My Sparklers Were Singing

[jollysue]

I though I had a wheeze in my lungs. I kept testing and trying to find the phlem. Finally I decided, "My sparkling gouramis (the new ones, the schalleri, are singing." Is that good? I've heard croaking from the other tank--either the honey or the pumilus. But this was a little different.

 

[sylvia]

That's a sign that they are either settling hierarchy or deciding who should spawn with who The generaly do it when they display and males do it more often than females. Also, in your other tank, it would have been the sparklers (t. pumilus) that were croaking as honeys (c. chuna/sota) don't.

 

[jollysue]

Well, since it is a new tank, I have at least one female in the trio, I have watched them dance (in the middle of the free swim space, upper level, swimming around one another in a tight little circle; actually I believe I've seen all three dance together), I would suppose they are both establish ing territory and courting. They are lovely things.

Thanks, Sylvia. harry perry at badis-dario forum has arm twisted me into breeding the scarlets. So if anyone else finds a way to spawn and raise a family in that tank, more power to them for now. I will try to find some accommodations for their bubbles. My plan is Duckweed. I have it, but it went in a tank that is now quarantined. Thing is the only fish that ever showed anything but difficulty with the meds are the neons. None of the rest have had any trouble. I think I might have accidently hit Honey Boy when changing water and cleaning the tank. ) So my qt of the duckweed and other fish may be surperluous. The duckweed gets spread around in cross contamination style sticking to everything, including my arms,anyway, so it is in all the tanks. I just have resisted the temptation to take handfuls out of the qt tank and add it to a so far healthy tank.

 

[sylvia]

I don't know just how well this would work but, I also use duckweed in my breeding tank as it's the most indestructible floating plant (I don't get along with plants ) I know of and the only one that I would actualy have to try hard to kill You probably know that even the tiniest bit can quickly multiply and cover a tank so perhaps you could take a very small piece and rinse it in hot tap water for a while. That should kill most things and the small size means that if you are carrying anything over it won't be much of it and it shouldn't effect the fish. You could also always put some fish antibiotics (overdose) in a bowl of tap water and dip the plant in there for a while. It should be safe to add the plant to the fish tank afterwards and, though the plant probably won't ppreciate all the disinfecting it needs to go through, duckweed can survive almost anything... I would think it's worth a try anyway, even if the duckweed does die.

 

[jollysue]

hahaha Sylvia, my favorite disinfectant is clorine bleach (or hydrogyn bleach). I have had lots of bits of duckweed come out with something I've taken out of the QT and dropped in bleach. Of course it had duckweed on it. I have let the little bits sit a few minutes in the bleach and then used a strainer to scoop them out and rinse them. Then I dipped them in water conditioner and put them in the clean tanks.

That stuff is hardy and spreads like bermuda grass.

I may try the antibiotic thing. I have considered it before, just not gotten to all my projects. I have about 3 pandas left in the tank and about seventeen pygmies. Although pygmies are suppose to be safe with fry, I don't know about eggs. Still, just the chance to play with their bubbles will make their lives a little more normal.

I don't know about the cichlids going to the top to eat eggs or the darios. I suppose if they can they will. I've got to say I think I like the schalleri better than the pumila at this point.

 

[jollysue]

Sylvia, do the sparklers harm their mates in breeding rituals or at any time?

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I have two sparklers but they had to be seperated as one was brutal towards the other. They're both fine just have to live apart. I don't breed from them so can't say what they'd be like. Although from experience with other gouramies you do get the odd ripped fin. Nothing that won't heal itself though.
Hugs,
P.

 

[jollysue]

Thanks, Miss Dib Dabs,

I think you changed with your avitar.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I did? Why, was I not so nice before??
Hugs,
P.

 

[sylvia]

You rarely get any problems with sparklers IME. They are quite peaceful. Even when they breed, males will threaten each other but rarely get into actual scraps. As for males attacking females, this is rare. It's quite common in some of the larger gourami species but, with sparklers, as long as there aren't more males than females, you should have absolutely no problems.

I think in another thread you also asked about honey gourami aggression during breeding so I thought I'd mention that here. These are more like what Miss Dib Dabs described as you'll get the occasional torn fin. Still, they won't usualy cause serious injuries to each other. Males may fight but preffer to simply display and flare. Females will get stressed and chased if they do not out-number the males. It's best to keep 2 females per male.

The gouramies that usualy cause most harm to each other are the three-spots; with pearls probably being the most gentle.