Pseudochromis harem groups - a totally different side of dottybacks

[Chasmodes]

Very cool concept! Your tanks inspire me to almost duplicate them, between this tank and your BSJ tank! These fish have so much personality, and they're very graceful in a group too, almost mesmerizing. I will be following along for sure.

 

[ThRoewer]

I am considering doing a harem of four Fridmani Basslets in my 180. I built a fake wall with numerous holes to accommodate a harem of Royal Grammas. It worked very well for them, so I hope it'll work for fridmanis too. I like that you can get them captive-bred.

I look forward to reading your progress! Good luck!

BTW, like Grammas or Assessors these guys swim often with their bellies turned towards the nearest wall even if it is the ceiling of an overhang.

 

[ThRoewer]

Moved them to the 100 gallon tank:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OufgpV4izs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The (potential) male and 3 of the females remained together while the 4th and smallest female got separated from the group and went into hiding somewhere near the gigantea... I hope she survives that.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GK0o85Ec2p4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gosuXIRXm-w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Chasmodes]

Cool videos. They are so graceful especially in their harem.

Is that a comet grouper in with them? Are you worried about him making snacks out of your dottybacks? Or, do they get along OK?

 

[ThRoewer]

Cool videos. They are so graceful especially in their harem.

Is that a comet grouper in with them? Are you worried about him making snacks out of your dottybacks? Or, do they get along OK?

There are actually two marine betta in that tank. Calloplesiops only eat shrimp but not fish. I tried and wouldn't even touch frozen fish as long as it is still recognizable as fish. Their whole hunting strategy is tailored towards shrimp and not well suited to catch fish.
The ones that may eat tiny fish are members of the Plesiops genus. They are ambush predators who dart out of their hole to snatch whatever comes by. I got a pair of those in my predators tank.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Chasmodes]

Ah, I see. Very interesting!!!! Learn something every day!!!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Clearly you know your stuff. Chapeau!

I also saw a Royal Gramma in there. How many of those? Do they get along well with the Fridmanis? Also are the marine bettas a mated pair?

 

[ThRoewer]

Clearly you know your stuff. Chapeau!

I also saw a Royal Gramma in there. How many of those? Do they get along well with the Fridmanis? Also are the marine bettas a mated pair?

There are 3 Gramma in the tank, a spawning pair and possibly a subservient male that looks like a female but acts like a male towards the female.

At the beginning, when the Fridmani were new to the tank, there was a little chasing from the Gramma. But by now they have found an arrangement and get along.
Among the Fridmani there is still some bickering as they negotiate their hierarchy and claim their caves. As a result some of them look a bit like plucked chickens. But so far I haven't seen actual fighting, and when out in the open they gang up without showing hostility towards each other. So my suspicion is that the "fights" are primarily over caves.

The Marine Betta are so far just 2 females. I'm waiting to see if the larger of the two changes sex, but she may still be too small for that. In the past I just picked male and female to get pairs and that worked every time. But this time I want to test the theory that they change sex.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Cool beans! I'll be following. I too love to keep multiple specimens of species, to bring out their natural behaviors and spawning. If I can ever get my QT up to snuff, I hope to try several more groups.

What are you referring to with the one gramma looking like a female but acting like a male? I didn't think the sexes were discernible. Do you mean it is smaller like a female but acts like a larger male?

 

[ThRoewer]

What are you referring to with the one gramma looking like a female but acting like a male? I didn't think the sexes were discernible. Do you mean it is smaller like a female but acts like a larger male?

There are actually some morphological and coloration differences I noticed between males and females.
Dominant males have significantly longer ventral fins. Unfortunately, this isn't a reliable indicator as fins often get damaged during capture, shipping, and in fights, and not always regrow fully.
Males also have a more slender body shape.
Females on the other hand have shorter ventral fins, are usually smaller, and have a fuller body shape.

But there seems to be also a subtle color difference:
Males have silver metallic shining scales on their sides in the transition zone between the purple and yellow. My dominant male has this very pronounced while the subordinate male has only a few of those metallic shining scales. The female has none.

The most convincing evidence to me is the behavior. The subordinate male keeps as much distance as possible to the dominant male. Both males demonstrate courtship behavior towards the female, but the dominant male never demonstrates any courtship behavior towards the subordinate male. Whenever they meet the dominant male demonstrates who is the boss, but it never goes to actual fighting.