Peacock Gudgeons MIA

[Rosi]

Hello Friends, 

I have 3 Peacock Gudgeons that range in size. One female is fairly large and I believe she's close to sexual maturity. I have another female that is slightly smaller. The smallest is a male which I can tell by the way his head is shaped. However, he has not yet developed his nuchal hump. 

This morning I didn't see any of the fish in the tank. I busted out the flashlight and searched. Finally, I noticed my smaller female. Still no sign of the other two. I figured they were hiding. 

Later after work, I topped off the water and they still didn't emerge. I finally decided to bust out the blood worms because I know they can't resist. Still, no sign of the other two. 

Here's my question: could the male be old enough to breed even though he hasn't developed his nuchal hump? The tank is fully cycled (0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 5ppm Nitrates). There is a space at the top that is about 2x4 inch for the HOB filter. No sign of them on the floor around the tank, no bodies on the substrate. 

My last concern is one of my cats when fishing through the filter hole. Not sure if there's somewhere they are hiding that I'm unaware of, but I'm really going to be sad if they're gone. 

Final photo is of Susan, the smaller female. She's acting like she owns the tank now. 😔

[T. Payne]

I've bred this species several times and have not found them to be jumpers. In my experience they do not need to be very large to breed. If it is there first time, I have found to stay paired up and can stay hidden away for a few days before the female will remerge 

[Rosi]

On 2/22/2024 at 11:03 PM, T. Payne said:

I've bred this species several times and have not found them to be jumpers. In my experience they do not need to be very large to breed. If it is there first time, I have found to stay paired up and can stay hidden away for a few days before the female will remerge 

Thank you, T. 

I didn't actually go in and move anything around when I was looking for them. I figured if they are hiding or are mating, I don't want to disturb them. Additionally, the rocks in the tank are all fairly large, so I didn't want to accidentally crush anyone. 

My real concern was actually my cats going fishing, but even that doesn't seem plausible. The opening is for the filter and the current is strong enough there where I don't see the fish being able to swim up there for very long. Hence, the cats wouldn't be able to reach them. 

The third option is that they're hiding because they're afraid. We had some solar panels installed on the roof yesterday, which was quite loud. All of the other fish seem okay, though. Even Susan. 

[T. Payne]

Give them a day or two and if she's in there, you will see her.

[Phirefase]

In my experience, these guys are really good at hiding when they are breeding. I would guess the male has holed up in your decoration somewhere. I actually have a pair of these in a display tank on my desk and the male dug his own cave under a rock and hangs out there most of the time. I barely noticed the cave and I am still surprised he can fit in there.