Advice required please

[PaulH196]

Dear Zebrapleco members,

I would appreciate some advice from those of you with more experience than me regarding my group of adult zebra's.

I have 5 adults, I believe 2 males and possibly 3 females.

I have only had this group for about 5 weeks and really during this time they have just been getting used to their new surroundings. There have been a few squabbles with fish squaring up to each other and tail swiping each other but generally they seem to be getting on fine with each other, although mostly they keep themselves to themselves. The two males have taken up residence in separate caves and the 3 females pretty much have their own place where they hang out, and I can usually find them there every time I observe the tank.

The previous owners of this group had kept this group together for a few years, but they were kept in a Discus tank and from what I observed when I went to collect them they were not provided with the right kind of environment to spawn them. I am told that they were originally wild caught and the 5 fish were from 3 different sources.

Today when I arrived home from work one of the females was not in her usual place and I could not see her anywhere else in the tank. I then noticed that one of the males seemed to be a lot nearer to the entrance to his cave than usual and when I got a good look I noticed that the missing female was in there with him.

From everything that I have read on this site and others this would seem to be a good sign.

The question is; should I just carry on with my usual waterchanges and feeding routine or should I cut back on maintenance and try to minimise disturbance to the tank and to this pair in particular?

Do males trap females in their cave for any reason other than to spawn? Am I building up my hopes too prematurely?

I really never thought that I would get any signs of spawning activity so soon, although they have been given very special care, with lots of live, frozen and dried food, and 25 to 30% water changes every couple of days.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

PaulH

[andrewcoxon]

leave them too it mate, dont disturb them & keep your fingers crossed!

[Poshpleco]

Hi Paul,

It seems you could be getting some good news in the next week if she is definately a female

In answer to your maintenance question, In my personal experience I didn't change anything, I just carried on doing the same as I always do. Others may say differently but it seems to be working for me at the moment.

I look forward to hearing an update from you soon

Tracey.

[Jo's Zebs]

I always carry on with my maintenence and feeding routine as normal although I dont move things around in the tank near the cave with them in. My male never traps the females for long somtimes only evening untill early morning a couple of nights on the run then bingo.

[Barbie]

I've had females trapped for as long as a month (they obviously were leaving, then returning and cohabitating). Keep up your normal routine as obviously they are giving you the seal of approval. Good luck!

Barbie

[PaulH196]

Many thanks to Andrew, Poshpleco, Jo's Zebs and Barbie for your responses.

It seems that so far the concensus is to keep on as normal but not to disturb the pair in their cave.

I will keep my fingers crossed and report back if/when there is any progress.

Thanks again.

PaulH

[TwoTankAmin]

I also do not break my maint routine for trapping, spawning nor rearing.

[PaulH196]

Barbie,

Thanks for your comments, I did not have time to either carry on with my normal maintenance which I intended to do, or to change anything for that matter.

When I arrived home from work this afternoon, the female was no longer in the cave, and the good news is that there are definitely eggs that the male is now guarding.

I am really very excited about this, it all happened much quicker than I ever thought. I understand that sometimes the first spawn may not be successful but I will keep my hopes up that the eggs are fertile and that they develop and hatch.

I will update here if/when there is any further news.

Regards

PaulH

[Barbie]

Woohooo! Congratulations!

Not to be potentially a wet blanket but the first spawns aren't always fertile. They ARE almost always a sign of more spawns to come though, so either way, it's good news .

Barbie

[Stevie.K]

Good luck with your spawning, i have been very lucky when i have bought new fish like you to get a spawning very quickly, I don't know if it is the change in water conditions that triggers this???

All the best

[smithrc]

Nice one - that's a quick spawn... 5 weeks in a new home!

[John]

Congrats PaulH196, you must be doing it right

[Zebrapl3co]

Nice, looks like the zebras you purchase were propertly hooked up already and where just waiting for the proper place (a cave) to spawn on.

[PaulH196]

Barbie,

Thanks for the congrats. The male is still tending the eggs, not sure how many, although this morning one egg had been ejected, I put it in a breeding trap with the outflow from a mature sponge filter running into the trap. On my return from work this egg appears fine with no signs of fungus or anything untoward.

Regards

PaulH

[PaulH196]

Stevie.K,

In the past I have had good breeding results with new arrivals but I really did not think the zebra's would settle in so quickly and get down to business.

Regards

PaulH