My boyfriend recently noticed that one of my rams, Napoleon, might actually be a little girl, and we later noticed that she and the biggest of the males, Bernard, were never far from each other. Haven't observed any reddening around Napoleon's abdomen but Bernard has definitely become more aggressive toward the other fish, even picking on the gourami or tetras when they get too close. So, a bunch of questions that have come up recently:
1. Other than water pH, temp, and feeding (more protein), is there anything I can try to encourage these two?
2. I remember reading somewhere that they like to lay eggs on a flat surface, would a big rock work or is a clay pot better?
3. If I add something to the tank, I'm planning on putting it in a corner where most of the fish don't go as everybody typically stays by the sandbox, but is it possible to encourage the rams to lay their eggs there, or will they find it if it meets their needs?
4. My tank is a bit of a jungle right now, plants everywhere, and other than a cantankerous BN pleco all the fish are passive and peaceful - 2 dwarf gourami, 6 black skirt tetras, 7 cory cats & 1 platy. If I put sponges over the filter intakes (2 HOBs), will the fry be okay in this tank or should I move them and the parents over to a QT? I have a 10gal or could put the fry by themselves in a 1 gal with a gravel filter.
In addition to this stuff, anything else I should know about?
Thanks for your help!
1. Other than water pH, temp, and feeding (more protein), is there anything I can try to encourage these two?
2. I remember reading somewhere that they like to lay eggs on a flat surface, would a big rock work or is a clay pot better?
3. If I add something to the tank, I'm planning on putting it in a corner where most of the fish don't go as everybody typically stays by the sandbox, but is it possible to encourage the rams to lay their eggs there, or will they find it if it meets their needs?
4. My tank is a bit of a jungle right now, plants everywhere, and other than a cantankerous BN pleco all the fish are passive and peaceful - 2 dwarf gourami, 6 black skirt tetras, 7 cory cats & 1 platy. If I put sponges over the filter intakes (2 HOBs), will the fry be okay in this tank or should I move them and the parents over to a QT? I have a 10gal or could put the fry by themselves in a 1 gal with a gravel filter.
In addition to this stuff, anything else I should know about?
Thanks for your help!
