Spawning

[monica]

Update:
I am going to seperate them and re-condition, if not just try a new pair.
Why? Well they no longer seem to have much interest in each other anymore, and my girl doesn't have very dakrk bars anymore. My male is letting his nest pop, and is not flaring anymore. When I came to check on them this afternoon, she had stress stripes, and then when she saw the male f;are, they went to bars again. But if that is all, there seems no deisre. So I will seperate them. Is this a good idea?
I won't do it until I get some advice.

 

[monica]

Bump

 

[monica]

Still haven't heard anything.. So I have left them, since they weren't getting mean to each other.
I have not seen stress stripes since. They now seem interested in each other all of a sudden again. So he is still flaring and she still has bars. But the nest is gone....
Should I just seperate them. I don't know what to do... Considering it can take a week sometimes. Will they eventually just catch on? Should I try her with another male? IT doesn't seem she is the problem...

 

[monica]

HAH!
I just found out he has a secret nest on the go.
You know how when you tape the styrofoam to the side of the tank sometimes there is a gap between the tank and the side of the cup? Well in between the tank and the cup, he built a really tiny one.

Kind of weird... But at least he still has a little one... He is trying to get her under there too. I have to stop peeking in on them, cause they get so distracted... But I want to keep looking to make sure...

 

[monica]

Okay well Update:
I went to check on them last night, after I posted my previous post ^^
He had re-built a large bubble nest, and I am not too sure what it was, but suddenly they both got a bit more intersted. He would run and blow some bubbles, then come to show off, and then SHE would flare at him, and that would send him off blowing more bubbles.

I decided I would not distract them further. So I went to bed.
I woke this morning to find his bubblenest still there (though it seems it has shrunk) and him sitting under it, staring at it, and blowing a couple bubbles.
She swam up to the nest; Flaring, and he nipped, and chased her away. (not a friendly chase).
Then he went back to the nest and waited.
I decided to stop checking, in on them because they get so distracted, and he is so nosy, that he usually just swims over to me and forgets his breeding duties.

 

[nakomis90]

Have you got a flash light?
if so shine it directly under his nest!
can you see tiny white-yellowy balls?
if so you have eggs get girly out...
if not get a pic of above and under the nest ill have a glance along with everyone else to have a look
i think it sounds verygood tho

 

[monica]

I shined my lamp under it and I didn't see anything...
He is pretty agressive though. When she went up for air after hiding under the plant, he chased her like a crazy man! Then went back to sitting under the nest.

BTW his nest is like reeeeally tiny, nothing macho, even though he thinks it is. HE actually has made like 3 really really really tiny ones, and one tiny one.

 

[nakomis90]

I shined my lamp under it and I didn't see anything...
He is pretty agressive though. When she went up for air after hiding under the plant, he chased her like a crazy man! Then went back to sitting under the nest.

BTW his nest is like reeeeally tiny, nothing macho, even though he thinks it is. HE actually has made like 3 really really really tiny ones, and one tiny one.

some guys keep 2-3 smaller nests instead one bigger one!
nothing to worry bout try taking the girl out chances are hes got something in there!
gie it 5 days if you cant see anything re condition good luck

 

[monica]

They were spawning!
I came home from walking the dog and saw them both under the nest, so I watched for a bit, and they were spawning!
Lots of eggs.
After about an hour or so, she swam off, and he chased her. So I took her out.
I left the tank alone for a bit (maybe 10 minutes) and when I came back the nest looked smaller...
...
....
.....
......
I know... You know what I am getting to....
He ate the eggs. There were so many. And he is so chubby...
I am so sad. Can't blame poor dad I guess. I see only one remaining, and it is sitting on the bottom, so I feel no hope for it. I see no more eggs in the nest unless he hid them really, really well. I guess the only thing to do is to re-condition him and start again.

Or should I maybe just wait? See if any hatch or anything?

 

[monica]

There are still 2 eggs.
I decided to check, just in case.
There were still 2. Sitting near the top of the nest where he coudn't see them.
Is there any possible way to save these buggers?
Can they not hatch without dad?

 

[nakomis90]

they really need daddy i think....
give him a chance it might come to him....
if not recondition him with a diff female
gd luck

 

[monica]

What should I do with the 2 eggs?
Maybe transfer them to the female's tank? Should I just let the male back in with them?
Gah, I just don't know what to do...
Is it possible he ate them because they were infertile?
And she was the only female who was successful. So Maybe wait another 2 weeks and breed again. And hope he doesn't eat them all? Or should I try her with another male?

I read somewhere that males eat eggs when they feel threatened. So maybe it was me?

 

[monica]

Wow....

So one of the 2 eggs got through the crack in the seaparator and got eaten by dad. Then the other one hatched!
It surprised me so much, and I spent the longest time getting it back to the surface when it would sink. Finally it got hold of the piece of styrofoam.

Goes to show that eggs CAN hatch without a male.

Though the little guy got through the seperator aswell... I didn't think he could, and I coverd it with styrofoam, then he did.

It is too bad. I was hoping he would live.

Glad he hatched though!

 

[nakomis90]

aww no hun!
what a shame!

 

[monica]

Yeah... It is.
But I am so surprise it hatched without the male, and without a bubble nest.
Anyways I am going to re-condition both the male and female, and then maybe try again.

You think he might eat the eggs again? OR is it one of those things they learn from?