Introduction
Sorority are a very touchy subject between those that don’t like them and people that are setting one up. In this article, I will be building off of what the member [Kking|http://aminoapps.com/p/9pdonf] originally wrote describing the ins and outs of the betta sorority, but I will be building off of what they wrote, and responding to the [Why anti sorority|http://aminoapps.com/p/7bhwbx] wiki, as I have my own personal opinions on how they should be done, and why the arguments against sororities are usually formed in the idea that keepers are either inexperienced, or not prepared for fallout.

Quick beginning
Sororities are a beautiful thing when you can get them all together and work. You have to put forth all the time and effort to get them together. You also need to know the fish more then you would think.

Elements of the female betta
I have seen tons of people saying that female bettas are just as aggressive as male bettas, or are even more so. This element does not make logical sense, given the different dynamic bettas hold while mating. The female’s job is to encourage the most genetically strong male to reproduce, and once they do reproduce, to run away as fast as possible. It is the male’s job to defend the eggs, and fend of other males, making them worthy of females. This inherently males female bettas less territorial than male bettas towards their own kind, and other brightly colored fish.

Female betta aggression
While female bettas are inherently less territorial than males. Similar to African cichlids, females form hierarchies that dictate who eats first, and who is the boss of the tank. It is important to make sure every female betta is fed in a sorority, with dispersion of food around the tank being important.

Guides
Sororities need many things to work
-Line breaks
-Bettas that get along
-An overstocked tank
-Proper tank size
-Live Plants
-Hides
-Backup plans

I will leave the full explanation of the elements Kking originally described, but I will go into what the most important aspect of a tank like this is. LINE BREAKS!!!!! These are mandatory, as stated betta and all fish use quick turns to avoid being chased. Though after you get it established the breaks being mandatory semi fade away. The girls well set their hierarchy leaving tempers down. What a line break is, is pretty simple. Something that breaks a fish’s line of sight. This can be a plant, a piece of wood, or pretty much anything that serves to give the bettas a place to hide if things go south. The most advanced, and proper way this should be done is by overstocking a tank.

What size, and how many bettas?
For a basic sorority tank, I’d recommend going with a 20 long aquarium. Smaller tanks can be managed, but that amount of room provides a good amount of room for running away. I’d recommend around 6-10 female bettas for a sorority tank, for maximum overstocking.

Plants
Live is always preferred as why would you want a AstroTurf lawn? The plants will also be a line break, also it keeps the girls occupied. Fish in general like all animals have one thing on their mind and that’s find food. Giving them places to swim around and explore keeps fish in a natural habitat.

Hides
Just like all fish having a place to call your own is much the same as having a house for yourself. Makes them feel safe and secure. In the end all animals humans included love to feel secure.

Betta that get along!
This is the tricky part. Knowing the temperament of your girls is key. Sororities always are suggested to have 5+ bettas in it. If you add more in the beginning it’s highly recommended that you do it in odd numbers. The more the better, as it keeps bullying to a bare minimum. Finding betta that are already established is great! Second option I look for girls in community tanks as I can see from there what the aggression levels are. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACK UP PLAN FOR EACH GIRL!!! This is just as important as having a tank.

Backup plan
An additional tank should be in hand for every betta at all times. Anything could happen, and it’s just generally a good call if a disease pops up, and the hierarchy needs to be reset, due to one being removed.

Setting up the Sorority
As you set up your tank keep in mind the territory that girls will want and establish. Now I always take all of the girls and put them in clear cups as I float them in the tank. Also watch and see how they act towards each other. There will be flares cause as we all know they are Betta. When ready to add them sink all the cups at the same time. Have a bet ready and watch. There’s a difference between aggression and setting dominance. Many girls with rub sides in a way of setting up the hierarchy. Have a net ready to remove girls as needed if aggression gets high. If needed remove all the girls and put back into cups.

