I just noticed my 8ish in. female Dovii liplocking with my 7ish in. male Jag and also noticed he was sporting a much more handsome coloration then he had previously. This is on the heels of a major day of fighting between her and my 11in. Dempsey who she has been trying in vein to breed with for about a year and a half. She just layed eggs about a four days ago and once again there was no fry to speak of.
The Jag is relatively new to the tank and has been a model citizen since he graduated from my grow out tank about 3 months ago. Today he's getting kind of froggy with all of his other tank mates, puffing out his gills and chasing them off. The Dempsey has been stagnant, just hanging out around the bottom far off to one side of the tank keeping to himself. No real aggression between those two that I have noticed, but what happens when I'm not there I can't speak to.
These three fish share my 220 with a small 4in. Rock Bass, a 7-8 in. Smallmouth, and a 6in. Green Sunfish. Theres a couple tiny catfish as well but they only come out at night for maintenance. What I am wondering is, has my Dovii decided to change partners? Am I crazy for reading into these signs as if they were almost human? Did the Dovii get sick of the Dempsey coming up empty and decide my Jag was the better option to procreate? I could guess that while I wasn't watching the Jag proved his worth to the Dempsey, possibly after the Dovii showed interest, so could this be the reason for my Jag's new found color and alpha like demeanor in the tank? I know before today the Dempsey wouldn't let any other fish interact with the Dovii without chasing them off hard, now he seems resigned to letting the Jag make out with his old lady while he sulks in the corner. It's a parachromis thing I guess, nature is rough like that, any thoughts?
The Jag is relatively new to the tank and has been a model citizen since he graduated from my grow out tank about 3 months ago. Today he's getting kind of froggy with all of his other tank mates, puffing out his gills and chasing them off. The Dempsey has been stagnant, just hanging out around the bottom far off to one side of the tank keeping to himself. No real aggression between those two that I have noticed, but what happens when I'm not there I can't speak to.
These three fish share my 220 with a small 4in. Rock Bass, a 7-8 in. Smallmouth, and a 6in. Green Sunfish. Theres a couple tiny catfish as well but they only come out at night for maintenance. What I am wondering is, has my Dovii decided to change partners? Am I crazy for reading into these signs as if they were almost human? Did the Dovii get sick of the Dempsey coming up empty and decide my Jag was the better option to procreate? I could guess that while I wasn't watching the Jag proved his worth to the Dempsey, possibly after the Dovii showed interest, so could this be the reason for my Jag's new found color and alpha like demeanor in the tank? I know before today the Dempsey wouldn't let any other fish interact with the Dovii without chasing them off hard, now he seems resigned to letting the Jag make out with his old lady while he sulks in the corner. It's a parachromis thing I guess, nature is rough like that, any thoughts?
