Adrienne

I can promise you that every one of the females in this fight is a genuine 'she'. This is the tank that holds my breeding females and each one has had a spawn. I have noticed that when there is a big 'low' weather system over the country or one about to arrive that my fighters both male and female get very niggly. The males blow huge nests and the females nip and carry on at each other but never this way until Sunday. On Sunday night it rained like I've never heard it rain before.

:lol: Alan - know what you mean about the males! IV drip idea sounds fantastic.

3-4 times a day is good even for newly swimming. Not going to school this term then? :lol:

First two males Cambodian - female Next one - female Last one - shape says male, fins and tail say female. How old are they. Do any have the egg spot? 99.9% certain of the first four.

Females have an egg spot (ovipositor), you can see it on the front female in the top picture. Occasionally young males look like they have one but its not. There are a lot of short fin males about in the fish/pet shops at the moment being sold as females.

Thought I would post this here to dispel the myth that only males fight. Went out to the back room just before lunch today and there was a huge scrap going on in the tank I have that houses my female breeding fighters. All up 5 fish involved. What a mess. Even my males don't rip into them like they were doing to each other. Result, torn fins and visible bite marks on their bodies. Heres some pics The cause - one young male in the tank and a wicked cold front right on top of us. I notice it does make them more stroppy.

sounds good - i have a spawn due to hatch this afternoon. A young male - just 4 months old but a very good dad and a lovely tiny about 1.4cm female. Am about to post some pics of what my breeding females were up to when I went out at lunch. What a mess. Will post under freshwater though.

Lights can go out at night. You won't necessarily see them nipping at the food. While they are still sticking to the walls they probably won't be eating. Just drop a few in (a small few as they go a long way), you will know that they are eating when they start to dart after them. Then up the amount. Their bellies will swell up and will be very noticeable. You're doing well.

Receptionist at a Primary School what would I like to be doing.... travelling the world :lol:

that happened to a friend last year ...

just wait until you can't see it - up to three days, so about tomorrow. the colour of the body is dependant on the colour they will be (not as in red/blue etc as that takes time but clear = whitish, dark = solid colour).

wait until they have absorbed the egg sacs (the white bits on their bodies). then put in some green water or microworms or whatever you're going to feed them. don't over feed though as it is virtually impossible to do a vacuum of the tank for several weeks.

technically - when they swim like a fish. However, its at this stage that if the male is sick of it he may get hungry. Mine have never eaten live fry but apparently some do. Take him out by this evening I would think.

Kribs are vicious at breeding time and will take on anything they think is prettier than them. They're not hard to breed but the adults really need to be taken out when the fry are free swimming or they may snack (thats whats happened to my last two spawns so I still only have 2 kribs).

sorry, been cleaning tanks and changing filters :roll: Yep, take him out when you are ready.

Don't take this the wrong way - I am assuming you mean she was in with the male and not in the tank by herself. The eggs can be hard to see but it is possible that she has released them without them being fertilised (sometimes mine do while waiting for the male) and they have been eaten. A female fighter can not be pregnant but she can be full of eggs. Its the wrapping around process performed by the male that normally squeezes the eggs out while she is comatose and he fertilises them with his 'milt' as they begin to fall. If he doesn't roll her or she rolls the wrong way they will not fertilise. Sometimes it takes several attempts over several weeks before they get it right.

I've got discus and serious algae (the black beard stuff), have been advised to go 1 1/2 doses each time and see if that helps or even try double. Told to watch the discus, if they start coming up for air its too much for them and do a quick water change. Mine are fine at 1 1/2 x the dose but unfortunately so is my algae. Whats another name for the rusty plec.

My thoughts exactly - most females are so very plain and with such little colour.

just a thought - how olds your daughter (does she use moisturiser, handcream that sort of thing).

sorry, absolutely no ideas as to what has happened. it is possible that one of the new fish was a carrier of something which may not have affected it and it has passed it on. most of us with space and spare tanks have learnt to quarrantine our fish for several weeks before adding them to the existing tank but i know not everyone can do that. lets just hope it is over and everything else is fine. Good luck

so am i right here - all your fish except one have died since the farlowella was introduced to the tank? if so when you put it in did you put the tank water in the bag in as well?

How long ago did you add the last fish?

word of warning fish tb can be transferred to humans, make sure you wash up proper after your hands have been in the tank

Whats your tank temperature. Have you been spraying anything in the room.

How bigs your tank and how much water did you change? Did you siphon out the gunk as well or did you just remove water.