Thank you for your kind responses!
I couldn’t believe that the female might have died – all fish looking so healthy, young fry in the tank – why should she have died? But, nevertheless – I haven’t seen her for days.
Today I became suspicious ………….. and I carefully watched the adjacent tank with the four “unknown ladies”. What I suspected is true – the quindecim-female has happily joined the ladies club. Funny, how easily distinguishable she is from the other females ………. compared to them she is definitely colourful ………..
Now I need your advice:
It is absolutely impossible to catch her alone out of this tank. It is a 25 l-tank, totally overgrown – no chance to find one hiding paro.
What do you think – should I simply put the male quindecim in this tank, too? If he has a female of his own species – is there a risk he might pair with one of the other girls of unknown species?
It would be much easier to simply catch him out of his tank, it’s a small one, 16 l and not so overgrown. I could leave the fry to grow up undisturbed.
Or should I rather empty the bigger tank, try to catch all 5 females and to separate the quindecim female – and make a big cleaning up of the tank? This would be a much bigger effort, and I can only hope to get all the females ………
But if it is risky to join the male with the four “beautiful strangers”, I will refrain from doing it.