Sorority Tank Issues

[darkangel216]

I recently bought 3 female bettas from Petsmart and set them up in my 5g tank. When I put them in everything seemed to be going well enough, they chased each other a bit but calmed down and started looking around the tank. The two blue ones hung around the plant inside the tank while the white/red one swam around. The next day I went to feed them and the two blues wouldn't come up for food. I was worried at first that maybe they fought and the blues were dead, however I did manage to locate them after a while, they blend in with the gravel extremely well. They would come out once in a while throughout the day, though this usually ended with Asuka (white/red betta) chasing them. I have read that this usually happens for a few days if not more while they establish dominance, my main worry is that the other two aren't getting enough food. To make matters worse it looks like one of them fought back during the night because Asuka had a bite out of her fin. After looking around this site and reading more I see that the problem is probably the number of fish and the size of the tank. I would like everything to work out and for them to live peacefully with each other, but I realize this probably won't happen. I am open to any suggestions, though I realize in the end I will probably have to seperate them because I don't want them to kill each other.

[TigerLily]

There's a few things that might easily be part of the problem. First of all, five gallons isn't really big enough for a sorority. You should have at least ten and it should have a lot of hiding places. Second of all, it would be much better if you had more than three girls, to spread out the aggression. You'd really be best off to get a ten gallon and more females, unless you want to separate them.

When you have too few females or too small a space, aggression can easily become an issue.
There's a sticky on sororities here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=29402

[darkangel216]

Thank you for the info, unfortunatly I live in a small apartment and don't have a good place to put a 10g. At this point I will seperate the girls into their own tanks since I can't get a bigger one. Once again thanks for your help. :)

[TigerLily]

You can always make a divider for the five gallon to keep two in there and move the third to a separate place (like another small tank or even a 2.5gallon critter keeper).

[darkangel216]

I had thought about dividing the tank, but the front is curved so its hard to get a divider to fit into it right. :(

[TigerLily]

If you buy some plastic mesh (you can find it at craft stores) you might be able to cut it to the specific shape you need and make your own divider. If you try this though, make sure it is very snug fitting and secure so your girls can't sneak around it.

[darkangel216]

Alright I might try that. For now the girls are seperated and the two blues are happy to be able to eat in peace. :)

[TigerLily]

Glad to hear that they're safe. If you have any other questions later, feel free to ask.
Good luck with your girls!

[darkangel216]

Alright, thank you! :D

[dramaqueen]

Welcome to the forum, darkangel. Good luck with your girls.