T.ellioti Have Spawned

[Lace]

Hi everyone,

Ok so after a while of what seemed like fighting and bullying, I noticed last night the Ellioti pair were guarding a clutch of eggs. I have a couple of questions. Obviously the male is chasing away all other fish and getting quite cross at the nerve of the other fish. At the moment I do not have a tank big enough to be able to move the pair and their eggs they are in my 5 foot community. Would a divider of some sort benefit the other fish from being beat up? Do the fry stand a chance in this tank with the other occupants or not? What food should I feed the fry?

The only other tank I have at the moment is a small 5 gallon which I am assuming is of no use for these. I am looking to get a 3 foot in the future but just not right now.

Thanks for any advice


Lace

 

[minxfishy]

Congrats, thought they might eventually.

If you have a divider, then I suggest you use it, it will help to lower the stress onthe parents and thus make them more likely to raise some healthy fry. Also, they cant be on their guard all the time and some will go missing, if not all over time. A 3ft would be ideal as a breeding tank for them.

The eggs should hatch in 72 hrs of laying them, the first day they will eat their egg sacks, then you can feed baby brine shrimp, decapslated brine shrimp, cyclops, walter worms, flake crushed into a powder, basically anything small enough, I used a turkey baster to get the food to the fry, also like I said before, they may move the eggs prior to them hatching, I know my Aureus did, made me panic I can tell you.

 

[Lace]

Hi Minx, thanks for the reply. Just to let you know the larger fish was infact the female!!

I do not have a divider yet, but have been googling how to make one, so providing I can find the materials today I will attempt to produce one lol.

They have not made it easy for me they have laid right next to the filter intake, so I do hope they move the eggs, although they seemed to claim this spot quite a while ago so I doubt it. I will cover the filter intake later today. 72 hours, so that gives me till monday to sort something out. Divider, filter and food wise. Wasn't expecting this really I thought they truely hated each other!!

Thanks for the advice, I will try my best with what I have and see what happens. I will have to butter up the other half and see if I can get the other tank sooner rather than later.

Thanks

Lace

 

[minxfishy]

Look forward to hearing progress updates

Yep cover the intake strainer or they will get sucked up, obviously try not to disturb them too much or they may eat the eggs. Good luck.

 

[Lace]

Another quick question, totally forgot about this, I am due to do my water change today, what would you suggest? Do it today carefully, aviod the spawning area? Or do tomorrow when hopefully I will have some kind of divider in?

Many thanks

Lace

 

[minxfishy]

Water change will be fine, just stay clear of the area

 

[Lace]

Fab thanks you are a star

 

[Lace]

Quick update, eggs have hatched, lots of little wrigglers in a little pit near a rock. Mum and Dad doing a very good job at the moment, hopefully they will keep it up.

 

[minxfishy]

Great news

 

[star4]

Congratulations! I am very interested in you keeping this updated, I have just bought a pair of Ellioti's they had not long spawned when I got them so they are in speperate tanks at the mo. I would be interested to know how well they look after their babies.

 

[Lace]

I will try and keep this updated, although I am not holding out too much hope at the moment as this is their first spawn so they are doing very well imo. So far they are proving to be good parents although Mum dosn't like Dad guarding the wrigglers too much at present.

 

[Lace]

Quick update, all wrigglers were removed from the pit last night and put in a coconut cave by Mum. It seems Mum and Dad are fighting and Mum is looking a bit tatty on the fins, should I seperate them? Mum seems to be doing all the work with the wrigglers.

Thanks in advance

Lace

 

[Lace]

Quick update fry are nearly 4 weeks old now, guestimate there are between 40 and 50 atm, I think there was more but they disappeared!! I have seperated the the fry from the parents now. But Dad is back to harassing Mum again think its a love hate relationship

 

[Liam50]

thats great to hear! when i got three i think i got three males as they have not shown any interest towards each over, by the way how do sex them?