Sorority betta tank

[Cowgirlgypsy]

Hi. Fairly new to the betta game and really new to fish lore so not sure exactly where to post this question. I am considering starting a betta sorority tank. Can an elephant ear, a veil tail, a fancy, and a rose tail betta live happily and successfully together? I know some may be stronger swimmers, or some maybe more of a target for aggression or bullying. Thank you

 

[BigManAquatics]

I would add one more betta to that mix, seems the sororities have better success with odd numbers of bettas.

 

[Debbie1986]

yes, 5 seems to be the magical number to defuse power struggles.

just keep an eye on the lowest rung betta fish. My girl Ginger (whitish crowntail, like vanilla color) got horribly bullied and took to hiding. I had to remove her out of the tank. I was worried she'd get ill and/or not eat. She was a sweet fish, but always hiding. Once out of that tank, she acted like a normal betta.

there was no real reason why she was bullied other than 'fish politics' as I like to think of it.

my little purple elephant ear ( much smaller build physically than my older blue elephant ear female) would get picked on, but she holds her own - they respect her, no damage or physical contact. So she stays in my harem community tank, 7 bettas and tetras with cory cats. there enough space so they can avoid each other.

 

[Cowgirlgypsy]

Thank you all for the advice. Do I need to worry about mixing fin/tail types? Maybe some aren’t as strong of a swimmer and lose out on food, or maybe certain ones may attract more bullying due to fin/tail type, or is that not even an issue?

 

[Ginger2078]

I can say that any type Betta can be aggressive despite fin/tail types. If you want to try bettar sorority, try to get them as young as possible. In my area only Petco sells baby Bettas. When they more mature they get more aggressive towards each other if introduced at that age.Also size tank, lots of hiding places, Betta count , food type and amount plays essential role in Betta sorority.
Fyi- in my experience,I would never keep any other fish with Bettas, especially bottom feeders. Bettas will eat all their food, get bloated and eventually develop other diseases.