Peacock Goby Behaviour.

[Captain Pelvis]

Hi this is my first post here, i have been reading for a while and have found many of the peacock goby threads interesting as well as other species of goby.

I have 35l Arcadia Arc with a large piece of slate in the centre, well planted with several different species of plants and then the filter which comes with the tank and an extra fluval 1. I was wondering if this flow is a bit much for the Peacocks? In with them there are around 12 cherry shrimps maybe more maybe less.

Anyway back onto the topic i have 3 peacocks, 1 male, 2 females, They have been in there about 5 or 6 days and seem very happy. There is half a coconut in the corner which is for the male to have as a cave. He uses it but when i fed them this mornig the usual frozen bloodworm i couldnt see the male. He wasnt in the cave i checked with a torch so i left the room. When i re-entered he was there eating alongside the females but i didnt know where he had been. Then i noticed a gap next to the slate. He has obviously dug a large cave which goes well inder the slate so maybe he is preparing for breeding? One of the females is really plump...

The weird thing is i though you had to supply peacocks with caves but he made his own which i havent read about. I knew gobies did it because my stiphodons in my main tank dig under the bogwood.

Can some1 shed some light on this?

thanks

 

[Captain Pelvis]

Hi all just a quick update,

Earlier this evening when i went to feed the fish only one female was out, i checked the coconut but still just the one female. The male and the plump female i guess are in his newly made cave. If she returns tommorow looking slightly less colourful and skinnier then i am going to assume they have bred. I have read that if this is the case he will be in there for over a week till the babies hatch. What is the appropraite way to look after the fry and can anyone help in feeding baby peacocks (i was thinking something like bannana worms?).

thanks.

 

[Essjay]

I have some of these fish. I had read that they like small crevices or caves to breed, one site suggested using half to three quarter inch plastic tubing. So I bought some slate caves from a member on here, he made me some 1 x 1 x 3 inches. Presumably a coconut cave is too big for their liking so yours have chosen to make their own small cave.

They've spawned in one three times so far. They disappear into their cave and sit side by side for ages, then rub against each other, then sit still again. They've usually laid the eggs between bedtime and breakfast time. Then the male takes over the cave, fanning the eggs with his fins.
The site I'd read said the eggs hatched in 24 to 48 hours, so the first time, after 36 hours, I removed the male and put the cave into a breeding net but the eggs were all dead the following day.
The next time I moved the father as well as the cave, and six and a half days later, they hatched. So far they are doing well on microworms.
A week later, they spawned again, but this time I did nothing. The eggs were there at bedtime after five days, but gone the following morning. I don't know if they hatched overnight and were eaten, or if the eggs themselves were eaten. Their tankmates are 8 amano shrimps, two nerite snails, three celestial pearl danios and two microrasboras (the remains of larger shoals).
I don't know if your cherry shrimps would eat the fry - my amanos probably would, they're so tiny. Also, I don't now if the adults would, but my guess would be yes.

My fry are now three weeks old. Some of them have died, but there are still plenty going strong. They are in a home made breeding net I made when I had livebearers. It's a lot bigger than a bought one and Ive put java moss and a moss ball in there. I understand that the fry are slow growing - I still need a magniying glass to see them properly!

 

[Captain Pelvis]

Hi cheers for that, i know my cherrys wont harm any fry as they just eat the algae. Also after 2 days my male and female have reamurged does this mean they have bred. i thought the male would ahve to of stayed in there to tend the eggs...but instead he is kind of guarding the entrance but also swimming around and flaring his fins at the females. does this mean they should be removed before he gets aggressive? he nipped one of them earlier...i dont want them to get hurt.

thanks

 

[Essjay]

I'm not an expert as I've only had mine for 7 weeks. When I first got them, the larger pair were showing pre spawning behaviour, sitting together in a tiny flowerpot (before I got the slate caves) in the quarantine tank. They only actualy spawned in their proper tank once I'd got the caves.
The male only leaves the cave for short periods after they've spawned, mainly to chase away any fish that get too near, including the females. From what happened with the first spawn, it looks as though the eggs need the male to fan them or they die. When I say fan them, what he was doing was actually ruffling them with his fins - the eggs are attached to the cave by a very short strand so they wobble about when he does this. After the eggs have hatched/been eaten, a couple of days later he's back to chasing the females and seeing off the other, slightly smaller male (who hasn't spawned yet).
I wouldn't worry about yours too much yet. My large male guards 'his' cave whether there are eggs or not. He doesn't like it if the other male goes near it. He also chases the females but they don't seem to come to much harm. In fact the larger one is ready to spawn again after about a week!

 

[Captain Pelvis]

thanks for that my male "bruce" has been under his slate peeping out at the females and if they come to close he shoots out and flares his fins and moves sideways to get them away. its very sweet. the other non breedign female was naughty earlier filling in his cave with sand so he shot back out being angry and now he is patrolling the top of the slate making sure no one goes near it. for a first time i think i is a good dad.

thanks