Are my firefish breeding?

[EvilInSin]

Hi, I am asking here because I hope someone will have an answer for me that I cant find anywhere on the net. I am not trying to breed my fish but would like to know if this is what happening.
Here is the info~ I have two firefish. I got them about 4 months apart from different stores about 2 1/2 yrs ago. They have always gotten along very well/share a home. A few months ago one went missing for about 2 weeks, we assumed it died. Then poof it was back to the normal swiming routine. Now again it has been out of sight for 3 days, we were moving rocks around for new corals and saw the missing fish in its normal home. It looked fine to us, we didnt really examine it just noted that it was still alive and swiming. The other firefish is always out and swiming with our clown (they all 3 usually hang out).

Is the one firefish maybe laying eggs and protecting them? If it were could I move the rocks again and see eggs?

I'm worried about my fish, if there is something wrong I want to find out. If they are just spawning then I can relax and let them be. Oh and its just the normal Red firefish, Nemateleotris magnifica.
TIA

 

[clownfish75]

I would assume that firefish would breed in that way, although 2 weeks does sound like a long time to not be feeding.

You should also notice some swelling of the female as she fills with eggs this could provide you with a clue, and a regularity of this disapearing act.

Christian

 

[EvilInSin]

Thanks for the response

I cant tell the difference in my two fish so maybe they are taking turns coming out to eat? I will start to keep a record of when they do this behavior, I didnt know it was regular. I just hope they are spawning and not having some other problem. I assume if they are spawning the eggs/babies will be eaten by something in my reef, but if I do see a baby should I try to get it out?

 

[mwp]

FWIW, our firefish have followed a slightly different routine. One is confident, fat, always out and about....the suspected female in our pair. The other is smaller, thinner, and well, for the first month or two was always out with the first one. Then...well, he didn't disappear (tanks too small for a fish to do that!), but he's become very very attached to their bolthole, spending 95% of his time inside it, usually hanging at the entrance. Once in a while he'll come out to feed...some days he'll get right out in the fray but USUALLY he'll grab a morsel or two and that's it...back to the "den".

I personally suspect that this shift in behavior is directly related to breeding activity, the issue is I haven't seen ANY eggs or larvae. Granted, I can't see into their nest anyhow, so verifying that this is indeed "egg care" type behavior I simply can't say. It does kinda line up though with what most other people observe.

FWIW,

Matt