A Blue Pair, What to do?

[Dan S]

Hello,

What to do?

I have a 750l tank with 14 Wild Blues, they are about 2 years old and the pair in question (pics below plus tank shot to show how busy it is) I have had since they where about 6 months old.
They have always been the dominant fish in my tank and I have seen them on many occasions flirting with each other. In the last week however, it has really gone up a level, they are cleaning a bit of bogwood, they are shivering at each other alot, they are swimming past each other with bowed heads and they have always guarded the left hand end of the tank, they live at that end and the other 12 fish have the other half of the tank. (although in the last week, a couple of other fish have been flirting abit more in the main group and the Corys have been laying eggs all over the tank).

Now if they where domestics I would put my house on the fact that they would lay eggs tonight (I thought they where going to last night but nothing) but Im also very aware that in a tank with 12 other fish in they are going to have a tough time, is that just to much activity for them?
The problem is at the moment I only have this tank (I am hoping to add another display tank in Feb but that was hopefully going to be for Heckles).

What are my options to encourage this situation? Take the pair out and give them their own tank (not an option till feb)? And if you did give them their own tank, do you go bare bottom, or have sand and Bogwood, do you have dither fish?

Thin the number down to maybe 8 or 10 fish total in this big tank and see if that helps?

Do you put a divider in the big tank to separate them out?

Do I just leave them and see what happens?

What have other peoples experiences been? Have you set up specific tanks for breeding, has it just been an accident that they have spawned then you have sorted something out for them afterwards?

Although Im keeping them for the enjoyment and beauty of them, Im quite excited and keen to encourage these 2 fish and see if they do breed.

Any experiences, or advice greatly appreciated.

Dan

Pauls Email 11 (Medium).jpg

[bucket]

First of all.

Absolutley stunning fish

I would let them try in the main tank, and then if the eggs hatches and everything is allright, then i would trie to divide the tank in anyway possible (Filter foam or somthing else.

We have a member here at DFS who hav gotten wilds to spawn, hopefully he well see this and come with advise. (npeter)

Once again Stunnning fishes.

keep us updated please

[tofomi]

[bucket]

Keep us updated Dan

[Poddan]

If they breed just let them.

For me.. I´d just buy a tank more

[Dan S]

Hello Bucket,

Thanks for the kind words. Sadly nothing new today, they are still rigirously cleaning the wood, shivering at each other, defending the wood even from the corys, they even had what looked like a couple of practice spawns, but still no eggs.

Its great to watch, but frustrating as Im positive domestics would have laid eggs by now.

Ive read npeter's thread, very interesting. I also think your suggestion of a divider is a good one, hopefully if they lay eggs I will leave them alone for the first couple of times then introduce the divider once Ive seen they are viable. I wish I had more space for tanks.

Thanks

Dan

[bucket]

Thats sounds like a good idea

[Dan S]

Hello,

So the last 3 days they have been attempting to spawn, today really hard, they have been so aggressive but still no eggs, should I be worried about the female?

You can see in the pics they are doing everything but no eggs come out. The sequence shows the female doing her stuff then the male following in, but there is nothing for him to fertilise. The last shot shows how aggresive they are been and herding the rest of them right to the very end of the tank.

Anybody got any theories? Or am I just being impatient?

Dan

[bucket]

Again! Oh my god, the female is absolutley stunning with her "spawning" colors

If it is their first time, it could take a while trying

Give them time, i know, i know, you want it to happen right now.

But it will.

How does your waterchanging routine look like?

You could always try the oldest trick in the book. Give them some colder water next change, my "disco" discus go drazy when i do that

And keep those pictures comming, they are beautiful

Regards, Bucket

[bucket]

And by the way, how big is the tank? it looks high and beautiful