A couple of years ago, I wandered into my local pet store, window shopping for fish to fill my new, used fish tank. It was a large tank in my estimation, ten gallons with a black wrought iron stand. I had picked it up at a thrift store for a song, cleaned it, filled it, and it was almost cycled and ready for fish.
So I scanned the single wall of tanks filled with the most ordinary of freshwater fish. Being an avid lover of bettas, I finished up by looking at the betta shelf. I wasn't really shopping for a betta fish. I had two bettas already, Fat Boy and Big Daddy. Both beloved pets, but I was looking for something a little different.
There, on the top shelf, was a single cup housing the most delicate creature! The clerk explained that it was a young female betta fish. A female? I had never seen, or perhaps never noticed, a female betta fish before. This one was a beauty, a pale aqua blue crowntail betta. She shimmered blue and green as she swam around her tiny cup and made eyes at me. I had to have her.
That night, the idea of Alpha Betta Betta was born. I could have a betta sorority! I could fill that 10 gallon tank with brightly colored female betta fish. In fact, the tank was perfect, because it was already full of driftwood
and live plants.The heavily decorated aquarium would give the girls hiding places, because female betta fish can be aggressive, just like males. It would also allow them to establish mini territories within the tank.
One fish could live in and around the cave in the driftwood, another could hide within the java moss in the back corner, and so on. As I said, the tank was perfect.
It seemed that five female bettas was the perfect number for a ten gallon tank, and using the one fish per gallon rule, I could even add other fish, and other creatures.
I decided on three corydoris catfish and a nerite snail. They would act as the cleanup crew. The cory cats would eat wasted food off the bottom of the tank, while the nerite snail kept the glass clean.
My plan was coming together. In my mind anyway. As we will see, reality tends to be trickier.
Looking back over the past two years, the betta sorority tank has had some ups and downs. I did some things right. And some things wrong. I hope to help my readers make an informed decision on whether or not a betta sorority tank is a good choice for them.
I have found that female betta fish are fascinating creatures, full of personality. While they are not as flashy as their male counterparts, there is no denying their subtle beauty.
