red empress male

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Allan01230

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 29, 2006
3,864
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Michigan
Hey all I have a 75 gallon with a pair of sunshine regal peacocks, adults with the male completly colored up. Also have a lone buccochromis about 3 inches that keeps to himself. Also 4 petricola and 3 3 inch red empress. Will the empress color up with the sunshine male in there? The sunshine doesn't chase the 3 empress but they will chase each other, the tank is decorated with a load of texas holey rock.
 
The dominate empress should color up if at least one is a male.

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the dominant empress should colour up maybe not as vividly as if it was the most dominant fish in the entire tank.
 
I have kept Red Empresses a lot, although in a 300 gallon.
In my experience, it was easy to have 5-6 males colored up at once, even if large peacocks in there.
I would think it would be easy to get one male colored up, and the peacocks would not bother him at all (not inhibit coloration).
My haps and peacocks really don't interact much.. Smaller peacocks are inhibited from coloring up by the larger peacocks, but no effect on haps like the Red Empress.

Now, there's an exception. I did have one male Red Empress which was given to me after being in a tank which much more aggressive tankmates (beaten up).. He never did color up again. Not sure if he was too traumatized of if it was because several colored up males were already there. Hope this helps, I would try to put him in with the peacocks.
 
Thanks to all the replies. Kinda weird as of today I see one of the males turning a light grey and getting a deep blue around the gills. Maybe he is getting ready to pop. Kinda waited awhile on these guys so will see if it happens. Funny to watch the 3 inch bucco just cruise the tank and keep to himself.
 
Thanks to all the replies. Kinda weird as of today I see one of the males turning a light grey and getting a deep blue around the gills. Maybe he is getting ready to pop. Kinda waited awhile on these guys so will see if it happens. Funny to watch the 3 inch bucco just cruise the tank and keep to himself.

yeah he's starting to turn.What kind of Bucco?
 
One of the reds, like others said, will definitely color up more, but from my experience, regals can be nasty, so he will probably remain the boss, and thus your colored red empress will be a lot less colorful than the regal. Although, Emps do get nasty as they get older, so when you start to see both the regal and the emp coloring up really good, then watch it, they may start fighting.
 
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