Keeping Fish

[LeafBlade12345]

Leaf, he might just be starting the nest. As long as he is fed good food and can see a female, he should get to it. When the nest is all collected in one area and looks nice and sturdy(as sturdy as a clump of bubbles can be), and the female shows that she's ready, you can try introducing them.
Cute bird AxolotlLove

Thanks for the advice. He can see two females, so I think that's what's driving him to make the nest. How long do you think it will take him to finish up?

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

Depends how determined he is

Give him as much time as you think he needs. It probably varies from fish to fish, and he'll probably do the best he can for the eggs if his nest is too small. Maybe the nest's size determines how many eggs the female will prepare for spawning?

My boy isn't really working on his nest anymore, probably because there are no females and the spikes are stressing him out. Speaking of which, my ammonia is down to between 0 and .5; nitrite is around 3; nitrate is between 0 and 20. Hardness is around 50, pH is neutral, chlorine is at 0, and alkalinity is around 180.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Seems to be pretty determined. Been making bubbles all day, though they are spread around the edges of the tank, not compacted. Maybe because he can see two females? :/

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

He's probably just getting into all the corners so he can build the nest all around him until it reaches the center. He should, of course, leave some empty space for air and food.
Aside from getting fry that look like Monroe, I'd like to work towards getting unique multi-colors like "salamanders" and such. I think I'll have fun experimenting with different lines!

 

[Shellybean02]

I think it's been 24 hours since I installed my tank heater. It's "pre programmed," and I think the temp. should be stabilized by now. The tank, everywhere, is around 87 degrees. That's way too hot for bettas, right? And if I unplug it, wouldn't the temperature change shock my boy in the tank? The usual temperature in my room is in the upper seventies, so I doubt the tank even needs a heater.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

I think it's been 24 hours since I installed my tank heater. It's "pre programmed," and I think the temp. should be stabilized by now. The tank, everywhere, is around 87 degrees. That's way too hot for bettas, right? And if I unplug it, wouldn't the temperature change shock my boy in the tank? The usual temperature in my room is in the upper seventies, so I doubt the tank even needs a heater.

87 probably won't kill them, but it is way too high. Unplug the heater. They should be fine.

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

I turned off the heater. The water test gave the same results as yesterday. Would it be safe to put Orlando back? He's acting better. I'm feeding him the frozen brine shrimp because freeze dried mealworms usually cause bloating, and I'm not sure that pellets are as good for him as actual organisms.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

I turned off the heater. The water test gave the same results as yesterday. Would it be safe to put Orlando back? He's acting better. I'm feeding him the frozen brine shrimp because freeze dried mealworms usually cause bloating, and I'm not sure that pellets are as good for him as actual organisms.

Live mealworms chopped into small pieces or halved will usually work. The pellets usually contain at least a small amount of brine shrimp, bloodworms, krill, etc., as well as algae, plants, and plant matter. Therefore, they should be fed at least every other day to keep a healthy, balanced diet. I've found that keeping my breeders on flakes and krill only for their breeding times usually end up dropping fry the best. It also gives the males vibrant colors!

Regards,
Leaf

 

[Shellybean02]

Do you mean more fry are born from the spawn? I'll see if I can get ahold of frozen or live krill. I'm trying to avoid freeze dried(I have the bloodworms, which will last a while; I can soak them before every feeding to prevent bloating) and artificial foods(bettas are carnivores). Also with the water test results that I described yesterday, will Orlando be okay going back into the tank?

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Do you mean more fry are born from the spawn? I'll see if I can get ahold of frozen or live krill. I'm trying to avoid freeze dried(I have the bloodworms, which will last a while; I can soak them before every feeding to prevent bloating) and artificial foods(bettas are carnivores). Also with the water test results that I described yesterday, will Orlando be okay going back into the tank?

I was referring to live bearers, such as gups, mollies, swordtails, platys, etc.. Never bred egg layers before.

Regards,
Leaf