Confused - Need Advise

[Cosmo]

I have two pairs that were consistently spawning in my old community tank, but the eggs always turned white and never hatched - thinking there was too much current for the eggs to be fertilized. Move the pairs to share a 90 gal but before they became fully acclimated to the tank, I had to take it down due to pending construction in the room it was in (the basement). Subsequently, I added these 4 into another community tank where, they have not only not spawned, but, have seem to become dis-interested in each other.

This tank is slightly more crowded and I've kept the water harder to discourage spawning until the fish room and their own cozy separate breeding tanks were ready.

Now my Striated Red Truq male, who is the largest in the tank, seems to have taken charge of the female Red Turq that had spawned with the Red SS and keeps her coralled in the corner. Now and then the SS wanders over, but the SRT always gets in the middle of them. The RT and SRT appear to start cleaning a tube for spawning after water changes, but nothing ever comes of it.

The other pair were a Snowflake and a Red Marlboro. Neither seems to have taken interest in any other of the fish, but, they don't seem to much interested in each other anymore either?

When the breeding tanks are ready, do I?

Put the original spawners back together and return the parameters back to what they were when they used to spawn?

or - Put the new pair (the striated red turq Male and the RT Female into the tank and leave the poor SS to find a new mate?

Would really appreciate some advise on this, don't want to break up the old pair as it seems like the dominant male may be the cause, but then again, don't want to put the old pairs back together if the bonds are broken.

Please help, tanks will be ready within a couple weeks?!?

Thanks,
Jim

[chuck]

If the eggs turned white they are unfertilized, You could have had 2 females. sometimes these fish do that.
chuck

[Carol_Roberts]

Which do you want to have babies from? It's OK to pick your pairs and see if it works out. You can always swap mates later.

[Cosmo]

Chuck,

Had two females lay eggs many years ago, so now I watch (dirty old man huh) to make sure they're both not laying eggs.

Carol - both males are awesome specimens so will be tough to pick if it's my choice. Any advantage to keeping the strains close as compared to mixing an SS and RT?

Thanks
Jim

[Carol_Roberts]

Both will work ;D

[Cosmo]

At least looks like it

I've slowly begun lowering the GH down into the range where they're starting to get a little "spunky" again, and I noticed this morning that the Red SS is reclaiming his mate.

Minor and brief skirmish between the competing males in the corner of the tank where the female hangs out with the SS sending the intruding male on his way (this female has always preferred the back left corner). The SS is slightly smaller (but not much) so I wasn't sure he'd be up to it.... but he prevailed!

ain't love grand :)

Jim

[Cosmo]

PS. The other two pairs are also getting back together and showing interest in each other again... kind of neat.

Still 1 to 2 weeks away from having the breeding tanks ready in the basement though. Still have to drill the holes for the overflows so I can get the drip setup going - guess I'd better get a move on ;)

Jim