Time to separate?

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Mr. Rain Cloud

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 18, 2010
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Las Vegas, NV
Hi there, I have a bit of a situation going on with my pair of GTs and I hope you can help me out :)

They've had successful fry for at least 4 times now but only their current batch has survived the longest(2weeks+). I believe that they got used to losing their little ones after a week so now, it looks like they are getting ready to breed again. The fry are still in there with them, however the female isn't keeping a close watch on them as she used to yet she still drives away the male whenever he gets near the fry area. Occasionally they swim together though. The male is shaking his thing and I'm worried that he'll be sexually frustrated then beat her :(

It seems that they're a bit puzzled on what's going on and are unsure on what to do. I believe that they might be stressing their own bodies which can lead to poor health and possibly go on a frenzy after a certain time.

What do you think of this? Is it time for the fry to leave home?

Thanks in advance!
 
My pair of Saums would raise fry for 4weeks+, so I cant say I have any experience im this, but:

I would be more inclined to remove hammer or divide them. I know its not ideal, but removing the fry with mum will cause stress and she will likely eat them. Removing the fry will cause them to fall out ending in jack being hurt, I imagine.

Again, if Hammer is your main priority then maybe a permenant (or at least prolonged) seperation is required. Or double dividers - with a gap in between to stop them breeding through it.

Not ideal, but my 2c.
 
Thank you Grant :)

Ultimately I'd like both Jack and Hammer to gain some more size, so I'm leaning more towards the divider option. I think this way they can focus on growing while remaining a couple, which is a win win situation for me. Before I divide them I'd like to try keeping them in a cool temperature water while excluding both the oak leaves and alder cones since they are big factors into triggering breeding. This would mean around three 30-40% water changes a week to keep the water cool during this summer. If it doesn't work I'll probably take out most of the peat from my filter as well.

I'm going to implement this once this batch of fry isn't in the equation anymore. Depending on how it goes will decide the dimensions of my tank upgrade(taller/longer).

May I ask what happened to your fry after 4 weeks?
 
Mr. Rain Cloud said:
Thank you Grant :)

Ultimately I'd like both Jack and Hammer to gain some more size, so I'm leaning more towards the divider option. I think this way they can focus on growing while remaining a couple, which is a win win situation for me. Before I divide them I'd like to try keeping them in a cool temperature water while excluding both the oak leaves and alder cones since they are big factors into triggering breeding. This would mean around three 30-40% water changes a week to keep the water cool during this summer. If it doesn't work I'll probably take out most of the peat from my filter as well.

I'm going to implement this once this batch of fry isn't in the equation anymore. Depending on how it goes will decide the dimensions of my tank upgrade(taller/longer).

May I ask what happened to your fry after 4 weeks?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea :)
Provided you stick to this ^^ I think all should be fine.

After 4 weeks the parents would begin the breeding process again, so I would remove the fry, slowly I might add, not all at once. This way they think of themselves as sucessful and I get a large batch of established fry! Win win...
 
Well, it's 3 weeks in since fry were first free swimming, and now my pair have laid eggs :O I'm guessing it's safe to remove the current batch now?
 
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