# Help with Julidochromis broken pair bond.



## Keeper_of_Cichlids (Nov 3, 2018)

It seems my paired J. transcriptus have divorced after yesterday's water change (~60%). After some fighting, the female drove the male out of their cave. I was hoping there was enough space and rock work for the male to reside, but the female actively seeks him out to pick at him. The male is now in the upper corner of the tank.

I would hate for him to get bullied to death and am hoping anyone has some advice on what to do. I have spare tanks (20 long), but do not have anything set up to be able to move anyone at the moment. Is there anything I can do to help them find love again? Will they naturally pair back up, or are broken bonds permanent?

If not, should I fill a 20L and move one of my filters over for the bullied male? It would be bare-bottom with no lights or decorations.

The earliest I would be able to set up something up for him to permanently live in would be tomorrow morning. Thanks for any advice!

Tank:
55 gal with two aq70's
8 X P. nigripinnis
1 X A. Calvus
2 X J. transcriptus
1 X Bristlenose pleco
*all fish are juveniles

pH: 8.2 0/0/5


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to C-F

You stated the fish are all juveniles. Did you buy several Julies and a pair formed? Or did you start with 2?

Definitely setup the extra tank, especially if the exiled fish cannot leave the upper corner without being attacked. You could also try removing the aggressor.


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## Keeper_of_Cichlids (Nov 3, 2018)

Hi, and thank you for the feedback!

I started with 2. Prior to this water change, they showed no signs of aggression and seemed to readily pair up. Maybe I misread their behavior (see video from 1 month ago), but I'll definitely move one out ASAP. Are you aware of some bonds forming back once broken?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Typically, you start out with 6+ individuals and allow a pair to form. Not all fish are 'compatible' with one another so you need to give them options. At that point, you either remove the pair to their own tank, or the extras. In larger tanks you may have more than 1 pair existing.

Your Julies certainly looked to be a couple. Pair bonds do break down. This is common especially in south and Central American cichlids, where a tank divider is often used when needed. I have limited experience with Tanganyikan fish, so I cannot confidently say if these fish would ever be compatible. Best bet would be to remove 1 until you can source a few more. After you quarantine the newcomers, add all the julies together into the 55. Let them sort it out.

Also, your fish appear to be Julidichromis Marlieri 'Gombe' which used to be considered Transcriptus. Hopefully someone more experienced chimes in on this.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

When clicking on the video I get a "Video Unavailable" error message ...

When looking at the fish in the poster frame for the video, the fish appears very similar pattern-wise (checkerboard) to 6 fish that were sold to me as J. transcriptus ... but Iggy may well be correct as to the identification.

FWIW, I also have a pair of J. transcriptus "Zambia" which I recently picked up that have a different pattern (barred vertically only, rather than checkerboard)

I would remove the targeted fish asap ... I recently lost a J. ornatus that got killed off in less than 24 hours after I first noticed it hovering at the top front corner.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Here's what I'm referring to-
https://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/ ... hp?id=1537

It's a dwarf form of Marlieri. I do have some, but no pictures to share.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Here's what I'm referring to-
> https://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/ ... hp?id=1537
> 
> It's a dwarf form of Marlieri. I do have some, but no pictures to share.


Heheheh ... interesting ... :thumb:

Those look a lot like the "Zambia" transcriptus I have.

I'm going to have to do some studying up to properly differentiate.

The original ones I bought as J. transcriptus look like the fish in my avatar.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

cichlidae.com shows that Transcriptus is only native from 3 localities in Congo. Marlieri from the country Zambia. Many localities. It's confusing


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## Keeper_of_Cichlids (Nov 3, 2018)

wryan said:


> Iggy Newcastle said:
> 
> 
> > Here's what I'm referring to-
> ...


My pair were also sold as transcriptus "Zambia". Here's a more recent image of the aggressor since the video didn't work:










Regardless, thanks you for your advice! I set up the 20 and now I just have to pull out all the rock work to net one of them. :?


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