Tank Setup
Equipment:
- 1 5 or 10 Gallon Tank
- 2 Heaters
- 1 Bio Wheel or Power Filter
- 1 Brine Shrimp Net
- 1 Regular Sized Net
- 1 Hood/Lamp Combo
- 1 Air Stone (not required)
- 1 Styrofoam Cup or 2" square of Bubble Wrap
Most of the time, you can go to your local fish store or my
favorite "WalMart" and get a "complete tank setup". This means
you will have to purchase the extra heater, air stone
(not required), and nets separately. Make sure though the kit
includes a power filter or bio wheel. You will not want an
under gravel filter for your spawning tank as it will suck your
fry to the bottom, and also you will need gravel which is not
good in spawning tanks as it is difficult for the male to find
the eggs or the fry that fall to the bottom. Generally you will
want only what i stated above in your spawning tank. The extra
heater shall be used in case 1 should fail the temperature will remain
at the setting set and will not allow the fry to be cooked.
The hood/lamp combo of course is so you can see your beauties
and see what you are doing. The brine shrimp net shall be used
for easy moving of your fry.
Be sure you clean the tank thoroughly using hot soapy water and
a pad or cloth safe for use on acrylic or glass surfaces. Fill
the tank completely to the top. Most of the time you will hear
people say fill only part way and after the coming weeks add water
slowly, but also I've found you run less of a risk of having drafts
come over the water surface that might kill developing fry if you
fill it all the way as the air at the top will be warmed by the
lighting from the hood. Everyone will have their own way but this
works best for me.
Place the filter in the tank according to the directions included
and allow to run at this point. Allow 24 hours for the chlorine
to evaporate from the water (this will be the bubbles you see on
the bottom and on the walls of the tank) when they are gone the
water should be safe to add your fish. Remember to also check the PH
of the water, 6.8-7.2 is considered best with 7.0 being neutral.
Place both heaters in the tank according to the directions
included. Allow 15 minutes for them to adjust to the water
temperature and plug in. Adjust the heaters to around 80 degrees.
Put your lighting fixture in place according to instructions. Cut
the styrofoam cup in half lengthwise. Place the half piece in a
corner of the tank or if your using the bubble wrap, place the
2" square in the corner of the tank. Somehow, attach it to the
wall so it wont float off. And that will conclude tank setup.
Introducing and Conditioning the Pair
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Choose your pair and for 2 weeks, feed live foods 3 times daily.
The female should be full of eggs before any attempt is made. You
will be able to tell by the white dot below her belly, this will
be the eggs showing. When you see this, the pair are ready to
spawn.
Place the male in the tank and allow for about an hour or two for
him to get acclimated to the tank and his new surroundings.
Remember to place him in a bag with the water he was in
and allow for 15 minutes for him to become acclimated to the new
tank water and then add him to the tank. Once the male has become familiar with his new
surroundings, place the female in a separate container and float
her in the tank. The male will swim by and he or sometimes both
will flare and show off for each other. Sometimes the male will
do a sideways Z pattern formation. The female will also bare up
(get vertical bars on her body). If this does not happen or she
does not hang at a 45 degree angle, she is not willing to spawn
and should be removed and either attempted at a later date or
a new pair introduced.
Generally, within a couple of hours the male will begin to build
the bubble nest. Don't panic if he chooses another location for
his nest other than the one you provided this is quite normal. If
the male does not build the nest within a day or so, go ahead and
place the female in the tank. This will act to induce the male to
build the nest. What I like to do is place them both together
right off and within a day or two, depending on the pair, he
will build the nest the first day and spawning usually takes
place the following day. If for some reason they still wont spawn,
wait for a storm system to roll through. You can also add Black Water Tonic
following the directions on the bottle. It can be found at your local fish store.
Spawning
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The male will build the bubble nest and then take some time off
to chase the female around before he resumes building the nest.
Once the nest is built, the male will coax the female under
the nest. If the female accepts the nest as to be good enough,
she will swim over to him and gently nudge him on the side. The
male will then wrap himself around her, and as the male releases
his sperm she is releasing her eggs. After he releases her, she
will remain under the nest stunned. Don't worry, this is normal and
after a few seconds she will recover. He and sometimes both will
swim to the bottom and pick up the eggs and blow them into the
bubble nest. They will embrace like this several times until
she is depleted of eggs. He will then chase her away. At this
time she should be removed so the male will not kill her.
Sometimes, her fins will be all torn up or missing. This is normal
spawning and after two weeks, her fins will grow back. For the
next few days the mail will tend to the eggs, keeping them in the
nest until they hatch. After the eggs hatch and the fry are
free swimming, the male will no longer be able to keep all the
fry in the nest, and at this time he should be removed. That will
conclude the spawning section.
Thanks for visiting my site and please come back soon.
