age

[Godoftheseas]

hey i have had two true percs in my tank and they have been in there about 3 months. I would love to see them breed but my ? is how old or big do they have to be to pair up. I got them when they were both under an inch and the female is now a little over 2, the male is about 1.5 in. Are there any ways to encourage breeding?

thanks,
mike

 

[NicoleC]

Mike, your pair is almost certainly too young yet. Give them another 6 months at least to mature and get comfortable. Are they fully bonded yet? By that, I mean they are constantly together, the male is subservient and the female no longer picks on him or disciplines him?

Keep them nice and warm (80-82F), put your lights on timers and yourself on a strict feeding and care schedule, and feed them very well with high quality food and you will move things along in that direction. If they are kept in a quiet area with few distractions, that will also help.

 

[S-B]

it took my false percs 3 years to finally spawn. I got them when they were as small as yours .

 

[Godoftheseas]

they are almost for sure paired up. They are always withing inches of each other and for the most part except for at feeding time she has stopped beating him up and even at that its only a few small pokes.