Argentea problem

[DMD123]

I am having an issue with my little Argentea. At the rate its going I fear for its life.

Here is an idea of the size difference between my Midas and Argentea:


Last night the Argenteas tube had dropped and looked different than the pics this morning, It looked to be a fully extended egg tube and it seemed "she" was interested in "hooking up" with the Midas who was totally ignoring the advances.




Her lower throat area is dark and she is getting chased by the Midas. They will face off on each other and then he chases but to me he doesnt seem interested, just seems she is in his space and he chases her out but she continues to come at him.

So here I sit at work wondering whats going on in my tank at home... There is a place where the Argentea can hide and the Midas cant get to her but she just doesnt seem to have the sense to hide. I was wondering about the torn fin the other day and I have my answer.

This was the last thing I wanted, a female in the tank. Why does this happen to me? Not the first time... Had a female Convict at one point also a Cutteri.

Enough of my ranting, I hope the Midas doesn't kill the Argentea before I get home to be able to move some fish around.

 

[Madness]

No killing. You should look to see if she laid eggs. Fin may be ripped cause she wanted to spawn. So the tube down and then back to where the pic shows means she already laid the eggs, or he wouldnt accommodate so she pulled the tube back up. My umbee female has been doing that for weeks, and my zonatus female who just spawned again, has hers like that. I dont think you need to worry.

 

[DMD123]

Did not see any eggs on a rock she was cleaning last night. But she is all over the tank could have laid somewhere else I will search around more tonight. I have never seen my Midas react to any other cichlids the way he did to her. He's had a ton of different fish in there at one point or another and never showed the outright mean streak he did to her. I'm sure at some point of all the fish that have been with him there must have been at least another female, just none that were "in the mood".

Maybe we need to get my Argentea with yours and try for some babies...

 

[Madness]

I was thinking that. I know which one is the head male, but as for the other 2. I have know idea.

 

[DMD123]

I kind of had to laugh at the whole situation. When my Midas says "NO!" he means it.

For a female fish I'm very surprised at how interactive she is and how she pushed around my silver dollars in a way that I was sure she was a male.

 

[DMD123]

4pm and the wife got home and said every thing seemed fine, no dead Argentea and apparently it didn't get a beat down. Though the Midas seems kind of grumpy and a little extra aggressive toward the silver dollars. I guess he has a reason, since he did not get any :hugg:

 

[Madness]

Or maybe they did, and you just dont see it.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought that argentea don't breed untill there fairly older. I could have sworn I read somewhere they don't breed untill ther 8 or so inches. But maybe that's just argentea/argentea breeding, maybe not the same with argentea/not argentea breeding.

 

[DMD123]

This female argentea is a total pain in a community tank! She is ALWAYS in everyone's face! She knows where my Midas likes to hang out and she goes into his area pushing rocks around, cleaning off a larger rock in front of him until he gives her the push off nudge. She has been trying to boss the new pearsei around but he is ultra mellow, will not interact with her and runs away.

For how little she is, and being female I'm totally shocked how inquisitive, aggressive and interactive she is. Might just need to breed this little one with one of madness argentea...

And looking back on her care, I realize that in my worry about her hunger strike, I started her on frozen bloodworms which really starting to condition her for breeding. She seems too small to mate but when I moved her from the 120g to the 210g she measured out at almost 6".

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that's probably breedable size. I have read that some argentea are so aggresive they need to be confined in there own tank. I have heard of there aggresion (in select individuals) being that of an agressive guapote. I also read somewhere something about a guy haveing a young argentea growing to 13 inches and said he was able to keep it only with a very aggresive managuense. So from some of the things I have read about them says when they are aggresive, they are really aggresive. I'm happy mine is pretty mellow but he/she is still pretty small. I don't know how small I'm terrible at giving estimates, but I would guess 4 1/2". I hope your chills out a little, its good that your tank is large.

 

[DMD123]

No way yours is only 4 1/2", its at least as big as mine. I think its at least 6", but because of the build of the fish, they just look slimmer and smaller.

This little girl is a trouble maker I dont like her attitude in the tank, I am thinking about replacing her...

 

[Anonymous]

Told ya I was bad a guessing size. Sucks you might be replacing, its nice to have w/c. I hope things work out.

 

[VsKitchen]

Why not try the time out method madness mentioned a bit ago for aggressive fish? Don't you still have a 29 gal that's your hospital tank right now? Might be a good time to try it out.

 

[DMD123]

I have no other aggressive fish to keep her with. It would just be a time out for her in the 29g by herself. And if she shows no fear or respect to an 11" Midas male I am going to have to take her over to madness and put her in with the 15" dovii, whom she will then attempt to mate with.

 

[Madness]

I am going to have to take her over to madness and put her in with the 15" dovii, whom she will then attempt to mate with.

:laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard: :laughhard:
Then that would be one badass hybrid.

 

[Gryphon]

Try pulling them both out, rearranging the tank a bit, then put the Midas in, then the Argentea in. Might help a bit with aggression, though I'm not sure it'll help if its mating aggression.

 

[DMD123]

No need to pull them both out, the Midas 11" male is the peaceful one. The 6" Argentea is the one that cant keep her panties on and doesnt like when the Midas said NO! But she keeps going at him, like she is trying to wear him down... she is a slut what can I say.

 

[Anonymous]

Haha, slutty argentea!!! I think you should give the big tank to yourr midas and your peasei for a few weeks. Let them establish them selves and. change up the tank a little, then add back the argentea. I think this is what gryphon was saying. If I know I have a really aggresive fish going in with other fish that are not as aggresive the most aggresive one is introduced last. Sometimes I will wait a month and during that month I think the other fish establish themselves very well.

Also try dropping the temp a few degrees a lot of the time this restricts the amount of boisterous activity. I really hope it works out for you because I really like the argentea, pearsei combo.... that's why I have it.

 

[DMD123]

She is not an outright killer like the Fens that I had. She doesn't even chase or hurt the pearsei to a point where I would be concerned. She just has a larger than life presence in the tank. Little fish, big personality!

The pearsei seems stressed and I have not seen it really eat, seen an occasional nibble and spit out. He is very shy, hope this changes soon!