balzanii spawn!

[peathenster]

Thanks

She picked up and is holding. Will do some homework to see what to expect next...

Picking up with a gentle motion -

In progress

Done! White eggs left behind. Very similar to my mouthbrooding Heros - eggs shells are left behind but contents are gone. The female has her mouth closely tightly...amazing how a little fish can hold that many eggs!

 

[peathenster]

Moved the holding female to a 6g all by herself....wrapped the intake of the HOB filter with filter pad...fun expected in the next few days

This is what I remember ......hope it's helpful:

- Each of the five females stakes out a small terrotery and defends it against other females. I don't know if this is coincidental, but the female that spawned managed to secure the largest terrotery.

- Males just roam around. There is clear hierarchy - the largest male chases the other two around a little but nothing remotely serious. The second largest wants to get some but can't . The smallest male doesn't do much.

- The dominant male courts females...all of them. Most of the time females would turn away, but sometimes they stay and look. The dominant male doesn't seem to favor any particular one....just constant courting.

- A few days ago I noticed "someone" dug a pit in the sand substrate a few inches from the spawning site. Not sure if it was the female. Perhaps it's where she plans to releast the fry?

- A day before spawning the female put on a breeding dress. Darker lateral stripes, and a vertical bar across the eye that doesn't normally show up. Her breeding tube was clearly visible.

- Not sure exactly when they spawned during the day, but the female was cleaning the rock in the morning. The dominant male hovered above but was not doing much.

- The eggs were actually covered lightly by sand. Apparently they wanted to hide the eggs.

- Only the female was guarding/fanning the eggs, by staying 1-2" above the eggs. The male went off to court other females and I doubt he'll have any additional role in raising the fry.

- Just over 24h after spawning the female picked up the larvae, leaving white eggs and empty shells behind. Her mouth is tightly closed, and her throat clearly swallon. She stayed around (not right at) the spawning site.

This is it for now. More to come as they happen...

 

[peathenster]

This is the female holding - note her empty stomach and distended throat.

 

[edburress]

Congrats Peter! The tank and fish look great, keep us updated

 

[peathenster]

Thanks Ed! Hope you can collect more this year - it would be fun to have both races in the same tank

Apparently a second female spawned a day later on a horizontal surface of a piece of driftwood. I saw her picking up yesterday and she's been holding. I don't have any more smaller tanks....so the options are:

1. Leave her in the tank and see what happens.
2. Put her in the same 6g tank as the other holding female.

Suggestions?

Spawning site after she picked up -

this is she holding the larvae -

 

[peathenster]

a third female spawned....that's three in 5 days....these guys are worse than rabbits...

 

[FSM]

Good job with the spawn. I'll buy some juveniles if they survive. Where in GA do you live?

 

[peathenster]

Good job with the spawn. I'll buy some juveniles if they survive. Where in GA do you live?

Thanks! I'm Athens.

Got wrigglers from the first female this morning . She's in a 6g all by herself. Still contemplating what to do with the other two holding females in the 90g.

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[FSM]

Peter Athens, I get it. Are there any other fish in the tank?

 

[SusieQ]

Peter... Congrats on the wrigglers.. There's definitely something in your water Lucky you lots more balzanii.. Keep em coming.... and of course more pics too me thinks you're gonna be in the market for even more tanks Sue