markwill
09-21-2005, 12:06 PM
I suspect there are equal doses of science and luck in all this but I am interested to know whether I can take specific steps to encourage a pair to "do their thing". The background to this is when they were in my show tank they were very actively cleaning a plant and its pot one day, chasing off other fish, etc. This continued for at least 4 hours, before I went to bed.
The following morning they had integrated back into the pack as if nothing had happened. My strong guess is that they laid eggs but they ended up being eaten. BTW, the week earlier a "mystical pair" had laid eggs on the same plant pot, although I can't be sure it was the same two.
So, I moved these two a seperate 29 gallon tank about 10 days ago. I've seen cleaning of a PVC tube now and again (daily) but it's not so consistent and aggressive as it was before. They do tend to just "stare" at the tube - as if they are thinking seriously as to whether to take the next step.
However, they have yet to do anything serious here. I am doing regular water changes and they seem very content. I admit I am missing them in the show tank but would LOVE to see them spawn in an area where they are not threatened by other fish.
Anyone have any ideas on my next steps? I'm hoping for something a little more tangible than "just wait..." :-)
Mark
The following morning they had integrated back into the pack as if nothing had happened. My strong guess is that they laid eggs but they ended up being eaten. BTW, the week earlier a "mystical pair" had laid eggs on the same plant pot, although I can't be sure it was the same two.
So, I moved these two a seperate 29 gallon tank about 10 days ago. I've seen cleaning of a PVC tube now and again (daily) but it's not so consistent and aggressive as it was before. They do tend to just "stare" at the tube - as if they are thinking seriously as to whether to take the next step.
However, they have yet to do anything serious here. I am doing regular water changes and they seem very content. I admit I am missing them in the show tank but would LOVE to see them spawn in an area where they are not threatened by other fish.
Anyone have any ideas on my next steps? I'm hoping for something a little more tangible than "just wait..." :-)
Mark