goldfish behavior... is this normal?

[rreekers]

i have 2 fancy goldfish in a 29g tank. a black moor and a calico telescope

my calico always (at least a few times a day that i see) go behind my black moor and put his face in the moors tail.. just rubs his face in is tail, the calico pushes the moor around sometimes by nuzzling his face in his tail so hard.. i just dont understand..

other types of fish like live breeders pester each other near their anus because they want to mate/breed... but my calico isnt going for that region he is literally just inside of his fan tail nuzzling away. it seems to bother the moor sometimes, i dont know what to do... is this mating or aggression or playing or just a goldfish with a few loose screws in its head?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I don't know exactly what causes it but someone will. All my 5 do it to each other constantly! 2 juvies in one tank and 3 males in another.

 

[Donkey Gun]

+1 On that as well..

I have a black moor and two telescope. They all do that to each other. At one point, I actuallly have seen them in a line doing some choreographed tail nuzzle dance across the front of the tank.

Im not sure, but it does seem like some sort of mating ritual. My one telescope, which is the only female, chases them around the most.

 

[rreekers]

well im happy others experience this! i asked some people at the LfS and they thought that i was crazy.. even my boyfriend thinks im making it up and he feeds them everyday but has never seen it...

the calico is the only one who administers the nuzzling never the other way around...


how do you sex fancy goldfish? maybe it is a mating thing..?!?!

 

[Donkey Gun]

It can take a few years to really be able to accurately sex goldies. However, the females have a slightly rounder belly that curves more when looking at the side of the fish. The males belly will be more streamlined, even though it is quite round as well...

Once they are old enough to get their groove on, the males will develop tiny breeding tubercles on their gill plates and pectoral fins.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Even if there are onl males in the tank you will get that behavior. My 3 boys do it to each other!

 

[Donkey Gun]

True that!

I actually need to correct myself.. From what ive just read, it's the males that are more prone to rubbing their noses in it.

http://thegab.org/Goldfish/sexing-goldfish.html

 

[jlk]

Yep, this is common breeding type behavior! But, my boys do this to each other as well with the dominant male being the most aggressive. He will shove the other 2 males into a corner, flip them upside down, & chase & nudge them relentlessly. When he gets overly aggressive, he gets a 'time-out' either in a plastic pasta colander in the tank or gets moved to another tank temporarily for an attitude adjustment. If your moor needs a break, try putting the calico in the pasta colander for a few hrs for a timeout. If this doesnt help or the behavior becomes harmful, you may need a tank divider.

In respect to sexing them, study them closely. In addition to the female having a round, slightly lopsided body when viewed from above, she will also have narrower pectoral fins, & a convex (protruding) vent. The males will have thicker, stiffer pectoral fins, a concave vent, a narrower body, & will develop breeding tubercles on their gill plates, around the eyes, & tops of pectoral fins. the tubercules may look like little grains of salt or little air bubbles. Hope this helps!

 

[chagoi]

Boys will be boys.