Dwarf pike Breeding question

[Aquatopia]

I have an odd pair of Dwarf pike that came in as wallacei that may be cr. orinco or something even different. Is there a mating dance that dwarf pikes do? These two who act like a pair have begun attaking the other tankmates and swimming up to eachother, swimming up and then floating down lifeless infront of the other and taking turns with this pseudodeathdance of sorts. It's hillarious and I tried to catch it on film but only got it for a second.

Part two- I doubt that these two dwarf pike are even a pair- the one who acts like a male has an eyespot on his dorsal fin- not like the females who has three circled in red- just one slightly faint black mark. They even share a pvc pipe but noone else dares to get close.

 

[gerald]

I had some like that in the late 80s - female dorsal had one large distinct spot and two small spots surrounded by red rings, and the male's dorsal had a black smudge (like several small spots smeared together) surrounded mainly by white and some faint traces of red. He also had elongated front dorsal spines, dark I think. They bloated and died before I got fry, but they acted pair-like for the year or so I had them. So I think yours are a pair, and hopefully the same species. We called them "C. dorsiocellata" back then but I never knew the true ID.

 

[Aquatopia]

THanks for the encouragement- did yours ever do that strange dance?

 

[gerald]

No, I recall circling and flaring behavior like most cichlids, but never saw the sinking drift dance you describe.
That sounds more like what certain Anabantoids and marine pelagic-spawning fish often do.

 

[aquaticclarity]

I wonder if the tank height the pikes are kept in has anything to do with the sinking dance? I've had a few different dwarf pikes spawn for me but never saw this behavior either but they were all kept in 12"-13" tall tanks (30 breeders or similar).

 

[dwarfpike]

I've never see that behavior in any of the species I've kept, which were all in 16"-18" depth tanks. I had some pairing, but no breeding though so that might explain it.

 

[Aquatopia]

I was so close to catching it on video yesterday! No spawning or otherwise weirdness- Just their general pairness- the one I think is a male has his dorsal spot really faded-while the female is super brigt black and red. They do the sinking dance for eachother every now and then but nothing else. I 'd love to get it on camera.