Mongo, I need more of your advice!

I have two Venustus in my juvie Haps/Peacocks tank, one of whom has grown faster and acts "very male." The two of them hang out together but have never circled each other in a way to suggest M/F, so I may have two males.

But even as he hits 3" I cannot see blue on the bigger guy's face. A darker coloration, yes, but it's dark brown or black rather than blue.

I've been thinking of adding 3-4 smaller juvie Venustus to see about finding some females, but don't like the idea of ending up with more bigger males that may turn my relativelky peaceful tank hostile.

Will their aggression be more Venustus-Venustus if I try this, with no one else getting too badly hassled?

Thanks for your Help!

PSO, venustus are funny little creatures. I have had ones that didnt bother anyone or anything...but I have had holy terrors before with them also. Most of their aggression seems to conspecific in nature. So as long as you dont have any other haps with alot of blue coloring you should do okay. Thats not a promise, but take it for what its worth.

As for adding any new fish...your gonna take your chances there also bub. If I were going to add new fish, I would wait until lights out and make sure to have fed well before turning the lights out. You will still have the ubiquious shuffeling of the pecking order. But at least you will have given the new guys a fighting chance by letting them settle a little before all hell breaks loose. I would also try and get fish that were pretty much as close in size as the ones you have. That way you dont have a David/Goliath situation. By the way, Goliath usualy wins in the fish world.

cheers