Advice required please
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:06 pm
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
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