Are they spawning?

I set up a breeding tank for my male and a newly aquried female ABN..this was a week ago,i did a big water change yesterday and today they are both in the cave,she has paid no attention to him till now..this will be the first time ive done it is this a good sign

Yes very good sign,only time she will go into his cave is to lay eggs usually so good luck

Great sign, it could be just a practice run or she may just be checking out the cave, but it is a step in the right direction

Good luck!

yeah, she is either inspecting the cave or in there to lay eggs, either way it is a good sign

Well we have eggs i noticed tho at the front of the cave there are two lots of two eggs moving around..wats with that???

Are there a clump of eggs in the cave attached to the cave? Sounds like these few didn't get attached properly or they have become unattached or are not fertilised.What colour are the ones that are unattached?If they are orange and look normal you could collect them and put them in a fry saver if you can do it without disturbing the father.Or just leave them as it may be too much disturbance to the father to risk the other eggs.Depends on if they are still inside the cave or outside and easily accesible?

What kind of cave is it ?, sometimes, if it is smooth inside, the eggs don't attach or are easily detached. If the eggs come out of the cave then follow Bristlenoses advice about using a fry saver.

thanks guys...its a slate cave so it is pretty smooth,the colour was not the normal orange they were more pale..i cant see them any more at the enterance or in the tank so im not sure what happened to them..i really dont want to disturb him for the sake of 4 eggs tho..

Agreed. it's not worth disturbing for four eggs. They were probably disloged during the mating as slate caves are normally excellent for eggs to adhere to.

Hi,slate is usualy quite good as a cave so maybe the eggs just accidentaly got knocked or wasnt stuck or wasn't fertilised.Whatever the reason i agree it isn't worth disturbing the male and the rest of the eggs unless it is easy to get them and if they look o.k or if they are rare eggs etc.I wish you good luck with the rest and keep us informed of their progress.

Sorry jim,i must of been typing this at the same time you posted your post.

thanks guys...well see what happens in the next 3 to 4 days..will keep it posted

It will take about 4 days for them to hatch and then another 7 to 10 days approx to leave the cave.Can you see into the cave at all without disturbing him? If not it is just a waiting game.

No i cant see in its too dark,he is right at the back though..up till now hes only ever sat at the front..i have found 5 eggs sitting against their drift wood,they are pale was thinking of saving them but the wood is fairly close to his cave so im going to leave them...they still have a really good flow of water passing over them,if they are fertile will they hatch there?

It isn't an impossibility but highly unlikely that they will hatch if left there.If they look pale they might not be any good,it may be best to leave things alone for now and just see how things go over the next few days but it's up to you.

its day 4 so i guess today or tommorow they should hatch..mannaged to get a look in the cave and he has a healthy sized clump in there,they are attached to the top of the cave,there are a couple i can see that are just hanging on by one egg so im presuming they must have been knocked about abit hence the loose eggs on the tank floor..very excited and cant wait to see the wrigglers..just hoping all goes well now

Hi,that's excellent news,I wish you luck and hope all goes well.It is very exciting isn't it? They should hatch shortly if it is day 4, please keep us updated

thanks and will do i have also decided to sell my african cichlids so i can have their tank for more plecs...lol i think im hooked..doesnt help when my partner buys 6 more peppermints..

LOL I know the feeling of being addicted

well they didnt hatch yesterday and i was starting to think i screwed something up...i just checked his cave and its happening..little wrigglers..a big bunch of em.

also ive been doing water change every 2 days of about 20%..its due today is it ok to do it or will it affect the wriggleys

keep the water changes up

just dont disurb the cave too much when doing them

Thanks Doug just a bit excited lol

gregt wrote:

Thanks Doug just a bit excited lol

It's an even bigger buzz when they all come out the cave

ooooo how exciting,another 7 to 10 days and they should be coming out