In this video I’m cleaning all three of my tanks and catching you up on what happened with my betta sorority. When I first set it up, everything honestly felt so peaceful—everyone was exploring, settling into their little hierarchy, and it was genuinely beautiful to watch. But while I was away for about a week, my mom told me one of the girls passed. I was heartbroken, and I decided to add a new female (Eve). While I was at the store, I also picked up a male for my 5 gallon and named him Ripley. At first, Eve was accepted really well and it felt like things were back to normal… until December 1st, when I found Ruby hiding at the bottom and pine coning (a sign of dropsy). I moved her into my hospital tank immediately and started treating, but then another girl showed the same signs, and it turned into a domino effect. By December 6th, all of my original girls were gone, leaving only Eve thriving. I talk about the emotions that came with that—sadness, guilt, confusion—and what I think contributed: mixing random fish from different sources, the tank not being fully planted yet, not enough hiding spots, and the reality that bettas are often overbred and prone to illnesses like dropsy. I’m sharing this because sororities can be rewarding, but they aren’t beginner-friendly and they still come with risk, even when you try to do everything right.