Female bending for another female?

[emo]

Over the past couple of weeks, whenever my two female platys get close... the smaller one begins to bend into an S shape, with her head facing away from the bigger platy.

She'll do this almost every time they get near... especially during feeding. When I first saw it, i thought her spine was bent.. but it's perfectally normal and straight! She just bends into this S shape, then darts away... or sometimes will follow the other, continuing to bend.

A bit of back story... the bigger platy would often chase the smaller one and try and nip her. For the past month or so, this has completely swapped round, and the smaller one will often chase the bigger one! There's been absolutely no fin or scale damage to either, and they are not stressed at all, no clamping.

Edit: Sorry for the dreadful pics... had to take a video to catch her in the act!

All that's in the (10g) tank at the moment are the two females and a male dwarf gourami. I have read swordtails can change sex but are usually infertile... i'm pretty sure these are platys, but someone said they look a lot like swordies... so is this possible?

Or are they just messing around with me!

 

[betta_CT]

are you 100% sure its a female?
some times females can change sex and become a male take a look and see if she is changeing in to a he.

 

[Zenn]

Right this is a case of domination and territoral protection

When a livebearer goes into a rigid shape, erecting their fins to their full extent and bending there body to a 'S' shape it is to warn off a intruder to back away, if the intruder does not back away the fish will lunge forward, not attack, but as a final warning, they will do this a couple of times, if the fish does not get the hint after a few lunges it will not be a pretty sight...

I have it regular with my swordtails, they erect their fins and form a rigid 'S' shape and swim around each off in a stand off, they will lunge for one another, but before it gets too ugly they both break off and tend to swim to opposite ends of the tank

Courting cant be confused when it being a male and a female, you know its a male when you look at the anal fin, it is a tubula then you have a male and it if is a triangle normal looking anal fin, then that is a female

Now normally a male will try and court a female by erecting his fins only, the female will then either erect her fins and also go into making the 'S' shap to tel the male to f*** off basically, she will also make slapping like motions with her fins towards him, ou will never get a female that is 100% willing to mate with the male, but mating nromally occurs by the male chasing the female around the ank, throwing his stuff in her direction when close to her...

Just watch your fish, see how long they stand off for, you can tell by the amount of time they are at it how serous they are...

If it goes on for 30 second to a 1 minute, you may wish to consider moving them to seperate tanks before they kill one another

If they only do it for serveral seconds, then they should be fine, from time to time they will chase one another off, but they wont hurt one another

I hope this is of help to you and good luck

 

[emo]

Ahh, excellent... thanks Zenn!

It only really happens at feeding time... and a lot of the time it is broken up by the dwarf gourami.

As I said there's been no damage at all to either of them so far, so hopefully they will both be ok!


Thanks again!