wkinne02

I have suspected from the very beginning that my 2 Gold Marbles were a pair. For starters, one is significantly larger than the other, and the larger one has that pronounced hump on the head that I've read is associated with males. The smaller one has no hump. Second, when I got them, the smaller one was netted first. When the LFS employee dipped the net in for the second one, the larger one practically jumped into the net on his own (I realize that it may be pretty far-fetched, but you never know--they are pretty intelligent fish).

In the tank, they are never very far apart, and I've never observed any signs of territorial agression between them. On the other hand, the larger one has been chasing the other fish away from the smaller one over the past few days. Recently, I've observed them pecking at the intake tube of the filter, as if they were cleaning it. Most recently, the smaller one has developed a noticable bulge in the midsection.

As a precaution, I've performed the water changes necessary to get the nitrates below 10ppm. If they do lay eggs, I will probably shoot for nitrates below 5ppm. I will also wrap some new filter media around the intake to avoid having any potential little bundles of joy getting sucked in.

I've have very little experience with raising fry, so I have a few questions.

Does this sound like breeding behavior, or am I just kidding myself?

Should I remove all of the other fish from the tank, or do you think they will be fine?

Should I leave the light off while the eggs are incubating?

How long will my Java Fern be able to go without light if I do?

When should I convert my 10g into a nursery, and will it suffice?

Butterfly

Very definitely sounds like their preparing a site for eggs.

Depending on the size of the tank the angels in their zeal to protect their eggs may hurt your other fish. The other fish may make the angels nervous and cause them to eat their eggs/fry. the other fish WILL eat all the fry they can fit into their mouths. So moving the pair would probably be the better option. Then when the eggs hatch move them back.

I personally would keep the same lights on/off schedule the angels are used to.
Since it's a low light plant anyway Java Fern can go a very long time with out the aquarium light on.

It will take 3-4 days for the eggs to hatch (this is the wiggler stage) then 3-4 days for them to go free swimming.
If your going to move the pair for spawning then immediately would be good. If your going to wait for the free swimming stage then 3-4 days after spawning.
After you have the babies in teh tank they will need 50% water changes EVERY day for at least 2 months to ensure their fins grow straight.
Hope this helps
Carol

COBettaCouple

Sounds like they're going to be mating soon. Congrats.

wkinne02

Well, they went and did it . Only a couple dozen eggs maybe, but I'm pretty sure they're first-timers, so I'll cut them some slack. As I suspected, the eggs were laid on the intake tube of the filter. I'm not too confident about getting any fry out of this, but if what I've heard is true, I can expect to see eggs every couple of weeks. Hopefully success will come as they, and I, become a bit more experienced at this.

Tomorrow, I'm going to begin my campaign to convince the wife that we need to get a 5g tank for the kitchen to house the betta that currently occupies the 10g. My hope is to keep the 10g as a grow-out tank for any fry that might be coming our way.

Apart from the BN Pleco, every other fish in that tank is going back to the LFS at my earliest convenience.

angelfish220

What if you put the tigers in the angel tank and the angels in the 30? if you want to get rid of the other fish take them back, but I like keeping as much fish as possible

wkinne02

I have thought of that, but I like the angels where they are..right next to the TV in the living room. My wife watches American Idol, and I watch the Angels. The 30 is in my daughter's bedroom.

Also, the 30 is going to be the eventual home of the pair that I hope to get from the group of juvies in the 23.

To be honest, the Tigers (as well as the Giant Danios) are a holdover from my former 75g tank, which was supplanted by a piano. I don't think they're very happy in a tall tank. Sooner or later, they're going back to the LFS as well. I'm fortunate to have such an understanding LFS, but then again, I do business almost exclusively with them (I haven't found it's equal anywhere near me, and believe me, I've looked).

I'm actually the same way. I have a difficult time parting with any fish. The thing is, I've got an acute case of Angelitis, and it shows no signs of getting better. It's like the perfect storm: The small size of my house dictates the presence of tall tanks. Angels are one of the few fish that prefer tall tanks. I've loved them since I was a kid. I'm doomed (in a good way )