I was just given a 20 gal tank. I wanted to try starting a 10 gal female sorority tank. Is there a way to split the tank and put 5-6 females on one side and maybe a male or an anti-social female on the other? I want to be safe and not stress out the bettas. I think I've seen this done in pictures but I don't know if its really safe or not.
Splitting a 20 gal tank
- Thread starter Annie
- Start date
hobbyorobsession
New Member
They make ready to buy tank dividers you can pick up at most pet stores, you could make your own from plexiglass, or plastic dividers of any type, siliconing them in place.
I wouldn't put male and female next to each other, because bettas can be very persistent when it comes to mating... They are good jumpers. But I have had lots of males in tanks divided just using the clip in tank dividers you buy at the store. For something the size of a 20, if they make the divider kits, just use silicone to hold the divider braces in.
I thought a 10 gal sorority would be easier to manage than a 20 gal. I'm kinda new to this fish thing and I don't really have a lot of people around me that can tell me if I'm doing it wrong. so I thought I'd start small. Thanks for all the advice on the splitting and the silicone. Its very helpful. If you think I have the wrong idea about the tank size please say so. I kinda need the advice.
RobertTheFish
New Member
If you're thinking of a sorority still, I would vote for the whole 20 gallon. Read up on it, but in general you want lots of hides at all levels of the tank and at least 5 females. I have 6 right now in my 10 gallon and I can tell you that's just about all you can fit in a 10 gallon unless you want a full-fledged sump type filter. I had 7 in there but the cycle didn't seem like it could keep up.
In 20 gallons I'm betting you could keep a baker's dozen without any higher than normal ammonia issues. Really, if you just wanted 5 or 6 girls in 20 gallons you'd have plenty of space so they're not always up in each others' faces and you maintenance would be lower than with a 10 gallon.
In 20 gallons I'm betting you could keep a baker's dozen without any higher than normal ammonia issues. Really, if you just wanted 5 or 6 girls in 20 gallons you'd have plenty of space so they're not always up in each others' faces and you maintenance would be lower than with a 10 gallon.
Right. If you're going to fill the whole 20 gallons with water anyway, then you've already reached the tipping point of size vs. work. For me, the point is a 10 gallon tank (which I can lift when 2/3 full of water). After that, the bigger you go, the EASIER it is to maintain. Note that I said maintain, not FUTZ WITH (that is different).
For example... On my 5 gallon tank, if I am late doing the weekly water change by a day or so, they start to look depressed. In my 29 gallon tank, I have accidentally missed a whole water change and if it weren't for the tannins making my water tea-colored I never would have known.
Put aside the amount of girls you could have in a 20, the more water you have cycling, the easier it is to keep the chemistry in balance. Also, if it's a 20 gallon high, (like 16 inches high and only 24 wide) and not a 20 long (30 in long and 12 high), I know from experience that trying to divide them makes it very difficult to move things around, since you are making a deep, narrow space. I wouldn't advise it.
Finally, you may find this site helpful.
http://www.aqadvisor.com
For example... On my 5 gallon tank, if I am late doing the weekly water change by a day or so, they start to look depressed. In my 29 gallon tank, I have accidentally missed a whole water change and if it weren't for the tannins making my water tea-colored I never would have known.
Put aside the amount of girls you could have in a 20, the more water you have cycling, the easier it is to keep the chemistry in balance. Also, if it's a 20 gallon high, (like 16 inches high and only 24 wide) and not a 20 long (30 in long and 12 high), I know from experience that trying to divide them makes it very difficult to move things around, since you are making a deep, narrow space. I wouldn't advise it.
Finally, you may find this site helpful.
http://www.aqadvisor.com
What if I split it with about 3/4 of the tank for the sorority and about a 1/4 of the tank for the other side? A male wouldn't need a rearrangement and that would give me more floor space to work with. I want a divider that lets the water flow through so I can use one filter and one heater. Maybe I'm just trying to get too much out of one tank? Thanks for the website. Its helpful.
leisure_man
New Member
You can try those guppy breeder tank that hang on the side. It should be big enough to hold one fish, such as the male and leave the entire tank for the females.
CrashSmAshley
New Member
I wouldn't split it with a sorority and male because when a male is present females tend to be more aggressive with one another. A sorority by itself is already risky if you've never done it before.