Life is a Mystery...Pseudocheilinus Ocellatus

[Namn8r]

Just thought I would share some pics and make sure these little pretties are documented in some form or another as I think(???) it may be the first pairings in captivity and my partner and I are lucky enough to have a pair each!!..

Justed landed a few hours ago after acclimatisation they have settled in very well.

They have been poking in and out of the rock work and frequently swim by each other with the female doing S-bends in display to the male. A common behaviour observed in freshwater cichlids.

I am yet to see the male display back by baring his teeth.. a behaviour my partner discribed seeing with the pairs!

:crossfingers:

From the holding facility

To their new home...

Cheers Nam

:thumbsup:

 

[MikeandNicole]

Awesome pickup, I love my mystery wrasse and wish I had a pair.

 

[patrick28]

Wow, that is sweet bro. I have two mystery wrasses myself but in different tanks. One is a freak of nature at almost 5". The other is about 2.5". They are pretty much my fav. I picked up the smaller of the two because one it was a deal I couldnt resist and the other because the one I had for 3 years got real sick with some sort of infection, real light white blotches. He kicked the infection and has been fine ever since. The bigger of the wrasses dosent show his white bars anymore which I read they tend to lose them when they get to be an aldult. Old town aquarium in Chi town had a pair a few years back.I was wondering though if there was a way to tell the difference between male and female?
I'm thinking of adding my little guy into the other tank in a critter cage to see what the reaction between the two is, but if there is a way to identify sex it may save me a headache.

 

[Ooulophilia]

Good luck with them! A few years ago I had a pair in a 90 gallon. When I got them, I was planning on only getting one but at the holding facility one had jumped into the adjoining cube and when I came in the next day they were hanging out together. Do keep a close eye on them - mine cohabited happily and were inseparable for about 5 months but one day I came home and the male had gone ballistic in the space of 8 hours and had the female pinned up in the corner of the tank completely shredded. I had added a large C. pylei recently so I suspect that had something to do with the abrupt change in their dynamic, but it may have been a freak occurrence.

 

[IFbettas]

It's not the first pair in captivity, but still nice fish! I love my mystery wrasse, and plan on adding a partner for him in the future.

 

[Namn8r]

Awesome thanks guys, inccidently this is how the first pair occured when one jumped into the adjacent tank. After that pairing was based on size difference and colouration. The males seem to be bigger with more prominent yellow markings on the head and larger ocelli on the tail.

Ill try keep updating the journal with notes and get some better pics later on.

Cheers

Nam

 

[vresor]

How are they with the rest of your tank inhabitants?

 

[tcmfish]

Not the first pair... Nice job pairing them though even though it sounds accidental, but hey sometimes those are the best things. The should spawn just like sixlines, and the larvae will be small most likely with a prolarvae stage. They are pelagic spawners and don't exhibit parental care. Most likely won't be raised without wild plankton until suitable culturable copepod nauplii advancements are made.

 

[gdubs97]

How can you mate them? My exact question is that I added two a week before thanks giving hoping they would mate...one died within 2 weeks..just mysteriously disappeared. SWF.com said it might not be a good idea to add another one now as they should be added at the same time. Would they fight or pair up if I added one now? The one in the tank is still a juvenile. Thanks