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Has anyone seen Siamese Algae Eaters mate?
Mine clearly seem to be mating. The activity is between a larger (which I presume is the female) and a smaller (I guess is the male). The fish swim side by side with all fins extended and vibrating. Eventually the male rolls into the female and they break apart momentarily. They quickly resume the side by side position. They usually swim in the same direction (ie head to head and tail to tail) but occasionally they reverse and swim around in a circle. They continue this behavior for quite some time ( 10 – 15 minutes).
I was quite sure this was mating behavior because it was nothing like the territorial chasing that they normally do. In fact I didn’t think anything about it since fish are always mating in my tank.
When I went to look up the mating behavior of the SAE I found that it has not been reported!
I decided to check the fish out more carefully but every time I get close to the tank they duck into the plants and stop the behavior. I cannot confirm seeing any eggs yet.
Mine clearly seem to be mating. The activity is between a larger (which I presume is the female) and a smaller (I guess is the male). The fish swim side by side with all fins extended and vibrating. Eventually the male rolls into the female and they break apart momentarily. They quickly resume the side by side position. They usually swim in the same direction (ie head to head and tail to tail) but occasionally they reverse and swim around in a circle. They continue this behavior for quite some time ( 10 – 15 minutes).
I was quite sure this was mating behavior because it was nothing like the territorial chasing that they normally do. In fact I didn’t think anything about it since fish are always mating in my tank.
When I went to look up the mating behavior of the SAE I found that it has not been reported!
I decided to check the fish out more carefully but every time I get close to the tank they duck into the plants and stop the behavior. I cannot confirm seeing any eggs yet.