J. ornatus

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

I just bought a pair(i hope) of J. ornatus last night. Does anybody have any experience on these fish they could enlighten me with? They are in a 45 by themselves now, and i'm waiting for some L.multifasciatus to add with them. Would these be ok? I'm planning on having a pile of rocks stacked to the top on definately one side, mabe both. Then the rest sand with shells for the L.multifasciatus. Any input on these fish, how to sex the J.ornatus or the setup in general would be appreciated. Thanks.

[SGypsyMermaid]

have you tried doing a 'google' search to see what comes up for 'julidochromis ornatus'?

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

I did that last night when I bought them. But I've read 4 completly different ways to sex them. Some sites say the Male is bigger, Some say the Female is bigger, some say the Males anal fin has a very defined point, and some sites say their is no difference in apperance. Which one is right?? Also i'd just like to hear some opinions of the fish and tank in general.Thanks.

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

I've noticed that one of them started hanging out around my power head at the top and everytime it comes out from the power head to go down to the rocks the other flares all it's fins then nips at the other one till it goes back to the power head. The dominant one is about 1.25in. and the one that stays at the power head is about 1in. or slightly less. They are in a 45gal by themeselves(untill i add a few L.multifasciatus). The dimensions are 36x12x23 i think and i have a stack of slate and rocks almost half way up and all the way across so their is plenty of caves for them both but the dominant one won't have it. Why is this happening? Is it because they are both males? I'm prob. going to buy another to have a better chance of getting a pair but 1 more is prob. it. They're kinda pricey and i don't have too much money. Would the aggression decrease when i add my multifasciatus and the dominant julie will have more than one other fish to worry about? Any help would be appreciated.

[finz]

I have 6 ornatus that I bought when they were quite young. The one that is at the top of your tank has not been accepted by the other. They are quite picky about their mates so that doesn't necessarily mean it's the same sex, just that the dominant fish wants to have a choice. Of the six that I started off with 2 paired off eventually and chased all the others to the upper corner. I removed the outcasts so they could form their own relationships......

As for the multies, I would divide the tank for a few weeks and keep the julies on one side. That will let the multies get their territories situated before the julies start to pester them.

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

How long do you think i should separate then for? I allready have one of those plastic sheets with holes in it. Should i be concerned though about the julie around the filter, And do you think i should even add another they only had 1 more at the store? And how long did it take for your pair to accept eachother?

Thanks for the help
-"letters"

[finz]

I would buy the third Julie, and re-arrange the tank. Have you already introduced the multi's? I would keep the multi's and julies separated for a week or two and then remove the divider. Once the multi's get their territories ironed out they should be able to keep the julies out themselves.

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

Thanks finz, no I don't have the multi's yet,i'm not getting them untill the 18th. A couple other stores around me sell J.ornatus, but i did a search on the different variants and i'm still not positive on which one i have. If i'm trying to breed them would it matter if they were 2 different variants. I'm really against hybrids, but since it's the same fish just a different location of the lake i was wondering if it mattered, or if it happened in the wild.

Thanks,
-"letters"

[finz]

I always try to keep the strain as pure as possible. It's not always easy when the LFS has no idea where the fish came from. The different varients don't cross in the wild - they are separated by physical barriers like vast expansions of sand etc.

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

Well the place i bought them had 3 and i bought 2. I'm definately getting the 3rd Fri. I could get even a couple more than that at another LFS but i'm not sure what J.ornatus I have. I did a search and after looking at the variants from different parts of the lake i'm still not sure. I wan't to breed them but i don't really wanna make a hybrid or something, or would the type of J.ornatus they are not make a difference?

[finz]

It would make a difference if you want to sell the fry. Cross breeds frequently don't look as good as the pure strain either. If the ones at the other store look the same as yours - they are probably the same strain. Pay particular attention to the amount of yellow. I wouldn't breed ornatus that have little or no yellow - such fish are probably inbred.

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

The place i bought them at only has 1 more and i'm gonna go get it fri. I could get a few more than that at another lfs but i did a search or the different variants and i'm still not sure what part of the lake mine are from.(i'm sure most of you know i'm really against hybrids and i'd rather not mix these strains either)or does the variant not matter and i'm just being stupid? Any input here would be appreciated!!

Thanks,
-"letters"

BTW
no i'm not getting the multi's till the 18th

[aharris]

Assuming that Juli species have similar behavior.

If your Ornatus is anything like my Marlieri when it comes to mates. I bought 4 and wound up with a pair and fry within a month. I had to get rid of the rejected fish as they were terrorized, but the Juli pair otherwise had little interest in any other fish in the tank that stayed away from their territory. I only had territory trouble with them when I moved and they had the tank to themselves for a couple weeks before getting tankmates. That's when things got ugly!