I Have 2 females with very plump lower bellies, and papilla showing. Their bellies seem bigger every day. I have plexi-glass that one gravid female, and a gold (male??? I hope) seem to protect, but they are not the biggest angelfish in the tank, and the gold one gets pecked ALOT. The female has been plump and sleeping next to the slate for days. The other, even plumper female, an almost pure white, feisty little one, swims around trying to claim the entire tank, but no spot in particular. I was told AFTER adding her and a white male, that they had spawned before, but he doesn't seem to have much interest in anything, except food. (Side note: I found him behind the smaller filter last night, and he was breathing a little heavy. He still has a few of the red splotches on his head, but he seems much better than when I got him). Here are my questions:
1. How long do females get "fatter" before laying eggs?
2. Are the first pair not spawning because of their tank-mates? Can they just NOT do it, if they don't feel comfortable, even though she's obviously ready?
3. Since I have never seen any of these fish lock lips for any extended amount of time, could I just be wrong about these 2 being egg-filled? Are there other signs of pairing? Could they have lip-locked when I wasn't looking, and already be paired? (If the first pair sleeping by the plexi-glass isn't a pair, then I give up!!!! I've never seen 2 fish so joined at the hip, yet I never see the normal signs).
4. If the white females mate is not up to par, will she just NOT lay eggs? Or find a new partner (maybe why she's pecking every fish in the tank)?
5. Will aquarium salt affect breeding in any way? I have never used it, but an explanation below will explain why I'm asking....basically, can kh fluctuation cause rapid breathing/flicking/etc? And is aquarium salt the safest first step for these symptoms if I'm not sure the cause?
6. I will give my parameters next, as I'm guessing (thanks to Andy, mebbid, and others who have pointed out) that the problem is probably ME...and my messing with the water. So any help on that will be appreciated.
For those who haven't had the pleasure of reading one of my long threads, here are my stats: 55g with 6 adolescent angelfish (1 is 3", 3 are about 2", and 2 are less than 2"), 4 blue rams (all an inch or less, but have laid eggs), 2 denison barbs (2.5" each), and a bala shark (2.5"). Total fish= 23.5" of fish. I know that's tight, and may be the problem, but I need to know who's paired with who before moving some to already cycled tanks. Oh...I also have a few ghost shrimp that I see from time to time. The main filter is an aqua clear 300 with sponge, nitra-zorb and bio-bag. Secondary 20g whisper filter contains a sponge and purigen. My ammonia, nitrites are 0. Nitrates are 5. I have driftwood in the tank, and use a mix of tap and RO water to get a ph of 7-7.2, kh:3-4, gh:6-7. One of the problems may be the kh, as it fluctuates....meaning the ph might too? Every time I test, ph and gh are constant, but kh has gone as low as 2. I'm afraid to use buffers, but may need to, as I think my fish load and driftwood amount may be too much. 2 nights ago, a male ram was looking very pale, flicking his gills, and not responding to his mate who was trying to lay eggs. The only significant water test was kh.....2. I did a water change with a higher ratio of tap water. Yesterday, the ram was swimming around the tank again, but I found the big male angel breathing hard behind the filter. Kh: 3. Today, everyone seems okay (except the big male angel still has red where his side fins meet his body, breathes heavier than the rest, and has red splotches on his head). I fed the new fish kanaplex food from angelsplus for 7 days, and they seemed great before I added them to the tank, so I really think his problem, and probably my breeding halt is water related. I know that I should have never tried to mess with my ph, but I can't reverse that decision. I'm looking for ideas to make things STAY where they are! I was told aquarium salt would at least ease gill function, assist with healing any injuries, and etc. but, I want opinions, as I've never used it in this tank before. I will put the water questions in a separate thread, but I included them here because breeding these fish is my priority. I thought of sectioning off the first "pair", to see if indeed they are just not completing the act because of their tank mates. I would love to just "leave them alone to do their thing", but THEY ARENT! And, if it's my fault, I want to fix it. Thanks for listening, and I appreciate feedback! If you got bored after the questions, I would appreciate opinions on at least them....I do tend to write books....but I love my fish!
1. How long do females get "fatter" before laying eggs?
2. Are the first pair not spawning because of their tank-mates? Can they just NOT do it, if they don't feel comfortable, even though she's obviously ready?
3. Since I have never seen any of these fish lock lips for any extended amount of time, could I just be wrong about these 2 being egg-filled? Are there other signs of pairing? Could they have lip-locked when I wasn't looking, and already be paired? (If the first pair sleeping by the plexi-glass isn't a pair, then I give up!!!! I've never seen 2 fish so joined at the hip, yet I never see the normal signs).
4. If the white females mate is not up to par, will she just NOT lay eggs? Or find a new partner (maybe why she's pecking every fish in the tank)?
5. Will aquarium salt affect breeding in any way? I have never used it, but an explanation below will explain why I'm asking....basically, can kh fluctuation cause rapid breathing/flicking/etc? And is aquarium salt the safest first step for these symptoms if I'm not sure the cause?
6. I will give my parameters next, as I'm guessing (thanks to Andy, mebbid, and others who have pointed out) that the problem is probably ME...and my messing with the water. So any help on that will be appreciated.
For those who haven't had the pleasure of reading one of my long threads, here are my stats: 55g with 6 adolescent angelfish (1 is 3", 3 are about 2", and 2 are less than 2"), 4 blue rams (all an inch or less, but have laid eggs), 2 denison barbs (2.5" each), and a bala shark (2.5"). Total fish= 23.5" of fish. I know that's tight, and may be the problem, but I need to know who's paired with who before moving some to already cycled tanks. Oh...I also have a few ghost shrimp that I see from time to time. The main filter is an aqua clear 300 with sponge, nitra-zorb and bio-bag. Secondary 20g whisper filter contains a sponge and purigen. My ammonia, nitrites are 0. Nitrates are 5. I have driftwood in the tank, and use a mix of tap and RO water to get a ph of 7-7.2, kh:3-4, gh:6-7. One of the problems may be the kh, as it fluctuates....meaning the ph might too? Every time I test, ph and gh are constant, but kh has gone as low as 2. I'm afraid to use buffers, but may need to, as I think my fish load and driftwood amount may be too much. 2 nights ago, a male ram was looking very pale, flicking his gills, and not responding to his mate who was trying to lay eggs. The only significant water test was kh.....2. I did a water change with a higher ratio of tap water. Yesterday, the ram was swimming around the tank again, but I found the big male angel breathing hard behind the filter. Kh: 3. Today, everyone seems okay (except the big male angel still has red where his side fins meet his body, breathes heavier than the rest, and has red splotches on his head). I fed the new fish kanaplex food from angelsplus for 7 days, and they seemed great before I added them to the tank, so I really think his problem, and probably my breeding halt is water related. I know that I should have never tried to mess with my ph, but I can't reverse that decision. I'm looking for ideas to make things STAY where they are! I was told aquarium salt would at least ease gill function, assist with healing any injuries, and etc. but, I want opinions, as I've never used it in this tank before. I will put the water questions in a separate thread, but I included them here because breeding these fish is my priority. I thought of sectioning off the first "pair", to see if indeed they are just not completing the act because of their tank mates. I would love to just "leave them alone to do their thing", but THEY ARENT! And, if it's my fault, I want to fix it. Thanks for listening, and I appreciate feedback! If you got bored after the questions, I would appreciate opinions on at least them....I do tend to write books....but I love my fish!