Fighting Females?

[wass29]

I went to my LFS on Friday while on my lunch break and they had just recieved 6 Apisto Borelli's ( all of these fish are about 3/4 of an inch long) I did my best to pick out 1 male and three females to put into my 10 gallon in the office. I left them alone over the weekend with the light on a timer. This morning when I came in I have one male for sure, his colors are true to a male borelli according to what i've read and the pictures i've seen. The other ones i'm not so sure of. While I was watching the other fish I think they were fighting but it looked real funny to me, they were almost backing into each other and swimming around backwards towards each other. Both of these fish have a yellow body with black stripes on them, the third fish looks the same but was not competing in this game with the others.

Is there a for sure way that I can tell the gender of these other fish without waiting six months to see them grow up.

 

[Mike Wise]

Female borellii can be sexually mature at 3/4". What you are seeing is competition for breeding territory by the 2 most dominant females. The other fish should be removed. It obviously is the 'low man on the totem pole'. Personally, I think that even a trio of borellii is too many for a 10.

 

[depthc]

I think a trio in a 10 gallon is to many also. Ive got a pair in a 10 gallon and they do fine with no crowding but with the addition of another female or two as you have in your tank i can see things getting complicated. Relocate two of the females and hopefully the 'shy' one colors up more in a larger tank.

Andrew