New sorority

[xShainax]

Made a new sorority withe three new girls and Big Momma. Big Momma and one of my VT females got into a big scrap with another girl ganging up on the other one Big momma was nipping. How can I stop fights between them?

[madmonahan]

How big is your tank? Try adding more plants, caves, hiding things, ect this will keep them out of eyeshot.

[xShainax]

Originally Posted by madmonahan

How big is your tank? Try adding more plants, caves, hiding things, ect this will keep them out of eyeshot.

It's a 29g and I might put another cave inside for them

[Lizzie the Badger]

If by "big scrap" you mean that they are actually fighting, then this what I did with my girls Zetta and Rubby. I used two plastic cups and floated them in the tank.

Usually for me it happens when I'm feeding them in the morning, I keep them in the cups until a go to bed. That's when I release them in the tank. After a couple times of doing that my girls have not fought since.

Just a tip, avoid docorations (like caves) that only have one entrance. One female could get trapped in there.

[xShainax]

Originally Posted by Lizzie the Badger

If by "big scrap" you mean that they are actually fighting, then this what I did with my girls Zetta and Rubby. I used two plastic cups and floated them in the tank.

Usually for me it happens when I'm feeding them in the morning, I keep them in the cups until a go to bed. That's when I release them in the tank. After a couple times of doing that my girls have not fought since.

Just a tip, avoid docorations (like caves) that only have one entrance. One female could get trapped in there.

I put Big Momma into a breeding trap for thew time being so the others can get used to the tank

[Lizzie the Badger]

Originally Posted by xShainax

I put Big Momma into a breeding trap for thew time being so the others can get used to the tank

Can the fish see through it? If so that'll help them get acclimated with each other without fights breaking out.

Are you sure they weren't building a hierarchy?

Is Big Momma an adult? Sometimes its harder to bring an adult female- who has never been in a sorority- to get used to sharing territory.

[babystarz]

Since you've added the new girls a heightened level of aggression and some serious fin nipping is normal for a couple of days until they sort of who's in charge (and in the end it may not even be Big Momma!). You can use a pipette or turkey baster to squirt water at any of the attackers if you see fighting, but I wouldn't intervene unless there's a situation again where two fish are picking on one, or a fish is clearly getting the bejeezus kicked out of her.

Other than that, adding more cover and hiding places to break up line of sight in the tank never hurts. Keep an eye on Big Momma for the next week and if her tendency toward aggression doesn't settle down much she may need to be in a solitary tank. My big girl got over herself and now she gets along with the smaller, younger girls fine.

[xShainax]

Originally Posted by Lizzie the Badger

Can the fish see through it? If so that'll help them get acclimated with each other without fights breaking out.

Are you sure they weren't building a hierarchy?

Is Big Momma an adult? Sometimes its harder to bring an adult female- who has never been in a sorority- to get used to sharing territory.

She was in a sorority before and was one of my most docile females. I re-added her and the had a few small posturings and nips, nothing worse than that. I think they might have been building a hierarchy