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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 4:47 am
by Barbie
WOOHOOO!!! All this time they've been just cohabitating in that cave, but today, he's got eggs! The big male in the other tank has been on a spawn two days, so I've got two going at once. I definitely foresee a tank restructuring party in my future. Blackie might get another female or two from the main colony, since he's finally proven he's figured out what you do with them!
On a side note, I scared the bejesus out of my stepdaughter when I went screaming up the stares like a banshee a few minutes ago, lol!
Barbie
Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 11:28 am
by Rob
Looks like santa has been doing some eovertime!!!!
Congrads barbie, and happy christmas again!!!
rob
Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:12 am
by Des
Barbie,
Were your L046 females heavily "pregnant" at the start of your 8 months of rainy seasons?.
You mentioned elsewhere that the first spawn is nearly always infertile. How long is before that female spawns again?
Regards,
Des.
Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 3:11 pm
by fishboy20
Congrats on the spawnings! In time I hope to have multiple spawnings just like you. Glad santa came through for you! Good luck with the fry!
Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:59 pm
by Barbie
My females got quite a bit more conditioned during the rainy season, IMO. They were all in good shape prior to it though, definitely. They didn't spawn at all during that time, although who knows if it was because the male couldn't claim enough territory in the smaller tank, or what. The tank the second male is in has a pair of L333, a pair of P. taeniatus, and 4 guppies at the moment. He's definitely graduated himself to better quarters though!
As to how long between spawns per female, I haven't a clue. I've got a group of 7 that have been together since the first spawn, and while I get females that want to hang around his cave before and after he's spawned, it's rarely the same one twice. I'd have to really tear the tank apart frequently to keep track of which one is doing what, and I've just not wanted to bother them. I DO intend to swipe another female to give to the subdominant male in his own tank at some point, to keep them both on spawns as often as I can. I haven't a clue if it will actually work that way though 
The second spawn for me, was within a couple weeks. I do regular water changes with my harder tap water once a week, and then anytime the TDS gets above 180 or so, I do a big RO change. It's not the "practiced" rainy season I originally started out doing, but it has been keeping the L46 and L260 going. I will be putting the L134 and L183 through longer seasons though, as it's not working to keep the L183 going as often as they had been, and the L134 need that initial spawn to get started.
Barbie
Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:10 pm
by Des
Barbie,
Thanks for the info,
Des.
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 3:20 am
by wandj
Congrats Barbie. I'll be honest, I'm GREEN with jealousy!!
But I'm also very happey for you.
What I can't contemplate, is that no matter what fish book you read, they always hammer home the message that you must keep the water quality the SAME! Match the temp, match the pH, etc etc. Many times fish are lost right after a water change. So why can the plecos not just tolerate it, but the SPAWN by it? It's so opposite from the advice I've read. One guy even said Zebras need a stable environment to spawn. (Guess not). I just wonder why the conflicting advice in mags/books. Anyway, I'm still waiting for a spawn too...aren't we all?
Take care and happy new year.
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:33 am
by du ma
barbie, if we dont have the money for the ro unit, would one of these products be safe to improvise?
http://petsolutions.com/product.asp_Q_p ... 2E+Vital_E_
"R.O. Vital
Professional Water Preparation Formula
Reconstitutes reverse-osmosis, deionized, distilled or too-soft water to desired hardness and provides all the necessary major, minor and trace elements. Restores general hardness, carbonate hardness, TDS and alkalinity. Reserve buffer capacity to stabilize pH. 9 oz. makes 1200 gallons of breeding water."
what are your exact water parameters before and after the water change?
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:46 am
by Barbie
Du ma you should contact filterdirect on ebay. I bought a 110 gpd RO/DI unit for 80 bucks, and a tds meter for another 27. I was very happy with both the service and the products I received. It would be cheaper than the replacement filter cartridges for the resin based purifying systems, IMO. That RO Vital would just make regular tap water harder. That's what it's designed for, to replace the things you strip out of RO water to make a good balanced water that the pH won't bounce around with. Just using a bit of tap water, or if you already have hard water in your tank will do the same thing.
