my male might be a dud..

so here we go again with my peppermints...lol. i havent tried triggering for a good 4 weeks or more now and still don't plan too until after i get them into a new 4 foot tank in a fortnight, but lately at night when lights are off i sneak up on them with a little torch to have a look and to feed and i notice a female in the cave with the male. no action, just chillin'...i look in the mornings and male is just in there by himself, no fanning, no eggs. i'm thinking maybe my female is ready and trying to lay eggs but the male just wants to be friends?? normally my female has her spot under some drift wood not too far from the male. just wondering if anyone has had this happen before and if it's a sign that the male is too old for breeding?

High peppermint23 , Do you exactly how old the male is? my male would be just about the same age as my last female,
and are stil testy to breed - another friend thinks my male is just an Donkey - hence the lack of breeding.

J

yeah, dont write him off yet. he might be a bit young. or he might not be ready.

What are your water parameters?

high J, i was told he is 4 years old and it's your female that goes in the cave with him, she's about 3 years old yeah? hehe mine is a donkey too! very lazy i think.
my water parameters are ph 7.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5 - 10, kh 4, and temp is 25 degrees. that's all the tests i have. i'm not too fussed at the moment with trying to get them to breed, i'll see what happens when i get them into the bigger tank, i think they will like that. but i just thought this behaviour was a little strange. the male doesn't even try to 'trap' her in the cave, actually the female looks as though she is pushing him to the back of the cave lol maybe he is a push over lol
thanks for the advice guys