Somebody tell me if this is insanity

[Epiphanaea]

As a long-term goal: heavily planted 55g for a betta sorority (siblings), with a blue phantom pleco.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I personally wouldn’t do a sorority, but if that’s your thing go for it. Just make sure you have a strong plan for what to do with all those ladies if things go south. 

[SkaleyAquatics]

On 10/11/2023 at 7:16 PM, Epiphanaea said:

As a long-term goal: heavily planted 55g for a betta sorority (siblings), with a blue phantom pleco.

Instead of a betta sorority why don't you do a wild type betta species tank? 

[Ben P.]

@Epiphanaea personally I don't find Bettas very interesting but I have heard people having mixed results with the sorority model

[JettsPapa]

I haven't tried it, but the many posts I've seen from people who have lead me to believe they rarely work long term.

[Epiphanaea]

I think I should have phrased this differently - is a blue phantom pleco going to be okay with bettas?  They both hang out around the bottom of the tank (at least some of the time, for the bettas), and the pleco is going to consider the whole tank its territory, so would they be different enough in size avoid territorial aggression?  What I’ve read of blue phantoms says they’re omnivorous but okay in a community tank - but bettas are considerably smaller, are they going to be too snack-sized?

The sorority plan is basically that I want to breed hybrids and keep the girls.  Some of the girls, anyway.  A 55g sounded ideal for that because it’s long and narrow so there can be lots of visual  breaks (and potentially dividers, if things go bad).  And it occurred to me, oh hey, that would be big enough for a blue phantom!  But is that a terrible idea?

 

 

On 10/11/2023 at 9:17 PM, Ben P. said:

@Epiphanaea personally I don't find Bettas very interesting but I have heard people having mixed results with the sorority model

I ended up with a pity betta (the it-looked-so-sad-in-the-cup kind), and now I’m totally hooked.  They’re fascinating to me.  I think it’s how flexible and expressive they are, they’re almost lizard-like.  Tiny little finned dragons.  

[SkaleyAquatics]

On 10/11/2023 at 9:21 PM, Epiphanaea said:

The sorority plan is basically that I want to breed hybrids and keep the girls.  Some of the girls, anyway.  A 55g sounded ideal for that because it’s long and narrow so there can be lots of visual  breaks (and potentially dividers, if things go bad).  And it occurred to me, oh hey, that would be big enough for a blue phantom!  But is that a terrible idea?

Breeding them and putting them all in 1 aquarium to growout is your best bet to making it work. Domesticated bettas seem to forget siblings when they are taken from the group. I wish you luck in the project.

[Biotope Biologist]

I think it’s a fine idea.

I have kept betta sororities in the past and it really does differ amongst individuals who will play nice and who won’t. Typically young females that grow up together are better off, but still personalities will conflict as they age. 
 

Like others have said, make sure to have a plan B. But I don’t share the sentiment that it has a low success rate. It’s almost always one problematic betta being a bully and starting a chain of aggression. Once removed everyone is fine. And the bullies tend to only bully conspecifics. Completely fine in community tanks.

 

As for the pleco they are very shy, maybe less so now that they are tank bred? Last I had one they were $150 a pop 😅 but the bettas shouldn’t pester

[Schuyler]

On 10/11/2023 at 6:21 PM, Epiphanaea said:

is a blue phantom pleco going to be okay with bettas?

I wouldn't worry about the pleco going after a Betta. Even if it wanted to, I doubt it could get it's mouth onto one.

I would be more nervous about them picking on the pleco...

(Take that with a grain of salt, I gave limited experience with Bettas)

Edited October 14, 2023 by Schuyler

[gardenman]

I wouldn't worry about the pleco attacking and eating bettas. While omnivore plecos will consume dead fish or worms, they don't truly hunt prey. At least in my experience. Your bigger issue is going to be putting a larger pleco (they get seven inches long) in a heavily planted tank and keeping the plants planted. By and large, plecos have the subtlety of a bull in a china shop where plants are concerned. You're apt to end up with most of your plants being constantly uprooted. If you only go with plants that can be glued to rocks, or keep them in sturdy pots you could be okay, but putting plants in a finer, sandy type substrate with a larger pleco probably won't end well for the plants.

[Epiphanaea]

On 10/14/2023 at 12:42 AM, Schuyler said:

I would be more nervous about them picking on the pleco

Different species of pleco, but I have a rubber lip pleco in with fancy goldfish.  I was worried for a bit that the pleco wasn’t eating, because I rarely saw it.  So, I had the brilliant idea of putting an algae wafer right outside its little driftwood cave.  
 

Forgot that the goldfish also like algae wafers.  Was very briefly worried I’d need to intervene to protect the pleco, who was significantly smaller.  
 

Nope, had to get a net between it and my black moor, because the goldfish was getting its stubborn butt kicked.  
 

This little 2” pleco absolutely threw down against two goldfish at least half again its size, and won.  Apparently you don’t mess with the cave.  
 

The goldfish give it its space now.  
 

All of which is to say that, unless blue phantoms are of wildly different temperament, I think it would be fine.