Female betta sorority

[Pod]

I started my first Betta sorority today, which consist of 4 female betta's, 2 albino corydoras and 1 Chinese algae eater in a 6 gallon tank. At first, all was well, but then my oldest and largest female began going around and chasing every betta she could. She even attacked my Chinese Algae eater out of excitment.

Now, this is my first sorority, but not my first betta's. I currently have 9 betta's[3 of which are the newcoming females]. I know that the 6 gallon tank isnt large enough, but, its all I can do until i receive my 10 gallon.

My main question is:
Is it normal for the largest female to push around all other betta's in her territory, even when they are simply going up for air?

Note: the tank is well planted and has many hiding spots.

[styggian]

She is establishing territory and will likely continue bullying until someone dies.

Also, that tank is massively overstocked. You shouldn't have tried this until you had a bigger tank, especially if you already knew it was too small.

[djembekah]

also from what i hear, CAEs shouldnt be in something that small

[Pod]

I figured that she was simply behaving out of instinct, and not establishing a hierarchy. I did remove her, and the other betta's are quite fine, no aggression or anything.

I am expecting to get a 10 gallon tank within a few day period, so, the tankmates of the current tank will most likely be moved into that tank, along with all decorations.

[styggian]

All bettas, including females, are very aggressive and territorial. They will fight and bicker over everything. I have 8 females in a 15gal and they still bicker. I wouldn't have put them together for even a few days because of the aggressiveness and the small size. They will establish a pecking order, and you will get ammonia build up very quickly.

[Pod]

So, this raises another question. Actually, a few.

Do I keep the larger female in there[highly doubt this is recommended, but, just figured I'd say it].

The ammonia build up I can deal with, since i preform 100% water changes with all my betta tanks. I clean out the gravel and decorations, making sure everything is sparkly clean for my fish.

[styggian]

Keep them separate until you have the big tank. It's too risky keeping them in such a small space.

[Pod]

Noted. I have separated the larger female, placing her within the cup she came in for a bit while I debate on where to hold her until the bigger tank arrives. Upon removing her, the other three females' stress bars went away and their full color came back.

Do I keep the three in the tank, or, separate them into their individual cups?

[styggian]

Keep a very close eye on them. Personally, I'd float them, but if you watch them and separate if you see them fighting, they may be okay.

[Pod]

Upon placing the four into the tank, they all showed no aggression. The larger female flared, showed her fins, then left them alone. Then, she turns into a piranha and starts abusing the others.

I understood what to expect, but, it was getting out of hand. A few of the newcomers were starting to get weak. So, i netted her and placed her into her cup.

Not to mention she is much MUCH larger than the other 3, due to her age. She is most likely 6-9 months of age, or maybe more. The other 3 seem like 4-6 month olds, since they are so tiny compared to her. I can gladly get an image of them, if you'd like