p. polleni-Anyone seen their mating behaviors?

[Carg R]

I've had a male p. polleni (small spot) for 6 months or so and I got a female just shy of 2 months ago.

I kept the female in her own tank for 3 weeks (quarantine & protein load). I then placed her in a 180gal w/ the male and assorted others (mating venustus, ps. crabro, convicts, silver dollar). I watched then for a while, took a few photos and had dinner watched so tv and checked the fish again.

The female looked very beat up...back to the 29 gal she went. 2 weeks later I put a divider up in the quarantine tank and the male went in. Both flare and attacked each other through the egg crate divider on the first day. Well two days ago, during water change I removed the divider the two ignored each other for about 1 hr then the male started attacking the female. the female attacked back , severe lip locks later the male stopped hitting the female he just kept her above him and she looked like she was trying to ignore him.

She was staying perpedicular to the male (showing him her side?) and angled up a bit. She stopped lip locking and just kept avoiding I didn't have time to monitor the two so the divider went back in.

I think I'll remove the divider over thanksgiving (when I can monitor them more closely for extended period of time), but wanted input from anyone with experience working to "establish" polleni breeders.

I should put them both in a larger tank (180gal or 125gal) but I'll have to move some others around before I do that-so the 29 gal is really being used to get the two "use to each other". With a faint hope the female will decide to lay eggs close to the grate and the male could fertilize them w/o having access to the female

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Carg23/polleni%20small%20spot/pollmandf102806.jpg?t=1164049816

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Carg23/polleni%20small%20spot/pollmandf1028062.jpg?t=1164049905

 

[Turk]

I'm having my own adventures with those guys. Female was taking too much abuse, so I got a couple more females to spread out the attention a bit. Worked for awhile, then bond seemed to form with original female, and the two new ones started getting sriously beaten up. Moved them out, leaving the original 2 in their own 55, and things seem to be OK for the past week. Good luck with yours -- I'm interested to hear how it goes.

 

[wannaarro]

Very fascinating. . . . my male is in perpetual solitary confinement as he doesn't play well with others. I don't have a female at the time, but would like to find a couple to help perpetuate the species, esp. considering the havoc going on now in Madagascar. I'm really interested in hearing on how both of your breeders mature and possibly eventually get along. They don't get along with conspecifics, so it might be a matter of pairing them only when the female is ready to spawn???? dunno. BTW, where'd you guys find your females? thnx and best of luck. . . .

 

[rallysman]

I'm just starting to get into them a little, JD_man gave me a female that he picked up (@6-7") for $3 at an auction. I'd like to get a male and breed them.

I know Repair has successfully bred them in the past.

 

[Carg R]

Well, I moved fish around and the two polleni went into the 125 on Thanksgiving morning...this afternoon I moved the male into the 180. The female is quite beat up.

She will come to the glass and beg for food then take the "tetracichlid Jumbo sticks" two at a time from my hand.

My plan is to leave the female in the 125 and protein her up then put the male back in and see if he'll eventually play nice...

Realisticly I think I'll be rearranging the tank inhabitants again to get the Polleni together (w/ egg crate divider) for long term and see what may happen

I got the female from a lfs (6 incher $15). Male was not a trade in and $44.

 

[Tongue33]

CARG!! YOU ARE aroudn LOL.. HOws them GT's COMIN

 

[Carg R]

After a brief intermission I got three polleni/bleekeri again, two paired off nicely and have been prolific.

 

[Billy buckley]

Nice how many babies did they have each time they breed?? I had a pair for 3 years I had no problem getting them to breed have eggs and hatch but then they would start to get picked off slowly by the male then female. Did u remove your fry ? I have a pic of my old Polleni's


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app