Dont Give Up!
If aggression gets bad remove the girls, change the tank design and try again. It took me 4 times till it worked.
After it’s set you need to set aside a few hours to keep an eye on the tank. The girls will be fine but there still is a chance in tempers flaring. This is why it’s called a sorority other then the fact it’s all girls.
Once successful you are great! Right? Wrong!

Feeding Time
Watch your girls when it’s time to eat. Many times the Alpha Female will eat and the smaller girls won’t get food. I keep my cups handy and feed the girls solo if this is an issue.

Water Changes!!!
I always do a 50% water change on the girls once a week. It’s more mandatory then any other tank due to the hormones that females send out. Keeping them low is needed for a successful Sorority.

Flow
As with all bettas, they are anabantoids, and do not need oxygenated water, and should be ran with a filter that has very low flow. Given the different nature of this type of tank, reducing stress is of the upmost importance.

Temperature
A betta sorority should be kept around a minimum of 78 Fahrenheit or 25.6 Celsius, all the way up to 85 Fahrenheit, or 30 Celsius. This is to deal with most common diseases, so they generally pass through the systems quickly, and hopefully will not cause problems.

Tank mates
It is important to note that the betta sorority tank is a dedicated sorority tank. That means that the mid level of the aquarium should only be occupied with bettas, to insure the tank mates don’t endanger the fellow bettas. Mid tier schooling fish such as tetras, danios, and rasboras should generally be avoided. With betta, it is good to avoid any tank mates that could potentially hurt them. This means any other anabantoids, or larger fish that could cause damage. The best bet with tank mates is sticking with bottom dwellers, or fish that are peaceful, and a solo can easily be kept.

Betta tail types to avoid in a sorority
While female bettas are generally healthier than their male counterparts, there are a few that should just be avoided. Veiltail bettas are the first and easy pick, as they have been far too overbred in the hobby, leading them to having terrible genetics. The second one to avoid is the double tail. Their tail type is from via the use of the short bodied gene, which removes a few bones in their spinal chords, leading them to having shorter lives, and unhealthier existences. The last type of betta to avoid isn’t a tail type, but any betta labeled dragon scale. These types of bettas are hybrids, that die to their genes, can have their scales grow over their eyes and lead them to blindness.

Bred for aggression
Ok, betta are not solitary fish. I have noticed for a long time that when bettas are kept with tank mates, they are more stimulated, generally more active, and live longer lives. There are of course some bettas that just don’t accept tank mates occasionally, but that is no reason why they should not be kept together. They are in fact social fish.

Female aggression
As I already debunked previously in this article, female bettas are Inherently less territorial. I combed through a few articles on Female betta aggression, most of which have been deleted, and I could not find a single one that actually did research to determine what true aggression meant, and two, drew concrete conclusions.

Doomed to failure
This generally is not true, and based on the assumption that back up plans are not in place. Having back up plans is the most important part of keeping the sorority intact.

Causes diseases
The inherent nature of the betta sorority, given the constant need to remove hormones negates most of these problems. Given that pristine water conditions need to be upheld, most of these diseases are not found. In addition to this, both diseases are fungal, which can be easily treated with Erythromycin and Methylene blue. Back up tanks are always on hand, so a sorority can be disengaged to treat illnesses if needed.

Being unnatural
Fish keeping itself is unnatural. If you’ve kept Corydoras with rasboras, that does not occur in the wild. Do fish live in glass boxes and are fed pellets in the wild. The reason these events don’t happen in the wild is simply because the area these fish have to move around is so vast, that there’s no reason why this would happen in the wild. This does not mean that a situation like this could not work in the wild. The bettas we work with today are so far removed from their wild counterparts, generalizing them to being unnatural fails to balance the point that these fish themselves do not occur in the wild.

Conclusion
If done properly then a sorority is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. The anti movement is because people made them without knowledge in the animal. No different then those that rehome dogs because they didn’t know how big they would get. One must think of cichlids. They are aggressive fish but can be house together properly then they can get along. Betta are not solitary fish, and calling them so is ignoring simple logic based on the preconceived notion that all bettas are mass murders at heart. This simply is not the case.