Fighting over another tankmate

[frenchie100]

Here are the 3 discus in question:

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0949.jpg

The blue scorpion for the past week has been shimmering at the pigeon blood. Then the pigeon blood started doing it back. The PB is the alpha of the tank and ever since this courtship has started he is less aggressive with the others.

For the past few days the blue scorpion has been very territorial over the right half of the tank, allowing only the PB to enter.

Now the domestic brown and the blue scorpion are extremely aggressive with eachother, both charging at eachother head on ALL THE TIME. The PB gets in between them 80% of the time, to stop them, but my blue scorpion ( we will say she, for simplicity) is starting to get all banged up.
She seems to have her vent sticking out ( tried to take picture), and is doing trial runs of the glass. She has gotten darker too and is obsessed with shimmering at the PB. The PB seems to have lost interest.

So my questions :D: what can I do to stop the aggressiveness between the blue scorpion and the domestic brown? I don't want the blue scorpion to have scars on her nose because of this.

Do you guys think the blue scorpion is a female?

Thank you so much!
Sorry for the horrible quality of the pics!:o

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0947.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0946.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0942.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0943.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0945.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/jcain100/IMG_0950.jpg

[Runningfish]

The blue scorpion looks like a female, I am not completely for sure though. It looks like the tube is shorter and wider, and it looked to have been making passes on the side of the tank. Again not for sure.

[frenchie100]

I forgot to mention that the blue scorpion is the aggressor, she does this stationary tail whipping motion before she attacks the domestic brown. The domestic brown is a little bigger so I think that's why the blue scorpion is getting more marks on her.

[Eddie]

Hey there, couldn't even begin to answer your question but I just wanted to say that your fish look fantastic! That domestic brown is looking phenomenal!

Great work!

Eddie

[Runningfish]

In my new breeding pair the female jerks her fins when she feels scared or threatened. Maybe the same basic thing is happening. There could be something else that is effecting it too.

[frenchie100]

Running fish- Do her feelers stick out when she does that. Thanks for your input!

Hi Eddie! They sure are growing fast! The domestic brown is now as big as the alpha PB and bigger than my PB female, which by the way, as you can see my PBs have gotten divorced! I was telling my mom what was going on in my tank and she said it sounded like a soap opera. One pair getting divorced, the male then moves on to a new chick but then she's left hanging! LOL
I-ll post some pics of the group soon.

[Eddie]

Wow! That is just too crazy. That DB is huge already. You must be feeding him other discus. LOL

They are all beautiful.

Best of luck with the pairing up!

Eddie

[frenchie100]

Drama in my tank!!!!!!!

Now the male PB and the domestic brown have taken over the right side of the tank and are shimmering, dancing and cleaning. The domestic brown kick out the blue scorpion and took over :mad:.

I feel so bad for my blue scorpion. She looks all beat up on her sides. :(

Why the heck are they fighting over this ugly PB. I think if I have any other males in the tank they would be too young. The penang eruption should be the next one to reach sexual maturity.

Should I maybe put an eggcrate to keep the blue scorpion separated from the domestic brown. There's no way one can kill the other right?

[Eddie]

Maybe not kill, but can get beat up BAD. Sometimes you will have to remove to allow it to recover.

Eddie

[mikel]

Actually, from what I remember of Dave (from Dartmouth) said to me, he had a pair of fish that went to war with another pair...and they combined force and killed one of the opposing pair (correct me if I am wrong, Dave). So I think they can gang up and kill if they set their minds to it. I agree with you that the Brown and the Blue Scorpion are both great fish. The PB isnt so hot, but he seems to be the lady's man regardless....As the Tank turns....mike:)

[frenchie100]

Here is this morning's update:

The aggression between the blue scorpion and the domestic brown has subsided a little. I think this is due to the blue scorpion having given up on her spawning site and mate.

The domestic brown is now the queen of that area of the tank with the PB, who is very respondant to her dances.

I guess he liked the domestic brown better than the blue scorpion. ;)

I feel bad for the ble scorpion because you can tell she's had her ego hurt. Her vent is still out but she has retreated to the rest of the group and isn't really trying to show any dominance with anyone.

mikel- I loved the As the Tank Turns! LOL

I wish I had a better male for these beautiful specimens! I thought they were monogamous and he used to be paired up with another PB, so I didn't think this would ever be an issue!

[Runningfish]

Running fish- Do her feelers stick out when she does that. Thanks for your input!

I-ll post some pics of the group soon.

Sorry I didn't see this before. And to answer your question yes she sticks out her pelvic fins too. Every fin but the caudal fin (or the tail).