# Sorority Advice - Aggression



## HandsomesMom (May 28, 2014)

I set up a 16 gallon tank for a sorority about 3 weeks ago. As of Friday I had 2 females, 5 cory cats and a snail. Went to PetSmart wanting to get one female. Well I bought 3....Before I added them I switched my tank to sand and added 5 real plants. I kept the same 2 houses and 2 fake plants. I have 3 pieces of Malaysian driftwood coming in the next few days and the tank will be undergoing a makeover

Well I introduced the first 2 after about 45 mins and it seemed to be okay, a little chasing as expected. Then I introduced the third another 30 mins later. There was quit a bit of chasing but I turned in for the night and figured they would settle down. Now as of Sunday evening I have noticed my new blue female has 2 large rips in her tail. My original red girl is the one constantly chasing her and being super aggressive. I put the new blue in the breeder tank that hangs inside the tank. 

Any recommendation on what to do from here? I was thinking about leaving her in there for 2-3 days and then putting her back in and seeing how that goes. I included pictures of the tank also....


----------



## Elvette Emmett (Aug 16, 2013)

First off, you need more than 3, 9-10 is best for your tank size. Also they all should have been added at the same time and not separately because the new girl added after is automatically on the bottom and will get picked on. So more females and a lot more plants are needed, the tank needs to look like a jungle


----------



## HandsomesMom (May 28, 2014)

I have a total of 5 in there now (that includes the 3 i bought yesterday) So many things I've read says that you add a few each week as to not shock the tank cycle. Guess that is not the case with bettas


----------



## Elvette Emmett (Aug 16, 2013)

Ive always read and experienced you add all the females at the same time so that they can sort out their hierarchy instead of having them sort out their pecking order than having another added and having to do it all over again


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Your tank needs way more cover. That is so bare that it is going to encourage aggression and chasing because the females will always be in view of each other and there is no physical barriers to prevent one female from continually chasing or harassing another. 

The most peaceful sororities I have had, have been where you cannot see one end of the tank from the other. They are that full of plants. Don't bother about more caves etc. What you want is more plants, particularly in the middle and upper levels of the tank. 

I'd separate them all and float them until you can achieve that as you are most likely just going to run into further issues with aggression.


----------



## HandsomesMom (May 28, 2014)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Your tank needs way more cover. That is so bare that it is going to encourage aggression and chasing because the females will always be in view of each other and there is no physical barriers to prevent one female from continually chasing or harassing another.
> 
> The most peaceful sororities I have had, have been where you cannot see one end of the tank from the other. They are that full of plants. Don't bother about more caves etc. What you want is more plants, particularly in the middle and upper levels of the tank.
> 
> I'd separate them all and float them until you can achieve that as you are most likely just going to run into further issues with aggression.


awesome thank you!!! i just added some more of their fake plants in there and they seem to be more calm and i added back the new blue girl and i havent seen her getting chased around. hopefully once the real plants start growing and i can slowly remove the fake plants.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Just try not to get lulled into a false sense of security. Sororities (particularly newly established ones) can be extremely unpredictable. 

These two were sororities I had in the past, and you can see what I mean by providing lots of cover. If one female wanted to avoid another it was very easily achieved and they could create their own separate 'territories' within the tank, which I think is important for a species that is known to be quite territorial.


----------



## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

I agree with LittleBettaFish completely. Plants are one of the keys to success in a sorority. That setup is ideal. I use a lot of hornwort and any other floater and mid level plants I can find. If a girl is being trouble she gets a 24 hr timeout by being floated in a clear cup. They hate it and it seems to knock out some over aggression with certain girls. There are females that will never be able to work in a sorority, roughly 10%. Sibling sisters whenever available make good sorority mates.


----------

