mandarin pairing question

[~Flighty~]

The shape and color of the face and body is more femaleish. The eyes are closer together and the body is different from a small male. It is hard to put into words, but once you see a bunch of females it gets easier.

The female releases eggs at the surface and they would get sucked down the overflow in most systems. They are very sensitive to contact and strong water flow, so it is extremely unlikely that any babies would survive by chance. A good resource about the breeding can be found here
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=4

 

[nickyblase]

Well, she is definitely quite thin, but is not being bothered by the male anymore, and she seems to be more comfortable in her surroundings.

She is also chowing down on the PE mysis, which I am very happy about. I saw her eat 8 within a 5 minute period yesterday. I am trying to drop some into her little spot twice a day, that way she can put weight on without gorging.

I'd say considering her weight, she's probably not producing eggs at the moment. Not at all concerned about that. I just want her to get nice and fat.

Thanks for all your help Cindy - I was hoping you'd chime into this thread.

I will keep everyone posted with progress.

On a side note, it's kind of funny - in the few weeks she's been here, the male has gotten quite a bit fatter too. Must be REALLY trying to show his prowess.

 

[nickyblase]

Well, a little more time has passed, and she's still eating the mysis, but doesn't look to be gaining weight yet. Her stomach looks pretty thin.

How long do you think it would take for her to really put some noticeable weight on? A few weeks? Her energy seems okay, and I have been feeding mysis every day, and see her eat it every day (thank GOD I have also been vodka dosing and keeping up with weekly water changes!).

 

[~Flighty~]

If you can, try feeding more than once a day. your tank may hate you for it nutrient wise, but to get weight on a borderline fish I would do it for a while. Try out flake or pellets. She might even take them and they are easier to dump in or put in an auto feeder.

I'm trying to bring a fish back from extremely skinny too and it has taken to flake which makes heavy feeding so much more convenient. He's eating every couple of hours and is already looking a little better, but hardly.

 

[nickyblase]

good info - thanks Cindy.