breeding some BN, walk me through this one last time

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 05 Dec 2005, 18:16

Bear with me...here are the facts....I have a large female albino BN and a large male BN. From different sources, there is no way they are closely related. Both have been in a south american tank, eating up the scraps of bloodworms and brine shrimp, spending time lounging on the many pieces of driftwood. They are really healthy and fat and looking robust. I also have a 10 gallon tank (and a 40 gallon, too) that is cycled and I was going to place this pair in there by themselves and see what develops. I have a third fish, I always thought she was a she, but recently, after being in the luxurious South American tank for 2 months, she seems to be developing some small bristles. She/He? has to be at least 18-24 months old, or older, and all 3 of these fish are over 3" long, maybe approaching 4". Should I just move over the pair? Are there some tricks or specifics that I should be keeping my eyes on? How often would I change the water in a 10 gallon tank? My temperatures are currently around 85F and the pH is about 6.8 to 7.0. Clay pot for a caves? Cool water changes?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 06 Dec 2005, 10:17

I would probably put them in the bigger of the two tanks, especially if you don't want to move the fry after they spawned. A 40g tank would hold all the fry until they are sellable at around 1.5" or bigger.

The cave should be small enough that the male and the female just about fits in there. If it's got a gravel "floor", the male will probably dig it out to suit him. Material isn't particularly important, terracotta (clay) is fine, but I've also had them spawn in bamboo and under slate. Probably makes no difference whatsoever what the material is.

Drop of water temp would probably help trigger them, and I'd aim for around 78'F. My ones spawned first time at 22'C - 72'F.

--
Mats

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 06 Dec 2005, 18:24

I was thinking of using an overturned flowerpot, and set it on the flower pot base. I can crack a little hole for an entrance. My tanks have either sand or gravel, so I figured that the terra cotta pot base would work well for them to keep track of the eggs. Is that too large? I also have a plastic oval tube, that is about as long and as big as a taco. In other words, about the size of your hands with a space of 1.5" between them. It has a small oval opening on each end about 1.5". I'll try to use the larger tank. Any advice on the fish that has little whiskers only about 1mm to 1.5mm long? Do female BN have at least some tiny stubble of whiskers? I'll keep that tank at a lower temp, around 78. I'll use the water change as a temporary method to trigger a spawn after a week of acclimation.

nightowl1350 · Post by **nightowl1350** » 07 Dec 2005, 00:15

The pot with a hole in the lip and resting in the saucer is fine. When you do a w/c you can use slightly cooler water so you drop the tmep a degree or so. It will suprise you how much poop even 2 create. In a 10g you will need to do every other day w/c likely.
Don't forget to feed them veggies like cucumber....mine love peas and lima beans (thaw frozen ones and remove the shells, split them in half)

There will be some chasing, the male may sit in the pot with his tail out and swish it around....the female will go check out the cave, then make him go back in and clean it up. This could go on for a week or more, then she will go in to lay eggs.

It is possible for the female to have very small brisltes, mine don't but I've seen pics of some that do.

Good luck with them.

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 09 Dec 2005, 19:41

So I was planning on moving the pair over this weekend. When I looked into the tank last night, I see the female BN eating the remains of the other fish - the pleco that had the little stubs, I couldn't tell if she was a he or not. Apparently the unidentified 3rd pleco in the tank fell victim to something. I can't believe it is environmentally related, as the tank water is kept very clean because it holds discus and I change water constantly. I just checked and the pH was at 6.8, temp is at 83F, no measureable nitrates, ammonia, or Nitrites to speak of. There is a lot of driftwood that the BN like to adhere to, I put in wafers and occasional veggies, I feed the discus bloodworms and brine shrimp, which the BN appear to like to eat as well. Could it have been murder! Is the other female to blame?

Kana3 · Post by **Kana3** » 15 Dec 2005, 23:13

As I always buy young fish (longer life-span, get my moneys worth!), it's taken me 15 years to get a male BN. But I can tell you that females will beat the crap out of one another. And the one that is dominant is the one that shows good development. She'll keep the others well away from the food.

18 months back the juvenile fish lottery presented me with both male and female. I've done nothing to encourage them to breed, the idea was nice, but it was unlikely. They eat the same crap as the other fish - with maybe a side salad of algae.

I had previously constructed some tunnels for my Cory's. These are poly-pipe with gravel siliconed inside and out. Just wide enough to fit a BN inside. Well, no guessing - hadn't seen the male for a while. Found him in a tunnel two days ago with a good dozen or more young - I'm guessing three weeks old.

Proud Dad here folk's! Although I wonder at how long they'll stay undercover - there are bigger fish out there!

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 16 Dec 2005, 18:25

Why did you silicone gravel on the inside of the tube?
I have a flat plastic bottle that I have cut a hole in which will make a good cave, and I'll use a terra cotta pot dish turned upside down on top of a piece of slate for a squatty hiding place. If I give them choices, I'm sure they'll pick one.

Kana3 · Post by **Kana3** » 16 Dec 2005, 23:34

Hi Jimmy,

I think it was for purely aesthetic reasons. I've never been one for novelties in the tank - Shipwrecks, Diving Guy blowing bubbles, etc. Which is difficult to enforce with two young daughters, the eldest at 12, also a tank keeper and accomplished fish breeder.

I've themed my main 250l tank, without going overboard, as South American - essentially the Plants & Fish. I felt that overturned flower pots weren't a step in the right direction.

So, I now have some lovely camouflaged tunnels. Unless you know they are there, and get the right angle, you won't see them. I have stumps to provide the visible shelter. And that's the effect I believe I was after.

Visitor's don't believe I have anywhere up to 60 Cory's in there, until I drop some wafers in, and they all come swarming out of no-where! - I'm afraid I get a bit of a kick out seeing their astonishment!

breeding some BN, walk me through this one last time

breeding some BN, walk me through this one last time

The Saga continues!!!!