Wandj to be honest, when Larry told me I should be dropping the temperature 10 degrees on the L260, I made a conscious decision to do what he said and see if it killed them. It was just a trio, I had more, and he was the expert, sooo.... It obviously worked very well! I don't expect you to follow the method that I use at all, I just figured I'd share what had got mine spawning. I'm sure this isn't the only method that would get you the results you'd want, I just know it's now been effective on two separate males. Are your fish in good condition? Have you seen the pictures of how my colony looked just before their first spawn?
I don't worry about the pH in my tanks. It's usually about 7.8 or so. I keep the temperature at 86 degrees. My first spawn was after I lowered them from 90 (where I'd kept them for 6 months) to 86, then did a few cool rainy changes. I haven't been exactly tracking the TDS of the water, as I don't honestly think it has to be exact, it just needs to be a good fluctuation.
For my first few L260 spawns, I literally collected snow melt and rain water. It worked. It was a complete and utter pain in the heinie, but it did get me enough of the results I was hoping for to give me incentive to get more serious about things.
On a happy note, the fry in the big males cave are wiggling tonight, and the eggs in with blackie definitely appear to be fertile. They're getting tails inside their egg sacs. Hopefully he can figure out how to help them hatch without eating many.
Barbie
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:40 am
by du ma
http://stores.ebay.com/Filter-Direct-store
barbie,
can you tell me the exact brand name and model # you got?
does it require any type of filter pads or other accessories that i should be aware of?
the store is less than 20 miles from where i am.
thinking of picking one up tomorrow morning
please reply asap. thanks
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:05 pm
by Barbie
The filter already has the prefilter pads and what not that you'll need. Every 6 months you have to replace the carbon and sediment prefilters in it, if you use it according to manufacturers specifications. I make 40 gallons, once a week or so. I figure I'm probably good for closer to a year, but you want to make sure you change them, as the chlorine in your tap water will damage the membrane, if you aren't careful.
I bought the 110 gpd RO/DI unit that was 5 stage. I removed the DI filter from mine, and just use the RO portion. I could care less if there's a bit of phosphate in the water, at this point. I'll probably add it back at some point if I start my reef tank, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there! The TDS meters he sells were about 23 dollars cheaper than I could find them anywhere else. I DEFINITELY recommend picking one up if you're getting the RO, so you have an idea where you're at without breaking out those drop test kits that can be such a pain. If you aren't going to plumb it directly into a line, but attach it to a sink, they also sell those adapters for like 5 dollars. Saved me a trip to Home Depot!
On a happy note, there are wiggling fry in both caves, as of last night. That means I either missed a spawn with blackie (I don't think so!) or they got it right the first try. Maybe someday I'll be able to figure out why some first spawns are not fertile and some are, but today I'm just happy to see those little wiggling tails!
It's before my morning caffeine here du ma, so if I missed anything, please feel free to ask me more questions I've just never been a morning person!
Barbie
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:27 pm
by McEve
wandj wrote:
What I can't contemplate, is that no matter what fish book you read, they always hammer home the message that you must keep the water quality the SAME! Match the temp, match the pH, etc etc.
Fish don't read books I guess
It's not so surprising that the Zebra will spawn when the water paramters change. If you consider that they spawn in nature just after/at the end of the rainy season, it makes sense. Look at what happens to the water after a rainy season: The current gets stronger, the water gets softer, more acidic - and colder.
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:30 am
by du ma
congrats on your spawns barbie. i acutally couldnt go today, it was rainy really hard. thanks for all your help. once i get everything hooked up ill ask you if anything comes up.
another question. i can attatch it to any water line from my house right...for instance, my back yard where i hook up the garden hose?
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 6:13 pm
by Barbie
Yes, with the hose adapter, you can hook it up anywhere. You want to keep in mind that you want to keep the unit full of water all the time, once you get it running, and that very cold, or very warm water are hard on the membrane. 70 is supposed to be ideal, but your output just gets lower at lower temps, so it's not the end of the world by any means.
Barbie