Puzzled again. Cacatuoides trio.

[Karin]

As the fry gone after a few days I decided to fish out the five guppies that I had on my tank. May be they were the ones which ate the babies…or aunty Lady#2, or the very father… anyway, it wasn’t that easy to fish out the last very pregnant female guppy but I did it. So, I am waiting for a next spawn. Whiling to fish out the second female if needed… and/or the father. Two or three days have gone by. And the two females are gorgeous, yellow now, dark later, fighting each other at the very middle of the tank and eating and playing together as well. Surprisingly the male who usually acts very “manliness”, is acting shy, totally hidden and pale… the females even chase him!!! What is going on? Is he ill? Or dither fish are that important?

Two weeks ago I bought three pencil fish to replace guppies (they are still in quarantine). But I thought maybe they shouldn’t be put in tank in case they it fry too? I am not sure if they are trifasciatus still very young or marginatus (first time on Nannostomus too). Should I put them in the tank to help the male be a male again??? Will they eat fry if I have the chance to have fry?


Thanks all!!

 

[Mike Wise]

My guess is that both females have eggs. Both females are trying to expand their brood territory at the expense of the other. My guess, without seeing how your tank is decorated, is that there isn't a good territorial boundary that blocks line-of-sight between the 2 females' territories. The male, wisely, is staying out of the frakus. Personally, I doubt that the guppies wiped out you last batch of fry. They normally stay in the upper half the the water collumn. Besides their up-turned mouths are conducive to preying of bottom dwelling fry. My guess is that intraspecies territorial aggression caused loss of the fry.

 

[Karin]

Thanks Mike, for your answer... the females are certainly fighting, there is clearly one dominating. Nevertheless they seem to stand each other. The male hides as fast as he can! (In terror?). No female is inside any cave. Do they could be having eggs anyway? May be I ll fish out one of them... Here are a few bad pictures of the tank. And the best one I could take of my Nannostomus.

 

[gerald]

well I sure DONT think that lack of visual barriers is the problem! One or both females just wants more space than 1/2 the tank.
I can't tell if your pencilfish is marginatus or trifasciatus, but both of those are usually relatively fairly safe (can I add more qualifiers?) with Apisto fry.

 

[Karin]

Hi Gerald! Yap, my tanks usualy are a green mess, love that! Well, I fish out lady#2 an hour ago... and the male and Lady#1 entered into one of the caves... will see!! I' ll be around for sure. Thanks for your reply!

PS: I will let in the tank just the couple... I'll wait to add the pencil fish (which I am already in love with)