Since I haven’t provided an update on my A. nanolutea pairs in a while, I thought I would do so here and also include some observations.
I have two pairs, one in a 40g breeder and one in a 20g long. The pair in the 40g have spawned twice. The pair in the 20g have not spawned.
I have posted several times about the nanolutea, which you can easily find if you enter “nanolutea” in the search box on the right.
Only six juveniles survived from the second (and last) spawn of the 40g pair and are currently growing out in a 20g long. The female in the 40g has signaled multiple times that she’s ready to spawn again (based on her changes in coloration and behavior), yet there have been no offspring.
Below are a few additional observations:
- Each tank contains a variety of ceramic caves, upturned flowerpots, small pots cut in half, and other such cover.
- Each tank also contains one ceramic “pleco hut,” very similar to the one in the photo below.
- The females have taken up residency in their tank’s respective pleco hut.
- The pleco hut in the 40g is where both initial spawns took place.
- The pleco huts’ entrance is just large enough for the females, but too small for the males.
- I witnessed the male in the 40g become aggressive toward the female after removing their offspring from the tank. I interpret that behavior as the male wanting to spawn again.
- The pleco hut shown above is one of the few places the females can retreat in their tank in order to avoid the males’ aggression.
- Because the males cannot fit inside them, any eggs there may go unfertilized.
I can only conclude the reason that the pair in the 40g have not spawned again is that she’s laying where he can’t reach. The male was smaller when they spawned the first two times and was able to enter the pleco cave. He can’t now. They’re both still young and are of breeding age. Nothing else has changed with respect to their environment. Water change schedules, water change volume, water parameters, and all other variables have been consistent. Thus, there is no other logical reason for them not to have spawned again, barring some kind of physical issue that I can’t see.
Unlike the pair in the 40g, the pair in the 20g have demonstrated little, if any, courtship behavior that I have witnessed.
I pulled the female’s cave in the 40g yesterday evening. She was sitting on eggs, so I put the cave back. I also checked the cave in the 20g. It contained no eggs, so I removed it and replaced it with a couple of clay pots cut in half (just like in the front right-hand corner of the photo at top). There are no other caves in the 20g that the male can’t enter, so I’ll wait and see if she chooses another spot and lays.