Ready to breed?

[velfamily]

My clowns have lost their little fishy minds! We recently upgraded our 75 to a 130 w/ much better lighting system & 50g fuge.... just much much better environment all around.

My maroon gold bars have always stayed together & loved their bta (which died in the move)

They seem to still be deciding over 2 places to live - complete opposite ends of the tank, so I put an anemone in each location for them... a rose bubble & a long tentacle bright purple guy with really bright dark purple tips (can't find an ID on it).

They don't seem to be at all interested in either ??

This is what has me confused & wondering if they are going to lay eggs: They are con.stant.ly swishing their tails to remove the sand from one of their coves. The also pick up and move any hermit or snail that happens to wander through (so funny to watch!) Problem is, there is plastic egg-crate stuff here (didn't want the ginormous rock directly on the glass) so I'd rather them stop... reading up on why the sand removal, tells me they want a smooth flat surface for breeding... so I added a 4x4 sand colored tile in their hiding cave - still swishing all sand away that is within 5 inches of their space.

What in the world is going on with these guys? HELP! What more could they want/need?

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

My Black Ocellaris couple used to clean the sand like that. That was about 16 months ago which was when I switched them from a 14g to a 34g. They spawned earlier today for the first time!

To answer your question, they are just cleaning up. Removing stuff to clean out their new home is typical. Moving hermits because they want a nice, new, clean home. When you moved, I would imagine at first you would keep the new place super clean. Same with the fish. If they are a mated pair, then it will take a few months to get settled into their new home before the spawn. If they are a bonded pair that have not mated, then it might take a while before they're ready. Let them pick any place they want. Good job putting the tile in right away, because I put it off to the last minute and ended up with a nest on the rock that is 1" from the pot. So anyways, no, they aren't going to spawn, however they will more than likely spawn in the future. Just wait it out (I waited 18 months!) and later if you keep the tank in great condition you will get some eggs!
I had just decreased the bio-load in my tank and I turned the temp up to 82F for a few days which triggered spawning. I have a lighting timer, so they know when is when. If you have any breeding questions, make a new thread and I and many others can give you some great advice!

 

[velfamily]

Thank you very much! I'm thinking of adding a little more sand in their space. Maybe the constant recovering by me will tire them out/convince them to move to the other anemone & cave I set up for them. It opens to the back of the tank & I don't mind the tank bottom showing there :rolleye1:


I'm not necessarily 'wanting' eggs. I mean, I would care for them if it happened...which is why I was worried about them getting their tile, etc.

I figure, I (to some degree) caused them to be out of nature, so the very least I can do is provide them with what they would be looking for in the ocean, right?:fish1: