I have an 8 gallon rectangle tank that has lots of live plants, some fake plants, and hiding spots. Can I have a betta sorority and how many can I put in? Can I have other fish with them? I would get a bigger tank but I don't have the space for it.
Could I have a Betta Sorority in an 8 gallon?
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You can have one female but not a sorority in 8 gallons. A sorority needs at least 4 female bettas, with more being better, to avoid one fish being constantly bullied, and 8 gallons is just not big enough for 4+ bettas with enough space for them to get away from each other.
Female bettas can be just as nasty as males, and the female at the bottom of the pecking order must be able to get away from the others.
Female bettas can be just as nasty as males, and the female at the bottom of the pecking order must be able to get away from the others.
I agree with above. I have a 20G long sorority tank with 7 bettas. They still nip and chase each other at times but if the tank was any smaller, I’d be in trouble. I think my size is the absolute minimum you should have. They have to be able to get away. Lots of plants and hiding caves too. They will get stressed to the point of death if picked on constantly. You also have to consider that some bettas may not be able to make it in a sorority. I had one that was too sweet and the others beat her all up. I finally had to purchase another 5G tank for her to live in separately. Keep this in mind because it is highly likely you will need another tank. I lost 2 bettas to dropsy due to stress. Several of mine get swollen abdomens due to stress and I have to medicate them and watch them closely. I had to purchase separate caves for each fish so they can hide and rest. I have pumped a lot of money in that tank. A sorority tank is a lot of work and you have to stay on top of it all the time. I love mine but caution anyone before doing a sorority now. It’s a lot of responsibility and not fair to the fish unless you can devote lots of time to it. Read all you can on them first. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice I do have a couple back up tanks and my PetSmart will take any fish back up until 14 days after the purchase. So there is no possible way for me to keep a sorority?
Petco has those Dollar a gallon sales almost once a month now. If you can find the room pick up one of those. 10G really is too small. Sorry.
Thanks I will start looking for one. How many can a ten gallon house? Also does PetSmart do that too? because that's the only place that sells fish within an hour and a half of my house.
I believe they do. I would only put one betta in a 10G...male or female. I know people have put 5 in a 10G but I wouldn’t do it. Too cramped for such an aggressive species.
I don't understand why I would have to buy a 10 gallon for one betta fish. Can't I already have only one in my 7 gallon? From what I researched I thought it said one will be okay and that some people had successful sororities in that size. Although I could have gotten informed on bad information. Is a 7 gallon too small for a betta?
For a single betta, male or female, anything above 5 gallons is fine.
Pet shop bettas are not small fish and they have had aggression bred into them. It is their size plus the aggression levels that mean a sorority of at least 4 bettas can't be kept in a small tank.
We have had people on this forum saying that they have such and such fish in their tank, they were warned it was a disaster waiting to happen, then they came back and said their fish were dead. Just because you read something on-line doesn't mean it was happy ever after. Those tanks which ended in disaster are rarely reported so no-one ever finds out that those bettas in 7 gallon tanks killed each other.
Pet shop bettas are not small fish and they have had aggression bred into them. It is their size plus the aggression levels that mean a sorority of at least 4 bettas can't be kept in a small tank.
We have had people on this forum saying that they have such and such fish in their tank, they were warned it was a disaster waiting to happen, then they came back and said their fish were dead. Just because you read something on-line doesn't mean it was happy ever after. Those tanks which ended in disaster are rarely reported so no-one ever finds out that those bettas in 7 gallon tanks killed each other.
Okay thank you so much for clarifying that for me. I will not attempt a sorority until I learn much more about them and have a larger tank. For now can I have some sort of schooling fish with my 1 female betta?
What are the dimensions of the tank, and is your water soft or hard?
To be honest, there are very few shoaling fish suitable for a 7 or 8 gallon tank and the ones that are suitable are very small. There is a very real danger that your betta would view very small fish as food, and even if she couldn't catch them she would still stress them by chasing them.
To be honest, there are very few shoaling fish suitable for a 7 or 8 gallon tank and the ones that are suitable are very small. There is a very real danger that your betta would view very small fish as food, and even if she couldn't catch them she would still stress them by chasing them.
One betta will be fine in a 7G tank alone.
Agree. Just the betta, nothing else except maybe a nerite snail.
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