black orchid spawn

well - after MONTHS considering this I finally found the perfect pair and have decided to have a go at the breeding.

I have set up the tank with no gravel, real plants, sponge filter and heater. It is currently full but I will lower the water after conditioning has been done.

Male CT is Spikey -









Turns out he is a DRCT which is good and looking at one of the dodgier pics he seems to have some red devil in his which matches the female perfectly!







Full colours arent showing as I have just moved them both into the spawning tank. She is trapped in a tub floating against the top so she cant jump out.

I will be feeding blood worm once a day and pellets once a day before breeding commences.

I did set up the brine shrimp hatchery to condition them with newly hatched deshelled brine but my BRAND new pump packed up so I just lost my first try at BBS!

The tank theyre in:



Will keep you updated with LOTS of pics

Wish me luck!

ooooo good luck haych , i spawned my drct black orchids coupla weeks ago , its amazing to watch , hope it goes ok

looking good hun... hope all does well

thanks guys

I watched your vid Angel but the way my female is I do not think my spawn will be as placid! lol

Goodluck with the spawn.

haych my ct is the boss in the soriety tank a proper bosy boots but went all placid when she got in with rocky! lol

Oooh more Black CT's, lovely! Good luck.

Goodluck! Hope you have plenty of room for when you have to seperate the males. If it's a big spawn, and most make it, your going to need way more tank space than that.

I'm considering spawning my next pair, my breeding tank will be a 3footer. Thats so I don't have to move them on to another grow out tank.

I have lots of seperate tubs for boys and a massive cupboard theyre going in individually - going to heat with a radiator and line the cupboard with styrofoam

Oooh, sounds like a fish room to me. Remember lots of pics on the progress of your fish room.

lol Will do

Well, tonight I fed them their nightly bloodworm and did Lucy (female CT) a huge water change as she is in a tub.

After they had eaten and fresh water there was promptly more flaring on both sides and waggling from Lucy and breeding stripes appeared, so am just keeping an eye out for a bubble nest before I lower the water level

Hope it goes well.

How are things going hay

terrible

He refuses to blow a nest - she got miserable so I have had to put her back in the sorority where I have had to segrgate another black girl as they are literally ripping shreds out of each other!

I lowered the water level, added TWO almond leaves and a polystyrene cup and nowt lol

I have a white pair that i bought off Kelly who kev has renamed Bonnie and Clyde (was noktok - I have young children ) but he is recovering (well) from fin rot - even though his fins arent completely back do you think he would be ok to use?

He is fully conditioned same as the CT pair as I feed them all bloodworm at the same time - and bubble nesting very well

well - I did as kelly advised and used Clyde to build a nest and put Spikey in the tank instead once one has been established and he seemed to have taken to it.

So I added Lucy to the coke bottle over night and left her to it too.

This morning I let her out and this afternoon they were wrapping

They started around 3ish and are STILL at it now!

Lucy had to show Spikey what to do - she has been putting the eggs in the nest and Spikey is either a muncher or just not got the hang of it. I think he ate a load at first - but every so often he will spit 20+ eggs out of his mouth and gather them again.

Lucy appears to be the only one getting them in the nest lol

I have pics and will let you know later what is going on and add piccies after I have been to see Kel

The quality may be bad though as the battery died on the DSLR so I had to use the pants iPhone one lol

awww haych im really chuffed they came good in the end

Great news hay

Mum is currently being fed in her own section but wants to go back into the sorority - but I am going to leave her to rest in a trap for the night.

Dad is watching the nest - just sat underneath it bless him - he has suffered some damage to his belly but no fin damage to either party so i am well chuffed with that

Dodgy pics:















Spawn started around 2pm and I took Lucy out around 6.30

Will Keep everyone updated

fab pics hun , hope they all hatch ok , good luck!!!

And to think I was going to tease you about them being too well fed to complete an embrace. I've had some that start a wrap and POP the female goes one way and the male goes the other.

lol they ARE a little on the tubby side lol

Took them ages to wrap properly - could tell it was their first time - I am well impressed with Lucy as she bubble nested, put the eggs in the nest and showed Spikey what to do - Kel said she will be a very good breeder as she is still eggy!

Wow fab pics!

well - we had a bit of a crisis - dad wont tend the nest

The eggs were falling and he wasnt collecting them - the shrimp and BBN were eating them

kelly gave me some advice for if Spikey turned out to be a muncher was to pop a paper plate under the nest so if eggs did fall they didnt have far to go when they hatch - so I have popped a plate under the nest and added a coke bottle to hold the plate in place - Spikey is currently locked in the coke bottle making me feel very bad

I actually would have been better leaving Lucy to tend the nest

He isnt a very good daddy - he wouldnt nest build I had to steal one and he wont put the eggs back

Looks like its all up to me - just hope I havent made a big mistake moving him

Its his first time hun, so he is bound to be all over the place. Goodluck mummy lmao.