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Male rainbow darters sparring

Started by Guest_NotCousteau_* , May 26 2014 10:06 PM

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23 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:06 PM

These are my first rainbow darters so everything they do fascinates me. I looked away for a second and when I looked back, these two guys were super colored up (more than I've ever seen them) and started sparring. The three female rainbows are completely entranced by the sparring. Not sure what got them in the mood.

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#2 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:12 PM

More pics:

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#3 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:36 PM

I can't stop watching!

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#4 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:38 PM

Great photo series. They look really fired up, and apparently like kicking sand in each others face.

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#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:44 PM

The females look really washed out. I have never seen them spawn before, do the males go super color, and the females lose pigment? I guess I mean that the females are blanched out more than if they were in a white bucket, is this their sexy dress?

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#6 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 10:53 PM

Thanks! The females have looked like this since I got them three weeks ago, so I'm not sure. Never had rainbow darters before.

I noticed that the males liked to periodically blow into the sand and send it billowing up. Lots of fin flaring and nipping and circling, like with other fish. No major damage.

The sparring finally ended after about 30 minutes. I think the male with the more colorful dorsal fin won. The other one swam away and the winner stayed in the area of the fight with two females. Third female is off in her own world. Loser male is sitting off to the side with his dorsal lowered, and swam through the fight area a few times and was promptly chased away by the winning male.

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#7 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:02 PM

Actually, the third female who has been off on her own for the last half of the sparring is a darker brown with the mottled coloration.

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#8 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:13 PM

This is really cool. So the non breeding female was not as washed out?

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#9 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:21 PM

Those are some nice-looking rainbows. It's great that you're getting the full spawning colors and behavior in your tank.

When I have observed rainbows spawning in the wild, I have never noticed washed out females. I would guess that it might have more to do with the white sand in the tank.

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#10 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:23 PM

Top pic is the third female who left mid-fight. I couldn't get a good picture because she's been swimming back and forth nonstop. I think she is more brown with bronze/gold accents than the two females who stuck around the fight.

Bottom pic is one of the two females who stuck around the fight. They're both pale like this. (I should've mentioned in my previous post that I've seen them switch between these two levels of coloration since I've had them.) I have no clue what any of this really means, but it's been fun to watch. I have bred tropicals before so I'm not totally green, but I just have no experience with darters.

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#11 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:25 PM

White sand is definitely a possibility. I waffled between dark and white substrate when I set this tank up. I just live the white sand. Do you think a darker substrate would make a big difference?

Thanks for all of your interest! Been a fun night. Ha.

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#12 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:48 PM

Yes a darker substrate will make a big difference in coloration with most native fish, and even more so with bottom dwellers.

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#13 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 26 May 2014 - 11:51 PM

People who photo fish try to keep them in a dark colored container right up until the moment they photo them to keep the fish from washing out.

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#14 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 27 May 2014 - 12:20 AM

Darn. I read some commentary on light vs dark but didn't know it could play such a big role. Maybe I'll swap or add dark substrate at some point. Thanks for the info.

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#15 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 27 May 2014 - 01:07 AM

I wouldn't worry about it too much. The females are never going to look that great anyway. It's the males that have all the color, and they're obviously already looking great in your tank.

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#16 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 27 May 2014 - 07:02 AM

I dont think you need to change anything if you are getting that kind of high male color and sparring... that means you are providing the best conditions...and although your females don't look spawning fat to me, they are nice and healthy looking... so you are doing all your job correctly!

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#17 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 27 May 2014 - 09:06 AM

Thanks for the info, guys! Good to know.

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#18 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 27 May 2014 - 03:23 PM

I agree. I would not change the sand either, just to get a slightly better looking female. Maybe if it bugs you, sprinkle some black sand over some areas.