Ellioti Behaviour - Pairing?

[Lace]

Hi everyone,

Just a couple of questions I have and wondered if anyone could help.

When I first got the two ellioti, they mostly avioded each other, well last week the smaller of the two (presumed female) started chasing and nipping the larger male. I observed carefully ready to divide if necessary, the male never reacted just tried to keep out of the way. I then began to question if they were male/female as in growth the smaller ellioti dorsal fin has started to point.

Last night I was sat watching them, and they now do not leave oneanothers side, they were in and out of a coconut cave and they have dug a pit in the sand behind the cave. The smaller one will occassionally swim off to the other side of the tank, but if the male leaves this area they have claimed she chases him back. Is this pairing behaviour?

Opinions and advice most welcome.

Lace

 

[minxfishy]

If they are claiming an area and digging a pit, it does promising, this is what my Aureus did before spawning.

Any chance of pics of them to establish sex?

 

[Lace]

Thanks Minxfishy helpfull as always, I will get some newer pics asap.

Lace.

 

[Lace]

Ok here goes, some arn't so good as they are very busy digging a pit in an akward place lol.

First one premumed male, larger than the other one, must be around 3" or so, not such a good picture but i'm certain this one is male from the long extensions on the fins.

Second thought female, but dorsal fin has started to point, this one is around 2.5" or so

Not such a good picture of the second one but shows the dorsal starting to point

Together, larger male? at the front is much more colourful

Edited to add, I have also noticed the tail end of both fish, started to get a purple sheen like colour last night.

 

[minxfishy]

Im going to stick my neck out and say its the other way around, the larger, more colourful is the female and I think on the 1st pic you can see her ovipositor showing, least it looks like it to me. Also seem by those photos to have a rounder belly, the anal fins look rounder than the other's.

I noticed on my aureus that as they began spawning and looking after the eggs/fry they also got a vertical black banding around the face.

 

[Lace]

Thanks again Minx, I did wonder what that "thing" was hanging down, quite large at times LOL. I am slightly confused at the finnage though, as the larger one has very long flowing dorsal fin and is much more colourful. But originally I though this may be a female as it has a large black dot in the dorsal which I have read is common in some females but not males.

This would however make sense, therefore the smaller "male" beating up the larger "female" for breeding, and trying to keep her in the spawning area.

Time will tell I guess, will have to be patient.

Thanks again

Lace

Edited to add, they have on and off shown vertical banding through the whole body.

 

[minxfishy]

Well I maybe wrong (it happens ) Davo might be able to give a definitive sexing for you. I couldnt tell my Aureus apart until they spawned and it was the ovipositor that gave it away.

It is more usual for the male to do the fin nipping and chasing to get the female interested in spawning. In all honesty my Aureus had the same size fins, colouration everything, it was just the roundness of the females belly and Ovi that made it obvious which was which.

Either way, keep an eye out for eggs, they usually lay them in a cave or a dug out pit and they have a habit of moving them too!! I dont know what else you have in the tank, but they will become territorial and somewhat aggressive, not majorly, but the other fish will be harrassed if they come near, IME the female will stay with the eggs, the male will guard the area. Eggs hatch around 72 hours, this is when they move the fry to a cave or similar as they can be adventurous little devils

 

[Lace]

Thanks for the advice and opinions. Hopefully Davo will be along shortly with advice/opinions. I think you are right in the larger one being female, not sure on the smaller one although the behaviour certainly points to being male. Only other tankmates are peaceful, 2 plecs, a variety of rainbows, clown loach and a few livebearers. They do tend to chase off anything that enters their "claimed" area at the moment.

Have just got some lovely new wood, was planning on changing the substrate and rescaping in the near future, guess I will wait and see what these two are upto first.

Thanks

Lace

 

[ALW]

I think the first pic is a male