Paired fish question for multiple pairs

Kasrift

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 2, 2022
Messages
9,958
Reaction score
16,017
Location
San Diego
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I have a general question I've been mulling on. Often times male species of fish have a really good color display when paired, such as wrasses, or a fun display of fins like mandarin gobies. I know fish get more territorial when mating, would it generally be a bad idea to always have multiple mated pairs of different species?

Ignore the idea of space, just curious if you were to stock a tank with only pairs in order to see some of nature's displays of colors and antics for pairs would that be problematic. For example, I love my starry blenny and heard males turn white on display during mating. They are already kind of jerks, would having mated pairs of clowns, blennies, wrasses, mandarins, etc cause for a never ending turf war in an aquarium?

I'd kind of like my next tank to always have a Noah's ark of fish so they have friends. My individual fish seem lonelier.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
96,707
Reaction score
215,505
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
15   0   0
I have a general question I've been mulling on. Often times male species of fish have a really good color display when paired, such as wrasses, or a fun display of fins like mandarin gobies. I know fish get more territorial when mating, would it generally be a bad idea to always have multiple mated pairs of different species?

Ignore the idea of space, just curious if you were to stock a tank with only pairs in order to see some of nature's displays of colors and antics for pairs would that be problematic. For example, I love my starry blenny and heard males turn white on display during mating. They are already kind of jerks, would having mated pairs of clowns, blennies, wrasses, mandarins, etc cause for a never ending turf war in an aquarium?

I'd kind of like my next tank to always have a Noah's ark of fish so they have friends. My individual fish seem lonelier.
Perhaps so as paired fish are generally territorial especially clowns, blennies and damsels.
 

Tamberav

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
10,780
Reaction score
16,238
Location
Duluth, MN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a general question I've been mulling on. Often times male species of fish have a really good color display when paired, such as wrasses, or a fun display of fins like mandarin gobies. I know fish get more territorial when mating, would it generally be a bad idea to always have multiple mated pairs of different species?

Ignore the idea of space, just curious if you were to stock a tank with only pairs in order to see some of nature's displays of colors and antics for pairs would that be problematic. For example, I love my starry blenny and heard males turn white on display during mating. They are already kind of jerks, would having mated pairs of clowns, blennies, wrasses, mandarins, etc cause for a never ending turf war in an aquarium?

I'd kind of like my next tank to always have a Noah's ark of fish so they have friends. My individual fish seem lonelier.

Many wrasses often turn male even when another male is present and this can end in death. Wrasses also don't really 'pair' like clowns do. They live in a harem.

Here is a great resource that goes more in depth:


but yes, many types of fish can be paired, cardinals, gobies, jawfish, have seen angelfish harems, etc.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top