotta say, these little guys are cool to look at, very active, and have done a stellar job.

I was a little nervous after the fact when doing some research. It pretty much all suggested you get 1, or 3 or more... With 2, "there could be some aggression". We'll see about that... So far, while the two do sometimes stick together, I haven't seen any pecking order or aggression. So we'll see. I guess my propensity for breaking some rules with this tank continues...

Anyway, Panda Garra. 5 stars. If you're like me, and hadn't heard of this fish. Look into them.

Wish I'd gotten the name of the guy at the Wet Spot (Portland, OR). This was great advice from a very knowledgeable employee.

PS: I'm assuming nobody will mistake a photo-bombing Cherry Barb for a loach-looking fish.

 

So, this water lettuce I added is no joke. I added it on August 25th, and it now covers the entire surface. Between that, and the Panda Garra going crazy on algae, I have myself wondering if I need to increase my photoperiod and the amount of fertilizer I'm adding to the water? Gotta continue to grow SOME algae don't I?

The betta really do seem to enjoy the floating plants, and I think my tank setup is maybe closer to ideal for hosting a sorority now. This is about as heavily planted as I can imagine... But are there too many floaters for my rooted plants below: Anubias, Java Fern, etc.? I'll be keeping an eye on them.

The male betta fin re-growth continues. I wish I had a "before" picture to compare him to. But I think he's close to his former self. The colors just haven't returned in the regrowth area. I wonder how long that will take? Otherwise, this is a happy tank. "Betta sorority tanks always crash..." Yeah, I'm almost ready to call that sentiment garbage. But I also don't want to jinx myself or my seemingly happy fish.

 

"Betta sorority tanks always crash..." Yeah, I'm almost ready to call that sentiment garbage. But I also don't want to jinx myself or my seemingly happy fish.

Beautiful tank. It looks amazing! As you said though, don't jinx yourself. People have had sororities for 2 years or more that crashed for no reason. I would just caution you to not let your guard down. I really do hope this works for you though. I just bought a 75 gallon and a 45g yesterday that I'm thinking hard about doing a sorority in so I'm still watching yours pretty closely.

 

Beautiful tank. It looks amazing! As you said though, don't jinx yourself. People have had sororities for 2 years or more that crashed for no reason. I would just caution you to not let your guard down. I really do hope this works for you though. I just bought a 75 gallon and a 45g yesterday that I'm thinking hard about doing a sorority in so I'm still watching yours pretty closely.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I'll have to look into some of the crashes and see if there's anything I can learn...

I just think there's probably a sweet spot tank size / stocking level: and possibly some minimal decoration, dither fish, etc. requirements that we may not all collectively understand yet. I think if you were talking 10 or 20 gallons, maybe that's just too small. My tank doesn't really appear crowded (to me). I think if you're talking 45g or 75g, your chance for success has got to be that much greater... What's the correct stocking ratio to consider? If a larger tank isn't stocked sufficiently, and you get 2 fish who aren't sufficiently distracted from each other, that could play a part...(tough to say).

I can tell you that the betta infrequently focus on each other. Though, they do have the occasional stand-off... With a total of 9 betta fish in 36 gallons, I guess that means I have them at 1 per 4 gallons in this tank (with no fish loss to date). Is that the right stocking level? No idea. Still, I haven't seen aggression that rivals the natural pecking order that develops in Cichlid communities I've had over the years (Convicts, Jewels, etc). You might think those would be more controversial...

I'm definitely in the "recommend it" camp.

 

I don't really know what the appropriate stocking level per gallon would be other than its recommended you have to have a minimum of 5 fish to form the proper hierarchy. I would think that maybe you could add 1 or two more but I wouldnt go more than that. It seems you have reached a good number right now, so I would leave things as is.

 

I have 6 in a 20, so you can probably get a few more, but if it’s going good, I wouldn’t risk it! Who knows what the new girls would bring.

 

I have 6 in a 20, so you can probably get a few more, but if it’s going good, I wouldn’t risk it! Who knows what the new girls would bring.

Oh yeah, I agree. I'm not really considering getting anymore Betta. I'd guess changing the dynamic and forcing a new pecking order might be one of the best recipe's for a "crash". In fact, that really has me wondering how I'll deal with natural attrition when the time comes... Hopefully, I won't have to deal with that for a while.

From a general stocking standpoint, the only thing I could see getting at this point might be some sort of clean-up crew. I'd love to try shrimp sometime. But it definitely sounds like results vary with Betta... Anyone have shrimp in a sorority setup?

More likely, I'll probably end up with a few smaller Botia's. Maybe Burma Border Loach or something of that nature. I'm in no rush to add more.

 

Try ghost shrimp. As long as they are actually ghost shrimp and not whisker shrimp, they will help clean some extra food up and and are cheap to replace once eaten! Lol. Nerite snails are good too, as long as you don’t get a female who will lay eggs all over your hard scape!

 

snails are good too, as long as you don’t get a female who will lay eggs all over your hard scape!

I have that issue right now. How do you sex a snail? Seriously, if she was a chicken I'd be rich.

 

I got 20 ghost shrimp for my betta tank. They lasted about 6 months till they all were eaten. So not too bad for $5.

 

I got 20 ghost shrimp for my betta tank. They lasted about 6 months till they all were eaten. So not too bad for $5.

Wow, that's cheap! I've never priced ghost shrimp specifically. That's worth trying even if it amounts to nothing more than fish food over time...

Following a water change today, I filled my tank to the brI'm of my filter, and I'll be damned if these little escape artists (panda garra) aren't completely fascinated with blowing this popsicle stand... I don't think they can escape or get sucked into a dangerous part of the filter. But it's a little disconcerting.

I've decided I really love cherry barbs! That's quite the revelation for somebody whose been in the hobby forever, and never bothered to look at them twice. Just because a fish is common and easy does not make them "boring".

Changing topics to my plants, the water lettuce might need to be culled every week... This stuff grows like dandelions (which is the only terrestrial plant I seem able to "care for")...

My track record with swords is looking bleak. I just moved this Argentine Sword to the front of the tank where I can keep a better eye on it, added more root tabs, trimmed away nearly every leaf. I could swear it was doing fine prior to adding the water lettuce. But I may have just not noticed a slow melt.

I think I'm only meant to have "sure thing" (any idiot can do it) plants - and I'll still kill half of those somehow.

 

Anyone else keep a ridiculous aquarium journal in Excel?