Hi kevin,
My sparklers do this all the time. They do it when they are arguing and also when mating. They are bubblenest builders and in my experience will either build a nest under a large leaf (mine used wisteria) or at the water surface.
When mine first had fry i didn't notice until during the water change when the male kept collecting the babys up and putting tham back in the nest. The babies did fine until they left the nest then were eaten.
The second batch i scooped up and put in a breeder net and they were gone the next day so they must have been sucked through it. Another batch i put in a 2 gallon tank and fed on white worms but none of these survived.
Another batch i put a divider in the tank but after a week i couldn't see any fry and i took it out (then one swam out and was eaten by a harlequin) Since then they have had a couple more batches but no babies survived. They have not had any this year though but i moved them into a new tank when i moved house so they musn't be finding it up to standard (unless they are getting too old).
If they have any more i am going to try the divider idea again and see if i can save some.
Hope this helps
Emma
i need to be more patient
