number of girls

[kellyyoungmoney]

i lost a betta yesterday who died to what i believe is injuries from her sorority "sisters" and then stress. so now im down to 3 bettas. i heard that having 3 females is bad because 2 will gang up on the other. i get my first paycheck in 2 weeks and i dont have any money to buy a replacement girl until then.

1. Do i need to get another girl?
2. Are there any tips on how to prevent my fish from squabbling until i can get another fish?

[LittleBettaFish]

Yes, you should get another girl. Bettas do tend to gang up an pick on the weakest fish, which is why sororities should ideally have at least five or so fish. That way the aggression is spread around and tends not to be focused on the one individual.

I would advise getting at least two more females. If aggression escalates in between now and then I would just separate your females out as you don't want one to be unnecessarily bullied.

Can I ask how big the tank is? This could play into how aggressive your females are towards each other, as does how much cover your tank provides for them.

[kellyyoungmoney]

10 gallons. and when i went to get the new fish i was going to get some more plants to put in too.