Quote:
Originally posted by JohnM99
My question is - was this dip in feeding just a feature of a fish getting acclimated to a new tank, or was it perhaps the start of a dominance pattern? Was this slightly larger one becoming established as the male, and deferring in feeding a bit to the female?
Thanks
John
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At this point neither have changed sex yet, they are not old enough.
It is hard to say if the feeding behavior is the result of acclimation stress or dominance issues. If the slightly smaller fish was competing for the food and the larger did not eat as a result, then yes you can safely assume it was a result of dominance behavior.
What you are using is a grow out technique since there is not a significant difference in size. With this technique the dominate fish will generally be the larger fish, but it is quite possible that the small will be dominate and sooner or later out grow the larger fish.
From what you describe they are still acting like they are in a large group with neither really getting after the relationship building. This will end sooner or later, likely when they are 110% comfortable with the new tank. It sounds like they are compatible, and you should have a good pair in a couple of months.
HTH