Pseudosquilla cilliata sexing ehhh roy? ;)

[erik2302]

looking to sex a psuedoscilla cilliata, can they form pairs? I have one in a 30 gallon tank...4 inch sand bed, about 30-40 pounds live rock...Will they kill eachother?

The reason I'm asking is I have one already, very nice not too aggressive and eats out of my hand. One of my LFS has another, that I already know is a psuedoscilla cilliata...What to do?

Erik
email me at erik.hunter@gmail.com if possible or answer here.

Thanks a ton

 

[Uriel]

I have already asked this question of Dr. Roy, and his answer went like this...

Although they are spearers, and most spearers get along, P. cilata are highly aggressive and territorial, and they will fight if housed together. His page has a picture of 2 in a 'knife-fight', as he pointed out to me.
I house mine seperately, after talking to him about it.
You will, no doubt, still want a direct answer from him, but I thought that I might shed some light on this.

-Ron

 

[Gonodactylus]

Ron is correct. It is not a good idea to house two P. ciliata together for long periods of time. On the other hand, P. ciliata have an unusual mating system and females mate aggressively at any stage in their reproductive cycle. There courtship is some of the most complex seen in any stomatopod. You can put a male and female together for short periods ( until they mate), but then it is advisable to separate them.

Roy