# Strange Severum Behavior



## Olpgv (Dec 1, 2013)

Hello! This is my first post on this site, so I'll try to keep it short and simple. Everything was going normally in my tank the last couple days until my Severums started sectioning off the left side of my aquarium. After they closed off that section of the tank they began meticulously picking at the slate rock in the area as well as shaking their heads and nipping at each other.

My question is are my Severums showing mating behavior? If so, is it uncommon for two female Severums to lay eggs even if there is no male present? I've heard of some other fish species doing this, but I'm not sure if Severums do. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/Vgplo ... 1.jpg.html

Here's the link for a picture for the two of them, my apologies if the pictures themselves are a bit fuzzy, my camera isn't the greatest.

(SO SORRY! This is a re-post due to the fact that I didn't see the South American thread!)


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

Your pictures are not displaying. Please check the link.


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## Darkskies (Mar 17, 2012)

For some reason, I get an error message when I click on the link.


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## Olpgv (Dec 1, 2013)

My apologies
http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/Vgplo ... sort=3&o=0
try this one, I hope it works.


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

Hi,
I lightened up your pics to bring out the details and I can see that at least one (orange/yellow chest in pic 1 and 2) is a female (blunt, wide ovipositor). The other (darker one in the foreground in pic 3) is harder to tell but looks to have a thinner breeding tube, angled somewhat back. So it could be a male. You should take a couple more pics, closer up, especially of the head area if possible. Males have (pretty much always) wavy lines and specks on their cheeks and nose, females lack them. Also, the sides of the male have horizontal rows of dark dots (see my male), the female lacks these. Here are the lighter versions of your pics. As to your question, yes, females can lay eggs together if they are both ready and there are no males present. I'll include a pic after yours of a pair of my Heros efasciatus for comparison. The female is lower right.


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## Olpgv (Dec 1, 2013)

notho2000 said:


> Hi,
> I lightened up your pics to bring out the details and I can see that at least one (orange/yellow chest in pic 1 and 2) is a female (blunt, wide ovipositor). The other (darker one in the foreground in pic 3) is harder to tell but looks to have a thinner breeding tube, angled somewhat back. So it could be a male. You should take a couple more pics, closer up, especially of the head area if possible. Males have (pretty much always) wavy lines and specks on their cheeks and nose, females lack them. Also, the sides of the male have horizontal rows of dark dots (see my male), the female lacks these. Here are the lighter versions of your pics. As to your question, yes, females can lay eggs together if they are both ready and there are no males present. I'll include a pic after yours of a pair of my Heros efasciatus for comparison. The female is lower right.


Though I'm not able to get pictures at the moment (fish are deciding to be uncooperative) from the information you have provided it seems that I have two females. I can assume this myself with the information you provided because I caught them both in the act of laying eggs though the smaller one managed to seize control of the rock from the larger, longer finned severum.

I assume since there's no male in the tank that the eggs will soon become lunch sadly. Oh well, not much you can do about these things!


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