Betta sorority: what's the ideal number of females?

[limber]

I've got a 55gallon/210litre tank with a ton of plants and overkill filtration - we're talking 4 times the necessary amount. I'll have 6 corys and a school of 15 espei rasboras in there too. Now, I've had my fair share of experience with bettas, currently keeping 7 girls in a 20 gallon tank and a few singles here and there (both male and female). But I'm unsure how many girls I should put in the 55gal tank - the 7 from the 20gal will be moved, of course. I've already ordered 6 more, and I'm thinking of getting another 15 after Christmas. So, that's anywhere from 13 to 28 girls - what do you guys think?

[gildfish]

It depends on your setup, really. If your 55g is super heavily planted like you mentioned, I'd say up to 30 females could work.

[juicebox]

If you do decide to go for a big group, just a heads up, it's best to introduce them all at the same time. Adding new females to an established group can cause more problems than it's worth.

[limber]

It depends on your setup, really. If your 55g is super heavily planted like you mentioned, I'd say up to 30 females could work.

It's definitely a jungle in there now - heavily planted, I mean. My latest pic is a bit outdated, but I've done a fair bit of trimming and replanting since then, and added some more caves for good measure. I'll probably grab some new plants when I order the new girls, too. My camera's on the fritz, or I'd snap a new one for you. And yeah, I'll be waiting till I've got all the bettas before I add them to the tank.