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Post by hslobo on Mar 16, 2010 21:24:10 GMT -5
I have a pair of mating Krib's that exhibited unusual behavior last night. I noted both to be in spawning colors, the female was doing her shuddering and curving about the male. as he approached her she was dropping eggs and he was taking them in his mouth and apparently placing them inside a crevice in a piece of driftwood. This went on for some time. The female would occasionally swim into the crevice but the male would chase her out, the male was also vigorously chasing other fish away from the area. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly. However, today, neither one is tending to the nest. Both are free swimming as if nothing happened. This is the first mating activity I have noted with this pair.
From what Ive read, the female usually lays the eggs and then entices the male to fertilize them. The act of her laying them in open water and having the male take them in his mouth and apparently placing them in the nesting area seems wrong. I haven't read anything describing this behavior.
Any thoughts on what might have gone down?
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Post by jonv on Mar 17, 2010 0:02:03 GMT -5
I've spawned some substrate spawning Africans before, once trying, once it just happend so I can only speak from the few times I've seen what goes on.
I agree from watching Pytchochromis Oligocanthus spawn, the female has to do alot of work and I had 2 females and 1 male. The male pretty much ignored 1 female's site and stayed with another. This species guarded both togeather with the female doing most of the fanning. The second female eventaully ditched her nest and the eggs got eaten.
This sounds like an initial attempt to spawn that didn't quite go right and that happens quite often in the African spawning hobby. Sounds if I had to guess, the female wanted to spawn and wasn't up to challenging the male or getting the male into his role. That's just a guess. I do know that eggs laid in the substrate need to be fanned or they will necrose. With mouthbrooders too, it is not uncommon for the first or second attempt to spawn to fail so I would continue to observe what you see as you did very well with this noting, and watch to see if you see any repetitive habits. I'd also reccomend if you have any bottom feeders or nocturnal fish in your tank, when you feel or see spawning occuring, you'll need to get the bottom feeders out like asap. That's my second guess. The eggs got consumed by a nocturnal fish you have in the tank with the parents were resting. This happend to me before even after the fry hatched.
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Post by hslobo on Mar 17, 2010 20:53:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the response Jon. I agree with some of what u said but I dont think it was a bottom feeder as the nest was established about 10 inches up from the bottom inside a crevice in a piece of driftwood. That was my first suspicion that we were dealing with inexperienced breeders. I have a large pleco and I wonder if he poses a threat to any future nests that might be established on the bottom of the tank. I dont think I have any nocturnal fish other than the pleco: there are 2 peacocks, a large yellow lab, a ram, a convict, and a large metriaclima estherae, all in a 55 gallon tank.
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Post by jonv on Mar 18, 2010 0:50:01 GMT -5
Np at at all. Actually that pleco probably is the suspect now. Plecos won't necessarily stay just on the bottom and at night with lights off mom and dad won't guard as heavy. I say this as you can see some of the shots I put on the Oligo's, dad was pretty big and it was cories and some clown plecos that got the fry even after 10 days old and hatched. 100 gallon tank on that, and I just wanna help because substraters can be difficult to spawn. If you see them getting to it again in the future I would move the pleco out. The rest of the list yeah, mom and dad should do a fine job keeping them out. When hatched they will hover very close to mom and dad too. Wish best of luck to you next go round. Wouldn't mind to see some shots too if you have some.
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