any ideas please

hi all my male had picked a cave and started to settle in it my female got in and was in there for about 10 mins and left my male stayed in there for 3/4 of a day and now has just abandoned it should i move the cave and see if there is any eggs or do i just leave it the male has no interest in the cave any more any ideas as he has left it for 2 days now many thanks

Hi there,without taking the cave out of the water,turn it towards the front of the tank and shine a torch through into the cave to see if there are eggs or not.There probably aren't any but it is possible there might be.

ok thank you bristlenoses will try and let you know


just checked 2 empty eggs and no wiggerlers i think as they are the first batch from her they might of been empty pre spawned but will keep up with the triggering

mnicholls wrote:

ok thank you bristlenoses will try and let you know


just checked 2 empty eggs and no wiggerlers i think as they are the first batch from her they might of been empty pre spawned but will keep up with the triggering

What bristlenoses have you got and how many of each sex?what are you doing to trigger them and what else,if anything,is in the tank with them?

i have 3 tetras mixed 1 mountain minnow 1 harlaquin 2 normal brown bns 1 male 1 female and i got told from the breeder to trigger them to breed do a water change and then drop ice cubes into the water to drop the temp and i brought a so called leopard spot plec but it looks a lot like a gibbicep but that stays on the other side of the tank and it leaves them alone

Hi again,what size is your tank?

mnicholls wrote:

i have 3 tetras mixed 1 mountain minnow 1 harlaquin 2 normal brown bns 1 male 1 female and i got told from the breeder to trigger them to breed do a water change and then drop ice cubes into the water to drop the temp and i brought a so called leopard spot plec but it looks a lot like a gibbicep but that stays on the other side of the tank and it leaves them alone

I wouldnt bother with the ice cubes! thats just going stupid with the whole cool water change. The breeder is wasting good ice that could be used for Scotch!!!

When it comes to triggering breeding there are several things to consider, like is the female ready, is the male ready and is the whole situation good to go. There is no point for example triggering on the 2nd day of a long spell of good weather, all the cold water in the world wont get them going, they are too busy enjoying the nice weather haha.

have a read of my book, there is a larger section on triggering breeding in there which go over all the things to consider and what to do.

the last thing to remember is that the presence of other ground dwelling fish will cause stress and particually the larger species can be a bit of a bully and have been known to eat eggs, as have other male bristlenose so just be aware of that

done a water change last night and they are at it again will let know if any eggs this time

mnicholls wrote:

done a water change last night and they are at it again will let know if any eggs this time

Hi,you didn't answer my question about the size of the tank ? and i fully agree with Doug. No need for ice cubes and rehome the ''gibicep'' if you want to be safe. Just do your routine water changes as always and keep them clean and on a good diet and there should be no need to trigger them.The routine water change should be enough to start them off.

As Doug and Bristlnoses have pointed out the "Leopard spot plec" could be a problem, most plecs are nocturnal feeders and although it shows no interest during the day it could be when the lights go out.

If you are getting eggs and they keep dissapearing it's more than likely the plec taking them.

ok thanks for the help i will put the bns into my other tank for them to spawn and my friend next door who gave me the tank says its a 96 gallon jewel tank cant remember the model just its a 96 gallon many thanks