Orange Spot Filefish Mated Pair Issues

[RMS18]

4 months ago i picked up a mated pair from Divers Den. The fish are doing very well eating frozen foods.

About 2 weeks ago i noticed the male has been chasing the female a lot. He will chase her around the tank for a good 30 secs quite frequently.

They used to swim together side by side.

He pokes her with his snout when he gets close enough.

Did they get a divorce? Lol

I dont see any damage to the female, any suggestions?

 

[Maddlesrain]

This will happen with mated pairs of fish sometimes. It's most likely that he wants to breed and is starting to harass her but she's not interested. How big is the tank? If the tank is big enough, they'll probably end up being fine, but I'd keep an eye on them because this can really stress the female out. I have a singular orange spotted filefish myself and know that stress can really take a toll on him, so I'd just continue to watch them and maybe separate them if the female continues to be chased and seems to be ailing because of it.

 

[RMS18]

Good information thank you. They are in a 50 gallon. I noticed he wont stop until she swims over to the back right cover near the return. As long as shes in the area he will never go after her. Otherwise id say 60% of the time shes swimming he will go after her.

 

[tj w]

What else do you have in the tank with them? 50 gallons seems to be on the small side.

 

[eatbreakfast]

It's one of 2 situations. The first as suggested above, the male wants to start spawning and the female isn't ready. The other, is that food resources are limited(likely in a tank that small) so the male is defending his food supply.

 

[Maddlesrain]

It could be possible with the food. How often do you feed?

Maybe try adding a few additional feedings throughout the day and see if anything changes.

It really could be tank size as well. When researching my boy I opted not to get him with a mate because he'll be living in a smaller aquarium. I read that sometimes pairs will turn on and kill each other in smaller spaces... but this is the same for most species of fish regardless of if they were previously a mated pair or cordial school. Aquariums just seem to bring out the worst in some fish.

I would try upping the feedings and keeping a close eye on the female. If the behavior continues, or she starts to look worn down, it might be time to separate the two and maybe even decide which one you'd rather keep and find the other a new home.

Before getting rid of one completely, you could attempt removing the male to a separate holding tank for a week or so to allow the female to establish herself more firmly in the display before adding him back and seeing if that keeps him from harassing her.

 

[RMS18]

It could be possible with the food. How often do you feed?

Maybe try adding a few additional feedings throughout the day and see if anything changes.

It really could be tank size as well. When researching my boy I opted not to get him with a mate because he'll be living in a smaller aquarium. I read that sometimes pairs will turn on and kill each other in smaller spaces... but this is the same for most species of fish regardless of if they were previously a mated pair or cordial school. Aquariums just seem to bring out the worst in some fish.

I would try upping the feedings and keeping a close eye on the female. If the behavior continues, or she starts to look worn down, it might be time to separate the two and maybe even decide which one you'd rather keep and find the other a new home.

Before getting rid of one completely, you could attempt removing the male to a separate holding tank for a week or so to allow the female to establish herself more firmly in the display before adding him back and seeing if that keeps him from harassing her.

They are feed 2-3 times a day. Heavy feeding for sure since i currently do not have any sps for them to snack on thanks to dinos. I will be breaking the tank down in a week to start over. I will observe them more in their temp tank.

On the fence about it being the size of the tank however, but this is a fish that doesnt come with a whole lot of hobby experience.

 

[eatbreakfast]

They are feed 2-3 times a day. Heavy feeding for sure since i currently do not have any sps for them to snack on thanks to dinos. I will be breaking the tank down in a week to start over. I will observe them more in their temp tank.

On the fence about it being the size of the tank however, but this is a fish that doesnt come with a whole lot of hobby experience.

They need more frequent feeding. In an sps dominant tank they graze constantly. So either provede more grazing opportunities or feed more frequently.

 

[Maddlesrain]

They are feed 2-3 times a day. Heavy feeding for sure since i currently do not have any sps for them to snack on thanks to dinos. I will be breaking the tank down in a week to start over. I will observe them more in their temp tank.

On the fence about it being the size of the tank however, but this is a fish that doesnt come with a whole lot of hobby experience.

I wouldn't worry about having sps for them. Mine demolished an Acropora millepora coral (their coral of choice), however, I have been lucky so far in keeping a nice birdsnest without him giving it a second glance. Only time will tell if it makes it though.

I think they'd benefit more from smaller feedings throughout the day rather than heavy as they seem to have small-ish stomachs and tire of eating quickly. What are you feeding them?

Mine really likes:
- brine shrimp (both regular and spirulina)
- the marine cuisine cubes
- formula one
- bloodworms

He'll chase the smallest pellets I feed a bit when the other fish start a frenzy, but will either not bite or spit them back out.

Try the more frequent feedings and see if that helps with aggression! I've been able to fix multiple aggression issues with other fish in the past by feeding and distracting the bully. The change in tank and the overall redo might just do the trick as well! IMO it's the best method of ending aggression. It doesn't always hold out, but I feel there's better opportunity for the fish to get an equal footing in the new territories. Again, maybe adding the female a couple days prior could be beneficial.

They need more frequent feeding. In an sps dominant tank they graze constantly. So either provede more grazing opportunities or feed more frequently.

+1 to more feedings. I feed my tank about 5 times a day manually now, but really need more so am adding an automatic feeder that will feed in small increments about 7-10 times per day.

 

[RMS18]

I wouldn't worry about having sps for them. Mine demolished an Acropora millepora coral (their coral of choice), however, I have been lucky so far in keeping a nice birdsnest without him giving it a second glance. Only time will tell if it makes it though.

I think they'd benefit more from smaller feedings throughout the day rather than heavy as they seem to have small-ish stomachs and tire of eating quickly. What are you feeding them?

Mine really likes:
- brine shrimp (both regular and spirulina)
- the marine cuisine cubes
- formula one
- bloodworms

He'll chase the smallest pellets I feed a bit when the other fish start a frenzy, but will either not bite or spit them back out.

Try the more frequent feedings and see if that helps with aggression! I've been able to fix multiple aggression issues with other fish in the past by feeding and distracting the bully. The change in tank and the overall redo might just do the trick as well! IMO it's the best method of ending aggression. It doesn't always hold out, but I feel there's better opportunity for the fish to get an equal footing in the new territories. Again, maybe adding the female a couple days prior could be beneficial.



+1 to more feedings. I feed my tank about 5 times a day manually now, but really need more so am adding an automatic feeder that will feed in small increments about 7-10 times per day.

Mine are onky eating frozen brine and small frozen mysis. I wish they ate live worms like my other fish do. I will try some more feeding and see how it goes. Thanks!