seahorse behavior before breeding.

[reefD]

i have had my pair (kudas)since the spring. let me give an idea of my set up. i have been in reef tanks for years before this set up and i did my homework hard core. in anycase the tank is flourishing with just the pair and 2 shrimp and a few snails and hermits. anyways i have seen the pair hang out hard alot. in the am they dance in front of the glass. but recently the male has been aggressivly looking for the femal. once he finds her he chases and does a shake dance when near her. when this is happening i notice his pouch swollen as all heck. i know this is a pre spawning behavior but is my female not gonna accept ever? its been a week and she still runs from him when he does this chase thing in the am. any ideas? again i know its pairing / breeding behavior. but should i watch for other signs that need to be addresses. thanks guys!

 

[Fredfish]

Do they hang out together at other times? My pair will spend time together even when he is not courting.

Fred

 

[reefD]

oh yeah! they hang out together in the late evenings . very calmly i must add. just hitching together one holding onto a macro branch the other holding on to its fellow tankmate. very common. but in the mornings its like he is chasing her!

 

[Fredfish]

It sounds like they are paired up.

I actually missed all the action when my horses started breeding so I do not know how long they did the dance for before finally mating.

I would imagine they will eventually mate. Is the water column height approximately 3 times the length of your horses? They do need the height to complete the egg transfer.

Fred

 

[reefD]

no its not. only about twice ...in any case they dont have any hieght to breed in my oppinion and maybe thats why the female is not being receptive. i plan on upgrading but no time soon. thanks i didnt think of that and maybe ,it being a cause for the female not being ready.

 

[reefD]

mine have been dancing for about three weeks. but thats it as male is a new intro about 4 weeks ago. he went right to work trying to court her right away!LOL!

 

[Fredfish]

It could be the tank height. It could be that they are settling in to each other as well. Some people have had horses breed in shallow tanks.

Fred

 

[reefD]

okay! i think they are settling in and will breed regarless of hieght. is it typical for the males to be agressive when courting? he just follows her for a bit and when he can he latches on and shakes . during this his pouch is swollen ...the female just gets kinda annoyed by him grabbing her, and resists . she moves over and he continues. she doesnt appear stressed just not agreeing with his advances. she is larger than him by two inches max. so she has the power to resist. thanks for the info. its only been a few weeks so im thinking the courtship can be this long and is normal. he was added recently so i think its him saying" look at me baby im the top male here" no other females and no other males means we have to pair. he maybe settling in the tank also as a recent (a month or 5 weeks top) addition.

 

[Fredfish]

Yep, the males can be quite aggressive, at least IME. I have two males and a female. Its quite a free-for-all when she is ready.

I have actually seen the males nip at each other and on two occasions, the female.

Fred

 

[reefD]

ahh. i forgot to mention that the pair was intro'ed in spring then the male died ...tank was let be and established,,,,very well! i added a new mate recently and this is occuring now. thanks for the info all. my questions have been answered.