Time out - but who?

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Aquafreak

Aquafreak

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 22, 2008
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Fleetwood, PA
I have a female Freddie who is constantly chasing my two males. They're missing scales now and I really believe it's time to do something. Do I pull her out and isolate her for a while or do I pull the males and let them heal? She looks like she may be ready to spawn soon so I'm hesitant to move her. She hasn't paired with either of the males yet, and I know a reintroduction of a male can sometimes prompt pairing too. What do I do?

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How about adding a divider. You avoid stressing the fish, allowing the two males to heal.

I have known fish to spawn through dividers. This helps with aggressive males or females.
 
JJman1698 said:
How about adding a divider. You avoid stressing the fish, allowing the two males to heal.

I have known fish to spawn through dividers. This helps with aggressive males or females.
Click to expand...

Duh - why didn't think of that! Great suggestion, but I'm thinking it will look bad since this is my "show tank" in my dining room. Any suggestions for what to use?

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egg crate/light diffuser you can get it in home depo or lighting stores in large sheet.using zip ties to secure it,you build a frame around the egg crate with PVC.i think there is a (how to) on MFK,maybe in breeding section? you could also get an acrylic sheet,cut to fit,then drill it full of holes
 
I know what you mean as egg crate was a big no no in show tanks. it was hideous everytime my husband use to "time out" his fish. u want to go with the acrylic divider idea. and u want to keep the female away and let the males heal although it sounds like she will go back to work once shes free again.
 
woofy said:
I know what you mean as egg crate was a big no no in show tanks. it was hideous everytime my husband use to "time out" his fish. u want to go with the acrylic divider idea. and u want to keep the female away and let the males heal although it sounds like she will go back to work once shes free again.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I really don't like the look of it. I have a 30 sitting empty I could pull either the males or the female and put them in there temporarily. The female looks like she's getting ready to lay eggs though, so I'm at a loss. I honestly can't believe how aggressive she is. I was hoping she would pair with one of the males but it hasn't happened yet as far as I can tell. Small male may not be sexually mature yet though, and the larger male was sold to me as a female! I vented all of them and I'm almost positive she is a he, and the body shape patterns and color support a male.
All in all I really hate to see the males with missing scales and torn fins all the time.
 
I went out and purchased a sheet of eggcrate and isolated the female. I guess time will tell...

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Update - divider is working well and the male has healed up well. I had to isolate the smaller male as well because the larger male became aggressive once the divider was installed. I hate the look of it but it's getting the job done. I think I might pull the divider in a few weeks to see what happens.
 
IMO - Get rid of the smallest male, remove the female to the 30gal, allow the larger male to heal and own the tank for several weeks - reintoduce the female with the divider. Dominence is everything for aggressive cichlids.
 
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