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| Courting Behaviour? | |
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Silvashadow Large Bristlenose
Number of posts : 249 Age : 37 Location : Perth, Western Australia Job/hobbies : Quest for the unusual plecos! Humor : Om nom nom? Thank You Points : 19 Registration date : 2011-05-09
| Subject: Courting Behaviour? Wed May 11, 2011 9:36 am | |
| Hi everyone, I'm rather new to the breeding of these guys and just asking some advice. I have had a female albino BN in a grow up tank currently occupied by baby balloon mollies and a few cherry shrimp. I've had this female for a couple months now and noticed about a week ago she was a lot fatter then usual and checking her revealed eggs moving around inside. A couple days later (when I had the time) I bought home a mature male for her in the hopes they may breed. He has been steadily making a cave under a long piece of driftwood and chasing everyone away from it. Now, everytime the female comes near him she does this rather interesting dance (flirting with him maybe?) by wiggling a lot in short spurts and her fins wiggling/shaking/waving a lot as well. She even turns around at some points and hits him with her tail (getting closer as she does this), but if she gets too close he scares her away. I have a breeder cave in this tank as well though the male seems uninterested in it, he likes his tight-spaced cave he's made. Can anyone tell me what type of behaviour this is? Is the female flirting or being territorial? And does these small charges the male makes at her when she gets too close a way of saying he isn't interested, or just not ready for her (working on his cave and all)?
Thanks heaps for any and all advice! :P | |
| | | Doug Bristlenose King
Number of posts : 3128 Age : 38 Location : Adelaide, South Australia Job/hobbies : Aquatic ecologist/genetisist Humor : yes please :) Thank You Points : 198 Registration date : 2010-05-08
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Thu May 12, 2011 12:40 am | |
| its generally accepted that that is flirting behaviour. Particually the tail to tail thing.
He will accept her invitations when he is ready. depending on the male this could be tomorrow or it could be a month. I know that the more i want a male to breed the less likely he is to do it, stupid fish!
All sound very good though. Iwould expect you will have some eggs soon. In terms of the cave, it might be too exposed. I know My fish will often forgo a breeding cave if it is too exposed and there are fish swimming around above them | |
| | | Silvashadow Large Bristlenose
Number of posts : 249 Age : 37 Location : Perth, Western Australia Job/hobbies : Quest for the unusual plecos! Humor : Om nom nom? Thank You Points : 19 Registration date : 2011-05-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Thu May 12, 2011 7:25 am | |
| LOL Thanks for the awesome info Doug! I'm not sure if he's forgoing the breeder cave, to me it seems more like he's still too shy to explore a great deal. He's getting more used to seeing me sit in front of the tank and watching him, but anything he considers too fast and he dashes straight for the underneath of this little nook he's made. I have seen him grazing briefly over the top of the breeder cave, but no where near the opening. The female often pops inside it but I don't think he ever has been in it once. Do you think I should move the wood? It's currently laying length-wise across the tank, the end somewhat curving up a bit to form a natural cave, but I personally think he's too big for it. Should I lay the wood height-wise instead? In terms of exposure, perhaps putting some rocks and plants over the top to block the view from seeing above would be a good idea maybe? Here's hoping they breed soon. | |
| | | kfenk V.I.P Member
Number of posts : 1432 Age : 40 Location : Adelaide, South Australia Thank You Points : 79 Registration date : 2009-11-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Thu May 12, 2011 8:38 am | |
| why not move the cave to where hes built his own. just submerge it under the substrate a bit right where his hidey hole was under the wood. | |
| | | Silvashadow Large Bristlenose
Number of posts : 249 Age : 37 Location : Perth, Western Australia Job/hobbies : Quest for the unusual plecos! Humor : Om nom nom? Thank You Points : 19 Registration date : 2011-05-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Thu May 12, 2011 2:58 pm | |
| Ahh there's an idea, thanks Kfenk ,but do you mean to move the wood somewhere else in the tank or pop it straight on top of the cave? From gravel > crevice > wood - to - gravel > cave > wood? Something like that? Or shift the wood in a way that he cannot find a good enough hidey-hole under any part of it and resort to the breeder cave? | |
| | | kfenk V.I.P Member
Number of posts : 1432 Age : 40 Location : Adelaide, South Australia Thank You Points : 79 Registration date : 2009-11-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Thu May 12, 2011 11:52 pm | |
| No, move the cave to where the bn has made his hidey hole. Shouldn't be too hard to get it under there ay | |
| | | Silvashadow Large Bristlenose
Number of posts : 249 Age : 37 Location : Perth, Western Australia Job/hobbies : Quest for the unusual plecos! Humor : Om nom nom? Thank You Points : 19 Registration date : 2011-05-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Fri May 13, 2011 4:26 pm | |
| Unfortunately it would be, the piece of wood is small and somewhat thin, about as long as half my arm (30cm?), the tank isn't long and the breeder cave is twice as high as the wood, about 3" at a guess. Hence why I was wondering on putting the wood leaning on it. Again, thankyou for your help, much appreciated! | |
| | | kfenk V.I.P Member
Number of posts : 1432 Age : 40 Location : Adelaide, South Australia Thank You Points : 79 Registration date : 2009-11-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Sat May 14, 2011 1:56 am | |
| U can't bury the cave under the substrate? Just push the cave into the substrate under the wood where the hidey hole is... Or maybe how u said the cave is too big to fit under the wood, could be too big for the bristlenose... | |
| | | Silvashadow Large Bristlenose
Number of posts : 249 Age : 37 Location : Perth, Western Australia Job/hobbies : Quest for the unusual plecos! Humor : Om nom nom? Thank You Points : 19 Registration date : 2011-05-09
| Subject: Re: Courting Behaviour? Sat May 14, 2011 7:31 am | |
| There isn't a huge amount of gravel in it to bury the cave that far, though the breeder cave should be adequate size. The male is 3-4" in length, going in the cave, he'd still have to curl around a bit. But I'll stick the cave there when he moves and see what happens. Thanks for you advice kfenk, and you patience. | |
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