Display - breeding or aggression?

[BTBarney]

I purchased a "pair" of Apisto. viejita at the Sacramento Findig (woo woo!) and brought them into work in an Eclipse 6 (a bit small, but I thought I'd try it and see what happened). I say pair because it is in fact a male and female, although breeding-pair status is undetermined.

Well, a week later the male looks like he's ready to go and the female doesn't. He's colored up a bit with an orange patch above the lateral line and anterior to the dorsal fin, blue spangles abound. She is decidedly not yellow.

Periodically, when I'm not doing paperwork, I look up and see him in front of her, his body in an "S" shape, whapping his caudal fin in her face. Her normal response to this treatment is to go and hide deep in the java moss. My question is - is this his attempt at being sexy? Or is he chasing her off to make room for a female who's "in the mood"?

Water conditions: ph around 5.5, virtually no hardness (I get DI from the tap in my lab, add a small amount of BW extract), 82 deg. Fahrenheit

Aquarium: Eclipse 6, 4mm deep sand substrate, two small rocks, two-fist sized clump of java moss. ( do I need a small flowerpot saucer?)

 

[Neil]

BTBarney,
Hey, I didn't realize that it was you that came over on the Sunday of the Findig.

My question is - is this his attempt at being sexy? Or is he chasing her off to make room for a female who's "in the mood"?

Yes, he is probably trying to be sexy. That tail whipping move can be a sign that fish are saying "don't mess around with me" in the case of an territorial intruder or "come on and mess around with me" in the case of the species potential partner.

Water conditions: ph around 5.5, virtually no hardness (I get DI from the tap in my lab, add a small amount of BW extract), 82 deg. Fahrenheit

Great water conditions for viejita. You probably don't need it quite that warm, though.

Aquarium: Eclipse 6, 4mm deep sand substrate, two small rocks, two-fist sized clump of java moss. ( do I need a small flowerpot saucer?)

Yes, I would add a couple of caves for spawning and, if there is signs of alot of aggression, I would add a little more structure. Both the male and the female don't have alot of room to run in that size tank, if their partner gets tough with them. So hiding places are important.

Good luck with them!
Neil