I'm at my wits end, maybe fish aren't for me

[bettaballistic]

I know a sorority tank is a very advanced tank, but I have successfully balanced and maintained one before. My problem right now is I lost most of my fish 6 months ago and I haven't been able to rebalance things. My tank is cycled but I'm talking about the relationships between my fish. My girls are always stressed or sick and I can't just keep endlessly treating them. I have too many healthy girls to just euthanize them and start over. I can't keep doing this is too much for me. Right now one of my girls has body flukes, but it's always something. I'm so tired of always having sick fish, I've really can't do this anymore. Please what should I do

 I'm done with a sorority tank, this go round just isn't working for me. But I don't know what to do with all of my healthy fish, only one girl is sick right now and the rest are doing fine. But I know it's only a matter of time before something else goes wrong

Is it terrible for me to just euthanize them when they get sick

 

[The endler guy]

I know @Cory thinks that sorority tanks are just an accident waiting to happen (correct me if im wrong) but it sounds like you have stressed/ low quality bettas, where did you get them from, can we get some photos of the tank and water parameters, stocking and tank size? 

 

If you really are having trouble you could just buy a lot of 5 gallons/ other smaller tanks and split the sorority up

[bettaballistic]

On 12/13/2022 at 8:39 AM, Aiden Carter said:

I know @Cory thinks that sorority tanks are just an accident waiting to happen (correct me if im wrong) but it sounds like you have stressed/ low quality bettas, where did you get them from, can we get some photos of the tank and water parameters, stocking and tank size? 

 

If you really are having trouble you could just buy a lot of 5 gallons/ other smaller tanks and split the sorority up

 I think my fish are definitely low quality, I got them all from Petco. I definitely agree that sorority tanks are very fiddly and it rely heavily on the personality of the girls you have in there.  I think that these girls just aren't compatible,  They aren't fighting much or anything, so it's kind of hard to decide what's going on.   Ammonia and nitrite 0 nitrate is less than 5, It's a 55 gallon with about 25 fish in it including 9 females. Only 2 of them seem to be stressed, including the sick 1. The rest seem to be doing really well and all of my dither fish are very healthy.  I think I just might start euthanizing the sick ones until I don't have anymore. But I'm trying to decide if that's a terrible thing to do,  I don't have room for anymore tanks and I really do want this tank to be a community tank. 

[SC Fish]

not horrible... but i do see some issues i would like to point out. anyone else with more experience please correct me. 

1 , those bettas.

the betts dont look unhealthy but the fact you have 2 or maybe more together even if female is already a risk, but not the worst idea, but the fact you are keeping them with other fish as well isnt very smart..

 

2, are those glow fish?

one of the biggest things i see new fish keepers get is glow fish and honestly they are not worth the hassle so if u can you could give them back or you could keep them its personal preference.

 

3. that algae does not look good,

i recommend injecting co2 or putting in a air stone for more circulation, tanks with less circulation tend to grow more algae.

 

also even fi you want a community tank i see over 5 fish in there and for a beginner (to what i understand you are) that can be tricky.

4. fake plants - just don't do it, get real ones

 

 

on a  good note, 

stocking choice - fish number wise - is not bad , at all. 25 fish for a 55 is really good stocking. 

the floaters - great choice they take up tons of nutrients and should help a bit with the algae.

 

when keeping fish you need to decide what you want. if you ant this to be a community tank, you still may need to remove and add some fish to ensure your tank is balanced and not incredibly aggressive.

 

thats all from me

good luck!

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@bettaballistic, what I think you might do is find your local aquarium club or fish store and ask if there is anyone who can take the individuals. Post an ad, ask the LFS for aquarium club heads. Put out an SOS. 

It's personal preference but I would treat the sick ones and then also place those once past the illness in new homes as well. 

You can keep one favorite Betta (the friendliest/most mellow) and use them as a centerpiece for a true community tank. 

I conceed getting Betta from Petco could be low quality (and I disagree about Glofish, they are just like any other) but I don't think that's your problem (or only problem)- your problem is that Betta are hard to keep regardless of your tank/set up- they are very sensitive to outside influences and any stress can cause illness and injury. You also advised your tank isn't balanced, not sure if you're just referencing their personalities or the parameters- but the latter definitely would play a part- if the parameters are off that will make fish act out (we do too when we're not feeling well at times). A Sorority is very high stress, that constant high-alert will eventually break down their immune systems and sadly you will get this domino effect. So while it may have worked for you before, you were probably really lucky- it is a very difficult thing to do. 

It doesn't just happen with Betta, it can happen with opposite species too - fish get singled out and bullied, they get damaged, sick, stressed and it all goes downhill from there. I'm sorry you're going through this. I totally understand wanting you to give up all together- you are stressed too, along with the fish. Pushing away from the proverbial table is our first instinct sometimes- but for now you can't. Take a deep breath. Come up with a plan. And move towards it. There are no instant solutions, it will take time. 

I would get myself some floating breeders, and gather some of the more aggressive (likely healthy) female betta and put them in those to lower the stress of the others. Remove the sick ones and get myself some containers (1-3 gallons) and for now treat them. While doing that, getting a line on who you can give the fish to (you should even ask Petco, I've heard of them taking fish back). 

Edited December 13, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX
Typos suck.

[bettaballistic]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:09 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Remove the sick ones and get myself some containers (1-3 gallons) and for now treat them. While doing that, getting a line on who you can give the fish to (you should even ask Petco, I've heard of them taking fish back). 

This is the plan, I have a few places in mind to take the fish. And I plan to keep one as a centerpiece. I'm grateful for the time my sorority tank was successful, but I will never try again 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@bettaballistic, good luck- I hope you soon see the light at the end of this tunnel. We all get them from time to time. 

