Cobra's acting strange

[driftwood]

My 2 cobra's are acting very strange. All of a sudden they have stopped eating and both are staying together under a piece of pvc. I haven't been able to get them to eat for about 3 days. Every time the smaller pike leaves the spot the larger pike starts flicking off driftwood, gravel etc then the smaller pike goes back to the same spot. I'm starting to get alittle nervous here. any idea whats going on? I'm pretty sure its a male and female and they are about 6.5 and 8 inches. Aren't they to small to be breeding? what else could it be? should i treat the tank? I need some advice here.

[Peanut_Power]

Leave them alone for a few more days...its very possible that you have triggered them to start spawning. Whatever it is, don't mess it up!! LoL! Its VERY hard to get Lugubris pikes to spawn...and if you are gettin them to do just that, let them do it. Thats what it sounds like they are doing, my xingu III would do that when they wanted to spawn, granted they were quite a bit larger...lol. I would wait at least 2 more days bro....pikes can go quite a while with out eating, and when they are hungery they will let you know. I would toss in about a dozen feeders and just let them be. That way they can eat at their leisure....best of luck to yaz! NO WATER CHANGES OR MEDS!! Give them time!!

[driftwood]

hey Peanut i just added a catfish to keep the tank clean. should i take it out?? the 2 cobra's are really quite fasinating at the moment. the color difference is like night and day. It is kind of freaking me out though.

[Peanut_Power]

Yeah, take the catfish out, if they do have young it will eat the fry and THAT WILL SUCK!! Document it all though, water parameters, everything. Try to take pictures and everything, but don't stress them. Basically...leave them alone...lol. Keep an eye on them though, lol, cuz the male will beat up the female if something goes wrong....:(

[driftwood]

took out the catfish, adding feeders this morning. I think the larger pike is wanting to spawn and the smaller one isn't ready. At least thats my accessment of the situation but i could be wrong since i don't have alot of experience with pikes. the PH is running at about 6.4 and the Temp is running at about 83. I left the sponges in the tank from when i kept discus in their and they are very attracted to them. Its weird because my discus breed on the same spot week after week.

[Peanut_Power]

Its very possible that the larger one IS ready to breed but the smaller one isn't...this could pose some serious problems cuz the male will get frustrated and beat the crap outa the female...so keep an eye on them.....hopefully something will happen in the next few days.

[driftwood]

Man i wish you were here because i think the larger one is the female. I put the feeders in the tank but they aren't interested in them so far just hanging out in the same place the larger one laying on top of the smaller one. I'm going to try to take some pics of them tonight.

[Peanut_Power]

LoL!! The larger one should be the male...females grow much slower than the males....pictures would help confirm it though....lol. I just saw Jon and Don this weekend...they have some pretty pimpin tankz, I think they need more tankz though...lol. I think if they got rid of some of their africans they would have more room for pikes too! LoL!

[driftwood]

i've only been over there once but i didn't even know they had any africans. Were they downstairs? They didn't show me the tanks downstairs.

[Peanut_Power]

Nope, they had at least one type of african in practically in every tank...lol.....booo hiss!!! Oh well, some of them were kewl. They only had like 3 fish tankz downstairs. They took me upstairs....:P...lotsa fish up there as well!

[driftwood]

well sorry i missed you! maybe next time.

[driftwood]

Well what ever is happening is still happening lol. I found this strange jelly like thing in the water and now the male is eating but the female isn't . Looks like she has something in her mouth but i'm just not sure. Watching and waiting here. If the female comes out the male always makes her go back to the same spot but he's accually very gentle about it. The male is eating now.

[Peanut_Power]

They've never been bred...but I don't think pikes would be mouth brooders.....hmmm...if they don't both start eating in about three days...seperate them. He might be dominatin her and not lettin her eat.