I'm starting to hate these little guys! I've had them for about 3 years. They were the first saltwater fish I bought, so I'm a little attached to them. I love to watch them dart in and out of the rockwork chasing each other. (Actually, it the big one chasing the small one.) I think they have paired up and may be trying to mate. But, I'm a little confused about some things.

I've tried researching the mating behaviors of daselfish, but everything seems to be pretty technical. What I think I've found out is that the females are the bigger of the pair. And the males do this funny swimming thing called "signal jumping" to attract the females. The males also will make clicking or chirping sounds. The females are supposed to lay their eggs on rock ledges or coral formations, and the male fertilizes them and guards them.

I'm seeing something different in my tank, though. I see the bigger one doing the signal jumping. I can hear sounds coming from the tank, and I assume it is from the damsels. But, I don't see any egg laying or guarding.

Lately, they have become much more territorial, too. It seems that everytime I put a hand into the tank, the bigger one comes after me. (I also have a yellow damsel that does the same thing.) They didn't used to do that! It certainly does not hurt when they get me. It just freaks me out. If they are a mated pair, though, I don't want to get rid of them. I think it would be cool to see the spawning process.

Anyone have any experience with this type of thing? Any thoughts would be appreciated.