Up before the tank lights this morning… activity witnessed in the South American tetra tank…

[Magnum Man]

Glints of small fish from the night light across the room… rummy noses group spawning again… water change, and filter cleaning yesterday, may have triggered that???

Got to witness a Tin Foil traffic jam, as 1st back lights began to come on… there is definitely a moment of confusion, when they are swimming, while asleep, and begin to wake up… they are the only fish I ever witness swimming patterns in the dark.. so I always find them interesting to watch, at 1st light…

Apisto’s seem to be late risers also, like the pristella’s in the other tank, they don’t become active for 15-20 minutes after the main lights come on… I think those are the only 2 fish, that don’t become active, about as fast as the lights come on…

 

[GaryE]

It's a curious time to watch tanks. I think some fish like to wait til their eyes adjust - vision first fish like Apistos. They want to be able to see how things look. Pristellas are silvery, so they seem to want a bit more brightness so their camouflage kicks in. Rummies have similar colours, but mine always stayed higher in the water column than Pristellas. I've wondered if they're fish that hang around the edges of shore vegetation, in and out of light, but I have seen a lot of video of rummy nose species out in open water.

When ever I set up tetra or barb breeding tanks, it seems like the onset of morning is their trigger. And I agree - a water change always fires them up. In another thread, you asked about conditioning fish - there are also triggers once the fish are conditioned and water changes are the most common trick.

 

[Magnum Man]

Again, I’m not trying to breed anything right now, but I’d be almost amazed, if nature doesn’t find a way, in some of these tanks… Rummy Noses are group spawning again this morning… with the thick Pothos root tangles in their tank, one would think sooner or later a viable egg would find it’s way into one of the tangles deep enough to avoid predation… must be doing something right in that tank, as I do enjoy watching them… this morning a particularly plump Rummy has 4-5 suitors chasing her around

 

[GaryE]

Even if you aren't saving and raising fry, if the set up is correct for them, you're 'spawning' fish. I have kept Pristellas off and on since I saw them in an old colourized picture in a book that had been my grandfather's, when I was maybe 12. I set up my first breeding tank for them this week, 54 years later, and it's now full of fry.
"Setting up" meant a screen on the bottom so they couldn't eat their eggs. That's all. Nothing fancy. You can't tell me they haven't laid thousands of eggs in my community tanks over the years. Your rummy noses (do you know which species of the three, out of curiosity?) will lay eggs, but they can't hatch without being eaten unless you have a special set up.

I think you have the flank mutated rummys, right? One of the 3 species with the rummy nose name lays eggs more easily than the others, apparently.

 

[Magnum Man]

I've ordered these a few times, to where I have a long term school of 14-16 of them currently, after you lose a few after they arrive...

Platinum Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus)

Platinum Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus) for sale from Dans Fish at $7.99 each. Shipped Next Day Air.

www.dansfish.com

 

[GaryE]

Rummys are notoriously difficult shipping fish. High oxygen needs...

 

[Magnum Man]

BTW... my school, seems to hang mid, to 2/3's down the water level... but sleep under a hollow log on the bottom of the tank, with the Raccoons... the Pristells go into the weeds on the bottom of the other side of the tank, with the Palmeries... Rummy's are the 1st into the mid water, as the lights begin to come on..., and are often in mid spawning activity, as soon as its light enough to see them...