Si's Tank Journal

[PDSimon]

I'll have a couple of vids later

 

[PDSimon]

Typical behaviour, male chasing female.

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRgC0PgZ8W4[/youtube]

Female in her domain...defending it.

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZZn7frpUI[/youtube]

 

[PDSimon]

My cacatuoides are turning into great little characters. The male is already shunning of the male ram! my male ram is a big wimp... I put a mirror there and the cockatoo was just staring at it, going really black and low to the ground. The male ram just swam off quickly

Also when I took the mirror away the two apistos seem to start flicking each other in the face with there tails even the little female was doing it.

Heres some better pics, no vids yet of these guys though

 

[PDSimon]

The TINY female cockatoo as you can see in the above pics is picking on my female bolivian ram. Why is the ram a bit of a wimp? She could easily overpower the cockatoo! Things not going to well for her today as the tiny cockatoo seems to be enjoying pecking at the java moss right by her territory but if she moves to the front the male ram shoves her back... and she isn't so keen on the other side of the tank!

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_hd9tLMd8[/youtube]

 

[PDSimon]

Some pics of my cockatoos.. not great but here you go!

 

[PDSimon]

The 2 rams are messing around today

I've noticed a couple of times today they go head to head and colour up loads, then sometimes the female will turn around and wave her tail fin in his face, or they will go side by side and both do it lol. Then they (what looks like) try and bite at each others pectoral fin, all very fast and they keep darting around.

I assume its mating behaviour, whats the best way to encourage it, waterchanges? feed them plenty of bloodworm?

 

[Verminator89]

Live/frozen foods are a good encouragement. Lots of food (without over feeding) stimulates ideal conditions to raise fry. Other will be abel to give more information i'm sure.

 

[PDSimon]

Cheers James,

Forgot to mention there gills flare up and theres lots of head twitching. I never knew they did that

they're fighting as I write this, they keep twisting around each other ridiculously fast I can see some torn fins coming soon...

 

[PDSimon]

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZcV-qnm8A8[/youtube]

Interesting behaviour They seem to be spending more time together generally too.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Thanks for posting the pics and videos of your Rams. I am following a similar evolution as you - mine seem to be getting used to my ugly mug coming around, so they are not quite as shy 9 days in. I am also trying to figure out the sex of mine...not much luck so far. But they are still young.

Have you seen yours do any breeding yet?

Have your shrimp survived the tank with the Cichlids, or did they become food?

 

[PDSimon]

They havn't bred yet, they still havn't 'paired', they seem to dislike each other mostly That flirting behaviour in the previous video was when they got on the most...but nothing came from it! I'm starting to think the male ram is homosexual

Amano shrimp are ok with bolivian rams, although they probably will eat smaller shrimp. Cockatoos on the other hand will eat the shrimp but mine are too small yet. Their presence had made the shrimp very shy though, I barley see them

 

[Gvilleguy]

Maybe you need to have "The Birds and Bees Talk" with that male Ram!

 

[PDSimon]

I could tell the sex of mine by looking at their breeding tubes, or not their breeding tubes if its the male...