also is there an age where they dont spawn, the reason i ask is because i have about a 8-10 month old male jd and i got a 4-5 year old female from a buddy of mine and the male follows her around flashing and twitching at her trying to get her attention i guess and she pays him absolutely no mind at all. She goes where he goes but other than her following him she shows no signs of interest.
How old do Jds have to be to spawn?
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I believe it has not only to do with the age of the fish, but also the environment they are in. The female may require some "conditioning" (i.e. water temp change and/or nutritional intake may need to be enhanced) to get her to start producing eggs and show the male some interest. There could be more spawning triggers needed, but I would wait for a more experience keeper of JD's to make a recommendation.
jag123;4256415; said:
makes sense, my temp now is on 78. Should i raise it? as for the food the get cichlid sticks and pellets daily and weekly feedings of bloodworms crickets with an occasional grasshoppers if i can get my hands on um, they really seem to enjoy them.
78 sounds good to me - I have a large male that I recently adopted, and I keep him right at that temp. Live foods are generally the "conditioning" treatment that many tropical fish need to start spawning behavior. I would make sure that the water is as clean and stable as possible. How long has the female been with the male? It may take a little more time for things to start happening.
jag123;4256440; said:
from what ive seen and read im pretty sure they are but no not 100 percent. ill try to get a better one up here for you but its hard. They are easily spooked. they have been together about 2-3 months now id guess.
Yes, they do need to be conditioned. I would turn the temp up a little bit (80-82F) And keep the water clean. You also help your chances if you add a few spawning sites to the tank. Feed them 3-5 times a day with a high protein food. Your female will be visably ripe/plump with eggs when she is ready. I have had good luck feeding frozen brine, earthworms and massivore pellets.
With all the feedings you have to be careful with your water quality. So change it often. At least 25% bi-weekly while conditioning.
Another thing to think about is that your female might not be as fertile as she was when she was younger(if she was ever fertile or even a female at all).
I'm sure you could do less work and have them spawn, but this worked for me with a few pairs, and like clock work. I had a new spawn just about every 10 days from 3 pairs. About once a month, per pair if I didn't seperate them. The females need a break in between. The males will keep going.
With all the feedings you have to be careful with your water quality. So change it often. At least 25% bi-weekly while conditioning.
Another thing to think about is that your female might not be as fertile as she was when she was younger(if she was ever fertile or even a female at all).
I'm sure you could do less work and have them spawn, but this worked for me with a few pairs, and like clock work. I had a new spawn just about every 10 days from 3 pairs. About once a month, per pair if I didn't seperate them. The females need a break in between. The males will keep going.
softturtle;4256472; said:
thnx for the reply, very helpful info. Im gonna try what youve said. If that doesnt work you think i should go trade my older female for a few younger ones?
One other thing I did to keep them a little less skittish was I always kept a 3-4 giant danios in each tank with the breeding pairs. It seemed to bring them out from their hides a lot more.