Hiding male

[Me]

My husband has a 55 gallon tank, he had a pair of Pelvicachromis taeniatus "Ndonga". The female died of unkown causes.

We recently purchased a pair of Pelvicachromis taeniatus "Kienke".

The Ndonga male chases the Kienke male.
I feel bad for the Kienke male. He hides almost all of the time. He comes out to eat, but then hides again.

There are alot of hiding places, very well planted and lots of rock, also some driftwood.
You can see the tank on my web site:
http://www.hometown.aol.com/Cutensmiley1976/CrazyAboutFish.html
Just click on Doni's tank.

Should these two not be in the same tank :?:
Is this normal :?:

Also, if we could find a Ndonga female, would the Ndonga male leave the Kienke male alone :?:

 

[Neil]

Me,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I would take the Ndonga out. Pairbonding is a critical issue with taeniatus species-forms. Too much domination by a 3rd fish could mean a difficult time for the male Kienke to successfully bond with the female.
If you can find a female for the lone male, it still would be wise to house the 2 species-forms seperately.
Neil

 

[Me]

Thank-you Neil.

I had a feeling that they needed to be seperated.

Currently there are no other available tanks, but hopefully there will be soon.

 

[Randall]

Pelvicachromis taeniatus male aggression

Dear Me,

It sounds like Mr. Ndonga is encroaching on Mr. Kienke's territory. I agree with Neil. Perhaps it would be best to relocate Mr. Ndonga and get him another girlfriend in time.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn