Quick question on dovii pairing

[JDCichlid]

So I started out with about 12 two inch dovii two weeks ago. I’d guess they are really more like 3 inches now and they seem pretty easy to sex. 5 of them seem to be males and 7 females. I took out two males tonight and put them in a smaller tank to try and increase the ratio of females to males. I want two to pair off naturally.

Was this a good idea removing those two and should i remove more males? Or do you want a 50/50 ratio when trying to get a natural pairing?

Below is what I think is a male and second pic female. Thanks in advance.

 

[JDCichlid]

And I should also mention fish are in a 370 gallon and aggression hasn’t been an issue (yet). Just want a pair. And then maybe a backup pair. Want to keep stock going in case I can’t get them in the future.

 

[tlindsey]

And I should also mention fish are in a 370 gallon and aggression hasn’t been an issue (yet). Just want a pair. And then maybe a backup pair. Want to keep stock going in case I can’t get them in the future.

View attachment 1488722

Hopefully you'll get two to pair up but eventually most will be killed if not all except the most dominant Dovii.

 

[JDCichlid]

Hopefully you'll get two to pair up but eventually most will be killed if not all except the most dominant Dovii.

Well yes I realize that I’m not planning on keeping them all together. My question was best male/female ratio in a group to get an initial pair.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Rass
Andy woods cichlids uk

 

[Aquamojo]

That's a solid plan. And I think you are spot on with your impressions on the sex that you posted. Good luck.

 

[JDCichlid]

That's a solid plan. And I think you are spot on with your impressions on the sex that you posted. Good luck.

Thanks! I kept second guessing it. Everything seems to be working out though now

 

[newworld]

I don’t get the point of taking out the 2 males? If you want a pair why not let them pair off naturally ? Your tank is big enough just add way more hiding spots ….

 

[LBDave]

I don’t get the point of taking out the 2 males? If you want a pair why not let them pair off naturally ? Your tank is big enough just add way more hiding spots ….

I agree. The larger the group, the better chance of getting a good pairing. You will just meed to remove fish as they get more aggressive and start fighting but you should be able to see what fish are pairing up. Would wait for aggressive behavior/ fighting before removing fish.

 

[Rass]

I left my entire group until a pair formed. Having a heavily stocked tank that didn't really have territories to establish worked fine for me. I would think as your stock decreases it would increase the odds of one fish getting singled out. My second pair formed at about 3 and 4 inches. A few pics of them when they first started coloring up and paired off, then a few months later when they had some more size on them.