Any chance my Female A. Baenschi is a Male?

[Kazarak]

Ok I've been on here a few times about my Baenschis and I am still having trouble. After my last post about his injury they had been doing well and getting along but all of the sudden today they have done a 180 and the male is now being aggressive to the "female". She is hiding and when she shows he instantly chases her off. If he can't get to her he whaps his tail in the area she is hiding. I have included some pictures of her in hopes you guys can help me identify her. I appreciate any advice you someone with experience could offer. These fish are really making me work.

These pictures are a few weeks ago because right now I can't see her.

 

[Kazarak]

This is a video I just took tonight. This is entirely new behavior as of today. They have been together for 6 months.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

This is entirely new behavior as of today.

He is trying to impress her, he has put is fins up and turned sideways on too show how big and impressive he is, and then the body shimmy is to waft pheromones in her direction.

She is hiding and when she shows he instantly chases her off. If he can't get to her he whaps his tail in the area she is hiding.

Maybe she wasn't impressed? Alternatively he has "decided" she isn't going to mate with him, so is trying to drive her out of his territory and wait for another more receptive female to swim into it, he doesn't "know" that there isn't another female.

help me identify her.

Definitely female.

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Note that A. baenschi is a nijsseni-group species. The species in this group can be rather 'choosy' about their breeding partner. Also realize that it is the female who decides on which male with which she wants to breed. It appears that your 2 fish are not especially compatible. Males will then try to drive an unwilling female from his territory in hopes that another, more willing, female will swim into his territory.

 

[Kazarak]

That’s what has been so strange about this pair. They seem to have gone through a phase of compatibility and then a phase where she was willing and he wasn’t. Now they seem to be in a phase where he is willing and she isn’t. I guess it’s time to try a different pairing. Would you guys suggest a new male or female?

 

[Kazarak]

Alright I am going to separate and trade them back in this evening. The store I go to has a decent selection of Apistos so I guess this is turning into a question about what would be a great pair of Apistos to start off learning to breed with. They have a pair of Apistogramma Pebas that looks interesting to me. Would that be a good way to go? They also have Blue Rams that look interesting. What would be a good starting point?

 

[Mike Wise]

Of commercially readily available species, I suggest either A. borellii or A. cacatuoides. A. cf. ortegai (Pebas), as we apistophiles now call it, could work but males can be somewhat aggressive.