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I moved the nagyi-pair to a fresh tank today. I got this advice at the IGL-Forum because it was suspected that I had too many snails in the old tank, due to organic overload. I tried to trap the snails first, but neither a fish food tab or a piece of cucumber lured many snails. So it’s not quite clear whether the “too many snails theory” was right – but the fish had been in the tank since last November and I thought it to be an opportunity to clean the tank and remove some mistakes of this first set up.
They had been courting the whole morning (see pictures at the P. nagyi-Thread), again using the little film canister as a cave. It was very easy to catch them – I only fished the cave out, using a water bowl. The fish didn’t leave the cave for one minute, they stayed in it during the whole period of acclimation. The female only darted out when I put them into their new tank. But soon they were spawning again!
There already has been a small clutch of eggs when I moved the cave. If the bigger yellowish globes that can be seen are young snails again ….. I can’t change it. Maybe they have already been sitting in the cave and I moved them too. In the IGL-forum there were different opinions about these bigger globes – some thought it to be snails, some said no – and even if, that such snails were much to small to harm the clutch.
I’ll have to wait and see ……..
Even though they are really not of best quality, I would like to show you some pictures I made this morning of my courting nagyi pair. Corresponding to the thread on territorial behaviour describing “moody colourations” I thought these pictures of nuptial colouration might fit ….
May I show you this:
This individual shows very drab colouration, all very brownish – while angrily chasing away another one (not being chased!!). I don’t know how to interprete it, and I am not sure how to assign it to one of the male/ female moods described above.
I ordered it almost at once after it was advertised here on the start page. And I have used it very often since I got it. The only disadvantage is the adhesive binding ………. my booklet is already falling apart………
I learned a lot of new facts from the thread “Territorial behaviour ….”
I move my question – connecting the newly learned aspects with my observations of my new paros – here, to keep it apart from the generally interesting facts in the other thread:
With regard to behaviour, my 4 “aliens” show both kinds of aggressive behaviour – the more “male” way, side-by-side, head down, colours (stripes and fins) turning very dark. And the more “female” way, chasing and nipping each other.
What seems more important to me – a deduction I make from my observations of the nagyi-pair – is the fact that I have seen no sexy eyes until now, in none of the fish. In the nagyi male I observed that males show sexy eyes very early when they are interested in a female – even if she is totally dismissive.
At present I think that Martin Hallmann is right and I have only females – because I believe that a male – even as small as the smallest of my fish – would have already shown sexy eyes in the presence of a female.
At least I believe that my fish belong to one sex only – even if it were all males, they wouldn’t show sexy eyes, either.What do you think of my “theory”?
Thank you again!!
This is all very interesting. And of course I have seen certain colouration states in my pair of nagyi – the states that are usually shown by a pair …..
It’s a bit more difficult in my 4 new paros – which neither reveal their sexes nor their species affiliation.
And I have some additonal questions:
– I understand that state 2 of males is similar to state 3 of females – is that right?
– Do I get it right, Peter, that only females may (in state 4) show some sort of speckled markings? There are no speckles in males?I took the part concerning my “mysterious paros” out and will place it in the corresponding thread. Don’t want to mix it with this thread to keep up it’s general purpose.
This is of really great help!! Thank you very much, Ted and Peter!!
And now – if it is possible – the same for females, and I would be absolutely glad. Of course there are not so many “moody colourations” in females as in males, I guess.
Thank you for your answers, that’s very interesting. It’s usually only a side issue – in general people are interested in behaviour and colouration during courtship display between males and females.
Also you often hear about male aggressive colouration – but don’t find any pictures. It is said to look different from the colouration in courtship display. Ted mentioned it above, too.
How does aggressive colouration in males look like – here it is the same, you mostly find pictures of displaying males in their brightest colours, or of really anxious, pale ones………….🙂
I experienced something similar: a few blackworms which escaped the fish made their home in balls of Cladophora …….
Hello,
I have – besides “regular” shrimp tubes of about 1,5 cm diameter – two quarter (2 halves of a half) coconut shells in one tank. They sit on the ground, surrounded and partially covered by leaves. I also thought the “entrance” to be too wide – and put two slightly cup-shaped leaves each in front of the entrance, hanging from the “roof”. They work as “curtains”, leaving only a small hole to enter the cave. The fish like it very much, go in and out. And maybe the risk of fry leaving the cave to early might be reduced, too? I don’t know – as I said – there are also smaller tubes for breeding in the tank, I just put the coconut shells there for additional cover. But maybe this is a way to offer even coconut shells as possible cavities for breeding?
Yesterday I saw this in the cave:
I don’t know what it is ……… I posted this in the IGL-Forum already, because they thought they saw too many snails on the first photo. But they also can’t say what it is that we see on this photo. Does anyone have an idea?
Today the unknown objects were gone, there were about one third of the eggs and some bubbles left ……….. but the male has abandoned the cave.
Current status:
The two bigger ones have claimed different sides of the tank – one stays on the left side in a shelter, the other on the right side under a leaf. Both show the same dark fin colouration and tail pattern now.
Both attack and chase the two smaller ones if they come too near to the right or left side. Both big ones only watch each other, they don’t swim into the other’s territory, and they don’t chase each other. Watching each other, they stand in a head-down angle on opposite sides, their colours turning dark.This is what the two bigger ones look like now – the biggest being a bit darker than the other one:
No iridescent colour bands – but still very dark for a female. Connected with the behaviour reported above I have a question: Do paro females show territorial behaviour? Do they claim territories and defend them?
This is how the two smaller ones look like:
The different body colouration is no artefact – the bigger ones are golden and black, the smaller ones silvery and black.
Thank you, Helene – that relieves me!
Yes, I will try to look once a day with a small torch. He didn’t resent being flashed, stayed calmly in his cave. He knows me being around the tank and is not very shy. But I won’t overwork his composure ………
