y crustaceans), supplemented with algae. This diet can easily be simulated, at least nutritionally, while in captivity. Using flake-type commercial fish food containing vegetable ingredients can greatly balance their diets. This diet should also be supplemented with live foods such as brine shrimp, Daphnia, mosquito larvae and Tubifex worms whenever possible. Several small feeding per day are better than a single one. They dont seem like too much of picky eaters to me!Now, The Spawning, Courtship, and Incubation of this species is a rather interesting process if you ask me, and I believe when we are finished you will start to be believe how amazing these fish in general really are. Within the tropics spawning occurs throughout most of the year, although there may be seasonal peaks of activity. In subtropical or warm temperate seas (southern Japan) reproductive activity is generally restricted to spring and summer when the water temp. is the highest. Courtship in this species is usually stereotyped and ritualized. Several days prior to spawning there is an increased social interaction, this is expressed ways like: chasing, fin-erection, and nest preparation. Some of the male flirting rituals include signal jumping which consists of him swimming rapidly up and down, as thought he is on a roller coaster. He can also become bold and aggressive, chasing and nipping his mate, also he will display fully extended dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins while remaining beside or in front of her, never behind. During the nuptial period he will also select a nest site that will usually be on a bare rock. He will initially spend a good amount of time clearing algae and debris from the site with his mouth and his mate eventually joins him. What is interesting to me is the fact that pair bonding is a very strong characteristic of Perculas. Once they have chosen a mate they will usually stay with them from then on. Spawning usually happens in the morning hours...
