Might be time to split up Helfrichi pair

[Fish Biscuit]

I've had them for about 3 months & all has been fine. I see spawning behavior on a regular basis. No extreme aggression until yesterday. My tank is at work so I see 8 hours of interaction every day, not just a few minutes here & there.

Yesterday afternoon I see the one chase the other quite furiously & the target hides in the sand at the back of the tank. I throw the cloud setting on the Hydra & things calm down. The aggressor hovers over the other & then leaves. I think maybe they are just finally completing the deed & keep an eye on them.

The target slowly sneaks their way to the other side of the tank & sits under my button coral. I take a peek at the tank & don't see her. The button is on top of 4 pieces of rubble with room underneath the coral & between the rubble. I kneel down & see a little yellow face hiding underneath. It stayed there for about 2 hours or so & then the aggressor found it, chased it out & around again. When I left the kid was on the other side of the tank down in the sand hiding. I noticed the dorsal fin had a bite at the top.

Today I come in & one is in the front & the target is swimming in the back by itself. I throw some pellets in the tank & everything is quiet for a little while. The aggressor finds the other firefish & they look to be courting but it gets aggressive. I throw the clouds on & calm things down.

It seems that it is the female getting beat up as the one doing the chasing will swim over to the other & shimmy. Would the opposite sexes display to each other or is this solely initiated by the male? What I think might be the female has been swimming over to the other one & is now mildly being asked to leave. There is now a bite mark on the lower fin of the same fish that has a bite taken out of the dorsal.

I would understand there to be some aggression as things get going but to me it seems a little on the excessive side. I have a friend that will take which ever one I can catch later. I am at the point where even with the spawning behavior still going on that I need to remove one before someone dies. I think that if one is going to hunt down the other to chase it out it's time to split them up.

If anyone has experience with this I would appreciate the comments.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I am having a similar issue with a bonded pair of white banded possum wrasses. Saw them go at each other this morning. I don't want to take one out and hoping they can stake out their territories.

 

[griseum]

I just had the same problem with a trio. Two paired up and tried their hardest of ridding the aquarium of #3. I was lucky to catch #3 and place him in an acclimation box, in the same aquarium. He is recovering from the all-out warfare targeted towards him, at which time Ill either place him in another tank, or sell/trade.

My concerns now have changed to what will happen to the remaining pair. Is it a true m/f pair? or will they soon turn on each other as well... I'm interested in what takes place with your pair...
My thread is the Marshall Islands Display.

 

[Fish Biscuit]

Griseum - you will have to keep the 3rd Helfrichi out of the tank, it won't be able to live peacefully in there with the pair if they won't leave it alone. Such a shame, isn't your tank 280g ? I would think the other 2 are a pair. I've done quite a bit searching on the internet & there are spawning pairs that have turned & killed the other.

I now noticed a little fraying on the tail of the aggressor right now. They are definitely being split up today. The net is sitting in the tank so no one freaks out later when it goes in. I would rather split them up then come in & search for a fish or body every morning, makes it kind of hard to check emails & get work done.

I do say it makes me wonder on the breeding behavior of these guys. My African Grey is usually very behaved & one spring she was quite nippy when I would put my hand in the cage. I got her to stop by shaking the perch a few times, it was bite me or hang on for dear life. Turns out all African species were especially aggressive that spring during breeding season.

 

[Fish Biscuit]

Ok I will say that I have just noticed that the one getting picked on is now showing some different coloration. The patch above the eyes that runs towards the dorsal & part of the dorsal are now showing a blue coloration where the other is still showing purple coloration.

 

[snorvich]

My concerns now have changed to what will happen to the remaining pair. Is it a true m/f pair? or will they soon turn on each other as well... I'm interested in what takes place with your pair...

More often than not, in the long run, only one survives. Perhaps you will be the lucky exception.

 

[steelersfan]

More often than not, in the long run, only one survives. Perhaps you will be the lucky exception.

Totally agree!!!

 

[Fish Biscuit]

More often than not, in the long run, only one survives. Perhaps you will be the lucky exception.

I have to say I was on the fence about buying a pair after hearing some horror stories of DD pairs turning on each other & perhaps they were just juveniles that got along. I decided to take a chance & was thrilled to see spawning behavior & thought I should be in the clear. When I noticed the spawning behavior there was some following around but not to this extent. I have to say in the beginning I was past my LFS guarantee & they told me to watch things & if it didn't settle down they would work something out with me. Unfortunately I've had them too long & am just lucky enough that I have a home for someone.

I'd love to know what goes on in that little fish brain to make one take such a turn on the other. Things have certainly quieted down now that there is a net & a little plastic critter keeper in the tank. Someone is coming out tonight come hell or high water. If someone jumps out during the catching then that's the one being picked off the carpet & off to a new home. I knew this was a chance I took & that this might be the outcome.

I figured I would try to share as much information as I could so it helps someone else down the road or maybe someone else has had other experiences to share.

What a bummer I really want a pair of something & I'd prefer it not be clowns. Some days we have enough of those around here.

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

You are doing the right thing by separating them. If one doesn't kill the other, the other may remain in hiding, and starve to death...

I've seen it happen a few times to firefish and other types as well...

 

[Fish Biscuit]

You are doing the right thing by separating them. If one doesn't kill the other, the other may remain in hiding, and starve to death...

I've seen it happen a few times to firefish and other types as well...

Thank you for your kind words. I was doing quite a bit of online research on these guys last night & decided separation was the best thing depending on the behavior I saw this morning. I don't think it's fair to the fish to wait it out any longer & risk losing one. Either way I'm losing a fish but this way there is a chance for survival for one or both of them & I will always be able to see the other one at my friend's house.

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

I feel your pain. Lost a female BT Trigger to the mating ritual. No aggression, but the male's persistence sent the female into hiding, and she starved. I saw her eat, but I guess she was burning more energy avoiding the male's advances...

She was participating at first, but I guess she got tired of it, and wanted nothing else to do with the male's advances.

 

[Fish Biscuit]

It's tough when this stuff happens. Well, 2 girls & 20 minutes later we have a capture. Anyone in the ORD area, we are available for hire