Festae Pair

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MP_cichlid

MP_cichlid

Dovii
MFK Member
Mar 3, 2015
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Connecticut
Hi guys I was just wondering if I could have some help with my two festae. I introduced a 5 inch female to my 6 inch male and at first they were flashing and twitching and what not. Now I ended up dividing them because the male wasn't being too nice to the female. While it wasn't severe I didn't want to take any chances. I left a hole in the divider that only the female could fit through. She almost immediately went to the male's side, he was a bit calmer at first and then started to chase her again, so I moved her back to her side. She kept going back to him, every time he seems a bit more relaxed, she certainly isn't in breeding dress but she doesn't want to leave his side. So this morning she went over and I ended up moving them both to the females side, now she actually chased him a bit, I left today so I haven't been seeing it lately but I think they were doing a bit better. I'm not sure wether or not they are becoming bonded or what to think. I've heard that if the female doesn't show breeding dress right away then she won't ever. If I could just have some thoughts and/or suggestions on my situation that would be great!
 
The fact that you're keeping a close eye on things is the best thing for starters. These festae are sometimes unpredictable and males can make short work of a female.

Keeping them divided until they grow accustomed to each other is also good.
I typically find that given enough time they will tolerate each other enough that you can experiment with removing the divider for a short time. Try it after a big water change and after you've been feeding some live foods to get them in he mood.

Bottom line in my experience, is that you have to be vigilant and watch for torn fins and missing scales. That can be a sign of some aggression. Just sit and watch them interact. You may see some color changes in both fish and when it happens it is unreal.
 
Female is in a hurry and you are separating them....too bad mate.
Jokes apart.
As suggested above , nice to see that you are keeping a close look out.
Please give them some time and i believe that she is aware of how to get back to safety , if the male get a bit rough.
too much intervention from you can also affect bonding.....let them play the dance and as long as they dont hurt each other , you must be good to go
 
so i just did a water change, redecorated, took the divider out and threw some feeders in the tank. Everything is going great! barely any aggression, they are following each other and staying close. they are doing laps down the length of the tanks and following each other.
 
obviously still not in breeding dress but she is certainly a much nicer color, more red and like clear bars, like just light colored bars.
 
so, they have been without a divider for a day now, they seem ok, he does chase her around a little, she got much darker in coloration. she is starting to hang in the top corner and that is making want to maybe put the divider back. What do you guys think
 
I kept my pair divided for a month or so, then I would move the divider for 30-45 minutes a night for a few weeks so that they would get use to each other. be patient and keep an eye on them, you could also try redecorating the tank then throwing them in
 
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