Introducing Two New Girls To The Sorority

[KrystaK]

I've had my 20G sorority for a little over a month now. It started out with 6 females however two died due to complications (One having swimming issues that eventually caused death) (The other appeared to waste away)
Anyways I maintained a 4 girl 20 gal set up, along with 5 Juli corys and all was well. 
Three of my girls are 'Platinum Dragon Scale' And i believe they're half moon, but I'm not totally sure.
The other girl (Only one of the three from that pack to survive) has a pinkish body and red fins, she is also half moon I think.
 
I decided I needed more blue in my tank. (And that my tank needed a very good cleaning)
So today I purchased a beautiful royal blue HM (I think) female and a teal VT (I think) female.
I cleaned the tank, and because i thought I was running out of time and had to go pick someone up I dumped them all into the tank at once. (After acclimation)
Well I got a call that I wasn't needed and so settled to watch my girls get used to their new home.
The four initial girls had their pecking order all straightened out (Ironically it followed their beauty in my opinion) 
 
Well the dominant of the four (The prettiest of the 'Platinum Dragon scale' girls) went after the teal girl like lightening, fins were nipped and it was a terrible sight! I was just debating on removing her when my new blue girl came in and got between them and took the dominant girl on herself. 
As far as i can tell the blue girl is not dominant while my teal girl is near the bottom nursing her shredded fins, and the Platinum girl is hiding in her old favorite spot, not patroling the tank like she used to.
 
I'm sort of happy, because she was a real bully, but at the same time I'm nervous because I am 72% certain she will be back with  a vengeance at feeding time.
 
Anyways... i just thought I would share with you guys I will upload pictures on eventually
 

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

That sounds absolutely nerve wrecking.  Wow!  Keep us updated.
 
By the way, I demand pics!

 

[Ny82]

I second the pics!

 

[Shelster]

And I third them, I would love to do a sorority

 

[TallTree01]

I 4th pics!

 

[KrystaK]

haha my internet is terrible at loading pictures so I'll have to wait until Tuesday when I'm at school or if I go to a friends house over the weekend to upload. 
 
Anyways my suspicions were right, the platinum dragon girl was terribly bossy around the food. I feel like if i removed her the others would all be very peaceful towards each other as they rarely show any signs of aggression towards each other, especially compared to the platinum girl. 
I hate to say it but for the peace of the tank it may be worth it to re-home and replace her. She is  a very pretty girl and I regret that she is so territorial. Honestly I think she wasn't meant for a sorority  

 

[372xp]

20 gallons thats about 90ltrs right?
My solution is more girls and I dont know what the tank looks like but more plants too.
Its a numbers game the more girls you have the more there is to be bullied therefore each one gets a bit less bullying and therefore will do better.
Its a sad fact that you will lose females when new stock is added. Unless the problem is with the tank, it probably wont be, you will just have to replace until the sorority levels out. Odd numbers are good and more than five is better. Better still is starting with sisters or adult females all at the same time. Older females will pick on juveniles. Size is also a factor to consider.
If you remove the platinum DS you may create a power vacuum, so dont be surprised if somone else trys to fill her boots, and so it continues. Succesful sororitys take time to establish and level out, dont forget these girls will live for a long time. So dont worry too much, if you can let it run its course unless life is in danger. I have a girl who lost nearly all her fins to attacks she is now a verry pretty adult and fairly bossy herself!

 

[Wildbetta]

I agree with 372xp.  With betta sororities, the more crowded, the better (without overstocking of course).  This helps level out the aggression because it is very rare that one particular female gets the brunt of the aggression in a bigger group VS in a smaller group.  I would personally have at least 12 females in a 20 gallon with lots and lots of live/silk plants and decorations that break up line of sight and create hiding places.  If you remove the dominant female, all you will have done is upset the hierachy and they will all have to work out their places again.  The others may seem peaceful right now but that is only because they know their places and are comfortable at the moment.  Adding more females or losing females upsets the balance and they have to work out everything again.  I don't agree that when adding new females you will lose stock.  If you are careful about adding new girls and really observant with the tank, you should be ok.  I have had a 20 gallon long sorority with 17 females that ran pretty smoothly for a good long time until I decided to switch to wild bettas.  There is always going to be nips and tears and some scales may go missing but most of the time it is all superficial and will heal back quickly.  Watch your aggressive girl, there are some girls not made up for sorority life but the fact that she backed down with the blue girl makes me feel like she is not one of those.  I had a female I had to rehome, not because of aggression though but because she stressed horribly and was a target for the other girls because of that.  
Definitely love to see some pics when you get a chance to upload them.  

 

[372xp]

Yup! Pics please KrystaK.
You may be surprised how many FB fans are out there.

 

[Shelster]

They are a bit like chickens in that sense then?

 

[372xp]

They are a bit like chickens in that sense then?

I guess so,and dogs and for that matter any group of creatures creates a 'pecking order',people too.