Pairing fish

[zoafreek]

Wondering what methods others have used to pair fish. I have a male/female Cypho Purpurescens pair that aren't getting along very well. I tried rearranging the tank, that didn't help. I moved the female to a larger tank (60 gallon), waited a couple days for her to settle in, then introduced the male, only to get the same results. The male stays on one side of the tank swimming out in the open, the female stays on the other side hiding in a piece of pvc all the time.

The center of the female's belly is starting to turn fire red, but i'm not sure if that's from the fighting or if she's 'in the mood'.

Initial introduction to the tank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQEn3pl3Fk8

 

[curlykid]

When you try to pair fish that weren't mated before there's a bit initial aggression, that happened to me when i added a small female to my established male waspfish's tank. They still get in little scraps over food, but they did eventually pair up.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Have you tried just leaving them alone?

Jeff

 

[deangelr]

Matt Wittnerich suggests to create a space that the female can fit through that the male cannot.. (Dottybacks can be very aggressive towards one another, even when paired). This enables the female to retreat to a safe place during times when the male shows aggression.. Something like egg crate or a very small piece of PVC have been used before.

 

[zoafreek]

I gave them about 5 days in the smaller tank until I moved them to the larger tank. I was starting to get afraid that the male may actually kill the female which is why I didn't want to just leave them alone. She's got quite a few scales missing in her midsection. I didn't realize they would be this extremely aggressive. I've seen the female go after the cleaner shrimp a few times, and the shrimp are on the larger side. Other than that the female's friendly, it's the male that chases after all the other fish nearby. I was thinking of trying to get ahold of a different male, one that is smaller than the female, and try to pair him up with her.

There is a lot less aggression in the bigger tank, but the female is always hiding where the male cant find her which is the main reason why. From past experience, a larger tank and more hiding spots always helps lower the aggression.

 

[zoafreek]

I guess I should have waited one more day to post this, yesterday as I was sitting in front of the tank they finally got past all the aggression and started their courtship. No eggs laid yet though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ6qDx1Oxm0

 

[curlykid]

cool video. haha the blenny's like "hey, hey guys, watcha doin?". ahaha what an awkward young lad.

 

[zoafreek]

Ya i still haven't had any luck getting the 2 linear blennies in the tank to pair up. By looking at their size & coloration i believe i do have a male/female pair, but only time will tell. The larger blenny likes to hang out with the dottybacks. i also have a pair of aiptasia-eating filefish in the tank as well.

 

[curlykid]

Are the blennies funny fish? Like, can you watch them for hours? I kind of want to get one.

 

[zoafreek]

Ya they remind me a lot of the lawnmower blenny, tons of personality, lots of curiousity, and on the aggressive side towards any fish that resemble themselves. They also don't have a problem nipping at your hands/arm while you're working on the tank, although that might be because I tend to handfeed the fish a lot.

The only real downside to them is they like to hang out and perch on corals, especially chalices, montipora, and acropora colonies. So far only one of the chalices is really affected by them laying on it, I doubt it will kill it, but it will probably stunt its growth. I think I prefer the tail-spot blenny to the linear or lawnmower blennies, they seem much less aggressive towards the other fish in the tank, as well as each other. They are also a little bit smaller in size, and have nicer coloration IMO.

 

[curlykid]

yeah, i like the tailspot's looks better.