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View inside P. nagyi Pekan Nenasi cave

Home Forums Global Breeding View inside P. nagyi Pekan Nenasi cave

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 18 total)
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  • #5247
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Hello everybody,

    my nagyi-pair has been courting nearly without pause during the last two weeks. They did this before, and the male has also been invisible for days before after heavy courtship displays before. So I think it’s not the first time they spawned – but no success (=fry) to be seen up to now.

    Last week I added a film canister to the tank to provide further possibilities to breed. The canister swims under the surface, and the male was interested at once.

    Now again I haven’t seen him for days, the female is swimming through the tank as normal.
    Now I took the risk to photograph directly into the film canister. The male is in the cave – with a cluster of eggs. I haven’t seen a clutch of paro eggs before – except on some photos. What I see seems somehow unusual to me – a very bulky bunch of very yellowish eggs ……… Would you please take a look and tell me, whether this looks normal – or if the eggs show fungal infestation? I am really not experienced with that …..

    You see the cave on the right and it’s reflection on the left side. I’m sorry the photo is really bad, but I think you can see what I mean. I don’t want to disturb the male by taking more photos.

    #5248
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    I think that looks quite all right.
    Whether ‘normal’ or not … I think park ‘nests’ are very different, I have definetely seen some looking like yours, – and others maybe more neat, yet others even more chaotic, or fewer eggs ..
    So lets see what happens ..
    If you can take a photo like this you must be able to see the eggs with a small torch, – and just have a look once a day or something, just to check shortly

    #5249
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Thank you, Helene – that relieves me!

    Yes, I will try to look once a day with a small torch. He didn’t resent being flashed, stayed calmly in his cave. He knows me being around the tank and is not very shy. But I won’t overwork his composure ………

    #5269
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Yesterday I saw this in the cave:

    I don’t know what it is ……… I posted this in the IGL-Forum already, because they thought they saw too many snails on the first photo. But they also can’t say what it is that we see on this photo. Does anyone have an idea?

    Today the unknown objects were gone, there were about one third of the eggs and some bubbles left ……….. but the male has abandoned the cave.

    #5316
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    I moved the nagyi-pair to a fresh tank today. I got this advice at the IGL-Forum because it was suspected that I had too many snails in the old tank, due to organic overload. I tried to trap the snails first, but neither a fish food tab or a piece of cucumber lured many snails. So it’s not quite clear whether the “too many snails theory” was right – but the fish had been in the tank since last November and I thought it to be an opportunity to clean the tank and remove some mistakes of this first set up.

    They had been courting the whole morning (see pictures at the P. nagyi-Thread), again using the little film canister as a cave. It was very easy to catch them – I only fished the cave out, using a water bowl. The fish didn’t leave the cave for one minute, they stayed in it during the whole period of acclimation. The female only darted out when I put them into their new tank. But soon they were spawning again!

    There already has been a small clutch of eggs when I moved the cave. If the bigger yellowish globes that can be seen are young snails again ….. I can’t change it. Maybe they have already been sitting in the cave and I moved them too. In the IGL-forum there were different opinions about these bigger globes – some thought it to be snails, some said no – and even if, that such snails were much to small to harm the clutch.

    I’ll have to wait and see ……..

    #5317
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Now someone at the IGL-Forum confirmed that the yellowish globes are the eggs ……… that’s what I thought from the first clutch, and Helene confirmed me that everything was ok.
    But then at the IGL-Forum it was said that this first clutch looked unusual in colouration and size ……… which made me very unsure about how a paro clutch has to look at all ………….

    That’s why I made myself a fool by asking what the yellowish globes might be …..

    #5323
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    🙂 I wasnt quite sure what it was you werent sure about 🙂 …

    #5328
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Yes, that doesn’t surprise me :S . It’s not easy to understand if someone is very happy to see her fish spawning – and then asks what the globes in the nest might be ………. :blush:

    #5329
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    :cheer: excatly …
    I didnt want to admit I couldnt see what was wrong 🙂 🙂

    #5454
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Next attempt – since yesterday:

    The last clutch was guarded by the male for at least a week – then he left the cave, which was completely empty then ……….. I had controlled the clutch two days before, it was ok then ………. I don’t know what might have happened………….. Has he eaten the eggs? I think it’s been too early for fry to have hatched and left the cave, isn’t it?

    #5456
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    If the male has been in there for a week, – then he has guarded the eggs while they developed into larvaes to the point of them becoming free swimming. That is to my experience what happens during the first week.

    Normally, – but I would say, not always, does the male stay and the new fry stay in the cave for some period more, – a week, some days, – but not always. My linkie male was the same, – they hatched, became free swimming and was gone ! But they showed up after some weeks again.

    So if I were you, I would feed as if there were fry in the tank now.
    Its unlikely that he ate them, – they are of course in danger from other fish in the tank, or the female, – but some will probably survive if you have enough shelter for them.

    But you say you controlled the cluch two days ago and all seemed well … how did it look at that time ??

    #5458
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    [quote=”helene” post=2122]
    So if I were you, I would feed as if there were fry in the tank now.
    Its unlikely that he ate them, – they are of course in danger from other fish in the tank, or the female, – but some will probably survive if you have enough shelter for them.

    But you say you controlled the cluch two days ago and all seemed well … how did it look at that time ??[/quote]

    Thank you, Helene.
    Yes, I thought I would take no risk if I feed now as if there surely where fry …… I did.

    I couldn’t see well enough at my last controll, he was sitting in the entrance of the cave and wouldn’t move …….. I saw some eggs behind him at the ceiling, but it’s a dark brown cave with a narrow opening, and I don’t think that it was possible to see fry at all. I just can’t say.

    #5460
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    Yes, thats not an unusual situation. He may have had some fry developing, yet still also have had some new eggs ..
    Its really difficult to keep track of what happens here, – but definitely he is doing a job, and the chances that some of the eggs developed is big I think.

    I guess with those pairs where theres a new spawning will interupt or disturb somewhat, and maybe thats one reason why some fry leaves the cave very early ??

    It may be that he still needs some learning in order to become the perfect father 🙂 .. but there are good chances I think for some fry to occur, so good thing you are feeding.

    #5472
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    [quote=”helene” post=2126]
    It may be that he still needs some learning in order to become the perfect father 🙂 .. but there are good chances I think for some fry to occur, so good thing you are feeding.[/quote]

    Yes, I think you are right – he is still unexperienced.

    Where do young paros usually hide after swimming free – near the surface in the drifting plants, or under the leaf litter on the ground?

    #5473
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    I just came home to see the male outside the cave in full display……..

    The cave looked like this inside:

    The day before yesterday there were still eggs to be seen:

    It’s now only the 4th or 5th day after spawning ………. what’s happening there?

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