Females

[FrostSinth]

So I have a community tank, about 15 gal, with 5 females, some shrimp, a baby pleco and 4 neon tetras.

One of the females, my oldest named Hera, is pretty aggressive. She was in her own gallon tank for a long time, but I was hoping all the females would be able to be in the tank together, so I acclimated and added her in. She does fine with almost all the other girls; a bit of posturing here and there, but nothing terrible. She doesn't mind the tetras at all, nor the shrimp.

BUT she harasses one of the girls, a blue VT named Artemis. Poor Artemis got her fins all ripped up. I pulled Artemis out for now, put her in my "hospital tank".

My question is this; should I remove Hera from the big tank? My guess is with Artemis out, she'll find someone else to pick on. But she LOVES the big tank so much I'd hate to take her out.

On the other hand, I could leave her there, try to heal Artemis and bulk her up, then put her back in the tank.

So what do I do with Hera? she's colored like a Wild Type, so I wonder if she's just naturally more aggressive. Artemis deserves to be in the tank just as much as Hera, and she gets along with everyone else without trouble.

But what can I do?? I'll take any suggestions. Though I don't really have the money to afford another tank, especially one bigger than a 1 or 2 gallon....

[LebronTheBetta]

In my Opinion, I think you should take Hera out. This is my Opinion, though.
This will, however, affect the Pecking Order. They would have to go through the WHOLE order again. If you want a Whole Tank to her, ALL to herself, you could buy 1 of those Kritter Keepers. They are Cheap, Sturdy, and the Large or X-Large hold ALOT of Water Volume. There's a Thread that shows the Exact Volumes.

[Bombalurina]

Try taking them all out, rearranging the tank and re-introducing them all. If that doesn't work, remove the aggressor, not the victim. :)

[jaela]

I agree, rearrange and put 'em all back in. If Hera's still aggressive, you can maybe try giving her a timeout in a breeding tank where she can see but not get to the other girls for a couple of days. If the aggression doesn't stop after that, it's time to give her her own tank.

[FrostSinth]

Just an update;

after several days/a week of shifting things around, and introducing and reintroducing, the four girls are all getting along great. Artemis still had some fin damage but they are growing back nicely. Hera has stopped picking on her and all four swarm to the front at feeding time without so much as a nip at one another. I even saw Artemis stand her ground to the big bad Hera (who is still the biggest fish in the bunch). Running away seems to excite her, and Artemis figured out that standing her ground is best. Stress stripes gone, tank placated! Yay! :D

[jaela]

Yay, so glad to hear that everything is working out well for your girls! =D