Checkerboards spawned again!

[Orchid]

My checkerboards spawned again! This time I was able to watch some of their mating rituals. First the female would shimmy over a leaf, then the male would shimmy over a leaf next to hers, then the female would gently nip the male's side and they would swim around a bit and do the shimmies again. The juvy male kept trying to get into the dance, so I am not sure who fertilized the eggs.

There is plenty of smooth, round rocks on the gravel, but she keeps laying eggs on lower leaves, this time it is on an Anubias coffeefolia. I really have to get them in their own tank. I was thinking a 20 gal because such a low KH and pH in a 10 gal scares me when I think of the possible pH crashes.

 

[Neil]

Way to go, Orchid!
Pretty fascinating watching that go on, isn't it? 8O
Was the smaller male allowed complete access to the process? That really would be unusual!
Neil

 

[Orchid]

No, he would try to hedge in every now and then and the other two would ignore him or swim off or nip him away. Makes me wish I had a cam corder and I could film their display and then put it on the internet. I once down loaded a video clip of a surge device on a reef tank, that was neat.