[The endler guy]

On 12/13/2022 at 10:49 AM, bettaballistic said:

 I think my fish are definitely low quality, I got them all from Petco. I definitely agree that sorority tanks are very fiddly and it rely heavily on the personality of the girls you have in there.  I think that these girls just aren't compatible,  They aren't fighting much or anything, so it's kind of hard to decide what's going on.   Ammonia and nitrite 0 nitrate is less than 5, It's a 55 gallon with about 25 fish in it including 9 females. Only 2 of them seem to be stressed, including the sick 1. The rest seem to be doing really well and all of my dither fish are very healthy.  I think I just might start euthanizing the sick ones until I don't have anymore. But I'm trying to decide if that's a terrible thing to do,  I don't have room for anymore tanks and I really do want this tank to be a community tank. 

petco/smart does not mean, bad quality but the people that they are getting them (especially long finned) have bad genetics, id just setup extra tanks (if that is an option) for the stressed females  

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:28 AM, bettaballistic said:

I know a sorority tank is a very advanced tank, but I have successfully balanced and maintained one before. My problem right now is I lost most of my fish 6 months ago and I haven't been able to rebalance things. My tank is cycled but I'm talking about the relationships between my fish. My girls are always stressed or sick and I can't just keep endlessly treating them. I have too many healthy girls to just euthanize them and start over. I can't keep doing this is too much for me. Right now one of my girls has body flukes, but it's always something. I'm so tired of always having sick fish, I've really can't do this anymore. Please what should I do

 I'm done with a sorority tank, this go round just isn't working for me. But I don't know what to do with all of my healthy fish, only one girl is sick right now and the rest are doing fine. But I know it's only a matter of time before something else goes wrong

Is it terrible for me to just euthanize them when they get sick

One of the best things you can do is be here and post in the disease section when you run into issues.  You will learn a lot about what you're looking at and what to do.  euthanizing the fish might make sense if that is the best option. 

First, I want to point you here.  This is literally one of the videos I watch and enjoy just because of the editing, but the message in this video is awesome no matter how long you've been keeping tanks.
 

Please let us know your results so we can start to correct things. Especially temperature.

[JettsPapa]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:39 AM, Aiden Carter said:

I know @Cory thinks that sorority tanks are just an accident waiting to happen (correct me if im wrong) but it sounds like you have stressed/ low quality bettas, where did you get them from, can we get some photos of the tank and water parameters, stocking and tank size? 

 

If you really are having trouble you could just buy a lot of 5 gallons/ other smaller tanks and split the sorority up

You're not wrong.  I saw one of his videos where he said he'd never seen one work long-term.  I've also seen him say that most fish can handle one stressor, but not two, which could explain the health issues going on here.  If the fish are already stressed because of the other bettas it makes them more susceptible to disease and parasites.

[bettaballistic]

Despite how this post makes me look I have been keeping fish for 3. Years which I know still makes me pretty new but I'm not a complete beginner. I hate having the pressure of making all these decisions about my pets all on my shoulders so I turn to forums alot even if I already have a pretty good idea what to do

This sorority tank thing was definitely a mistake. But I spent months learning everything I could about them and planned everything out so carefully. But it wasn't until recently I started seeing information about the downsides of this kind of tank. It's so easy to look at biased information online, and I'm really trying to get better about that. 

[The endler guy]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:03 PM, bettaballistic said:

Despite how this post makes me look I have been keeping fish for 3. Years which I know still makes me pretty new but I'm not a complete beginner. I hate having the pressure of making all these decisions about my pets all on my shoulders so I turn to forums alot even if I already have a pretty good idea what to do

This sorority tank thing was definitely a mistake. But I spent months learning everything I could about them and planned everything out so carefully. But it wasn't until recently I started seeing information about the downsides of this kind of tank. It's so easy to look at biased information online, and I'm really trying to get better about that. 

completely understand, when something is going terrible with my tanks some times I just break down, it can be stressful but no pain no gain

[The endler guy]

I think this video was made just for you! 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 12/13/2022 at 4:03 PM, bettaballistic said:

This sorority tank thing was definitely a mistake. But I spent months learning everything I could about them and planned everything out so carefully. But it wasn't until recently I started seeing information about the downsides of this kind of tank. It's so easy to look at biased information online, and I'm really trying to get better about that. 

The fact that you are here and giving testimony to this is a service in itself. Most people do not admit to their mistakes (I prefer to call THIS scenario a learning experience) and you are to be commended for doing so. You are absolutely right- in this day and age it is so easy to find biased information on WHATEVER you want to "know" or validate and this can be not only polarizing but totally misleading. 

Sometimes too, no matter how much research you do there are still holes in it you don't see until you're actually doing the activity. We cannot possibly account for ALL outcomes. In this hobby there are SO many ways to do one thing that it's easy to miss the loops. 

I'm grateful that you are here on the forum to share your story even though for now it's very stressful for you and the fish - in the future someone will come here and see your thread- and NOT start the sorority they are thinking about starting. This is a service to others that is invaluable. 

Edited December 14, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[bettaballistic]

On 12/14/2022 at 6:48 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Sometimes too, no matter how much research you do there are still holes in it you don't see until you're actually doing the activity. We cannot possibly account for ALL outcomes. In this hobby there are SO many ways to do one thing that it's easy to miss the loops. 

You summed up this hobby so well!  I was just saying the other day I wish I had a normal hobby like tennis. There are very clear rules, and even if you play with a different partner or on a different court there are the same rules and you don't have to learn how to play the game all over.

But like you said with aquariums there's a million different ways to do the same thing. And if you switch to a different species, you have to learn how to take care of fish all over again.

 But at the end of the day it's worth it because you get to see this amazing creature right in your house.  They provide amazing entertainment and even companionship. It's still taking care of a living thing and it's very stressful