Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
I got a juvenile group of Protomelas taeniolatus - Fire Blue at the convention in Milwaukee last year. I've been growing them out in a 40B for the last several months with some Placidochromis electra and they really started to color up over the winter. The group is 1 male, 1 sub-male and 4 females. (Lucky, right?)
Anyway, I moved them over to one of the 50 long tanks a couple of months back along with my group of Placidochromis phenochilus. The phenos are slightly larger and more assertive, so the alpha Fire Blue's spawning attempts were always quickly thwarted.
I was working in the fish room last month and saw the Fire Blue desperately trying to spawn and getting pwn'ed by the male phenos. I decided, what the heck, grabbed a net and threw both male phenos in to the tank below with some other haps.
Within 2 minutes, I got this video. Finally transferred it from the camera and realized it was dated Feb 14. :wub:
I left the phenos in the other tank for about a week and at the end of that week, three female fire blues were holding. One clutch was swallowed, but I was able to strip about 50 or so fry. They are now about 3/4" long and eating golden pearls like pigs.
The phenos have since gone back into the 50 with no fighting and only a couple of pheno spawns. I'll probably give the Fire blue another shot in the next month or so.
[YT]UsFIUbAEuZ8[/YT]
Anyway, I moved them over to one of the 50 long tanks a couple of months back along with my group of Placidochromis phenochilus. The phenos are slightly larger and more assertive, so the alpha Fire Blue's spawning attempts were always quickly thwarted.
I was working in the fish room last month and saw the Fire Blue desperately trying to spawn and getting pwn'ed by the male phenos. I decided, what the heck, grabbed a net and threw both male phenos in to the tank below with some other haps.
Within 2 minutes, I got this video. Finally transferred it from the camera and realized it was dated Feb 14. :wub:
I left the phenos in the other tank for about a week and at the end of that week, three female fire blues were holding. One clutch was swallowed, but I was able to strip about 50 or so fry. They are now about 3/4" long and eating golden pearls like pigs.
The phenos have since gone back into the 50 with no fighting and only a couple of pheno spawns. I'll probably give the Fire blue another shot in the next month or so.
[YT]UsFIUbAEuZ8[/YT]
. The fish are nice looking, and not one you see too often. Congrats.
