# The Hen House, Roosters not allowed



## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

A trip to a big-box pet store ended up with the unplanned purchase of a new tank, and couple of juvenile betta girls. Then another 5 juvenile girls were acquired. 

This will chronicle the highs and lows of a house full of girls - the Hen House. Interjected will be the adventures of their brothers who live in other tanks - Chief, and Dante (who keeps me company at my office).

The Hen House is a natural planted 10-gallon tank (complemented with a sprinkling of silk here and there to help fill in some of the bare spots) set up a little over a week ago, and home to 4 CTs, 3 blue, 1 red/white, and 3 VTs, red, white, and blue. Not all are related, although I suspect some may be actual sisters. Being fully planted, the tank cycled immediately, and the girls were added simultaneously on day 2 - after floating in their cups over night next to each other.

This is the tank on day 2 (a little cloudy still, cleared by day 3).









10 days later, here's what it looks like. A couple of the plants tried to melt because there wasn't enough light. Added another CFL 6,500K and they're coming back.









Plants are filling in nicely, providing plenty of hiding spots. _(In a future post, will list all the details of the plants.)_ I did add a couple more pots in separate areas of the tank, but the girls seem to prefer hiding in the foliage instead. 

The girls are still working out a pecking order. For the most part, they've been pretty well behaved. One refused to play nice, so she was removed and put in the 20-gallon community tank for a couple of days with the neons, harlequins, mollies, guppies and angels. Upon reintroducing her to the Hen House, she's been on her best behavior. 

Another started acting up - the wannabe alpha. She was put in "time out" - floated in her cup for the day. Interestingly, the other girls united in solidarity hanging out by her cup until she was reintroduced to the pack.

They have formed little cliques, the VTs seem to hang together. The CTs, well - they're a little feistier. (Not sure if that's a character trait, or just coincidence.) They all greet me in the morning and night at feeding time. They're eating a mixed diet of crushed Omega pellets, frozen brine shrimp and blood worms (fed on different days). Haven't practiced fasting with them yet, believe they're too young and need the nutrition to grow.

Knock on wood, so far, that's been the extent of drama within the Hen House. Of course, that's open to change at any given moment. For now, I'll enjoy the peacefulness of the sorority. 

Next entry will include pictures of the girls, who still remain unnamed. Thinking their names will come to me as their personalities become more obvious.


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

Your set-up is gorgeous! :] Definitely subscribing.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Thank you Schmoo! 

Tank cleaning/refresh for 3 of my 4 NPTs was today. (4th will be tomorrow, at my office.) The Hen House is in good shape, not much to be done other than filter rinse (in old tank water, of course) and 10% water change. 

The community tank had slightly elevated nitrates. It's got a very heavy bioload right now - including 3 pregnant guppies. So, more frequent maintenance requirements - good substrate vacuum and 25% water change. 

Still trying to get decent shots of the girls, but they're so blasted fast, and there are 7 of them. 

In the meantime, I've spoken much about this guy in forum posts - this is the girls' neighbor, Chief. He lives in a tank in the same room as the Hen House. After cleaning his tank, I was able to capture a rare Peeping Tom shot of Chief chilling in his tube.










Chief started out in a 3 gallon Marineland Contour...










...and was upgraded to a 6.25 gallon Arc. Here's his tank 2 weeks ago... 










...and today. The rate of growth just amazes me. 










I'd like to say he's happier there, but apparently he liked the close proximity of the 3 gallon. However, it's now at my office, occupied by Dante. Meanwhile, Chief's bout of "I'm pissed off because you gave me tank mates I never asked for (harlequin rasboras), so I'll eat my tailfins" has passed, and he's healing. The harlequins were moved to the community tank, so it's a win-win for all.

Next time, more on the Hen House. Or perhaps Dante.


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

I'm speechless! Your aquariums are beautiful.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Lovely planted tanks, I generally hate fake decor (foe rock and wood) prefering the real stuff, but you seem to have found some decent ones, any issue with fin shredding on that decor (large decor rock?maybe wood in hen house and large wood in Cheif's most recent tank). I'm curious if you know the sp. of the ludwigia and crypt in Cheif's tank.. also curious about those.. what look like floating balls of true moss (not marimo) in the gals tank, is that one a fake plant or real?


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## BambooTikiBettaGirl84 (Jun 29, 2014)

Those are real moss balls. I have seen them at Petco before. I was considering getting some but they seem to only come in one size.

BTW, lovely tanks! I love your sorority tank. Helpful hint to getting the girls pictures. Try putting pellets in and then taking the photos. My girls are always too busy eating to notice me trying to take photos of them.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

starlight910 said:


> I'm speechless! Your aquariums are beautiful.


Thank you very much.  



Aqua Aurora said:


> Lovely planted tanks, I generally hate fake decor (foe rock and wood) prefering the real stuff, but you seem to have found some decent ones, any issue with fin shredding on that decor (large decor rock?maybe wood in hen house and large wood in Cheif's most recent tank). I'm curious if you know the sp. of the ludwigia and crypt in Cheif's tank.. also curious about those.. what look like floating balls of true moss (not marimo) in the gals tank, is that one a fake plant or real?


Thanks Aqua. I'm agree with you on fake plants/decor, and much prefer live over fake. Regarding the plants for the Hen House, the need to have heavily obstructed views/overabundance of hiding spots prompted me to include foreground (lower) faux plants complementary to the live ones. At first, I wasn't sure about that bright pink plant. But it is a girls' sorority, and contrast of color stands out amongst the green.

The core piece in each tank is faux rock/wood. I spent a lot of time (too much time according to my friend) selecting each piece, and all passed my fin test. If/where sharp edges existed, they were sanded smooth. All of them were purchased from PetSmart, who has a really decent assortment/selection. 

The plants you asked about in Chief's tank are ludwigia reopens, and crypt lutea - both acquired from Petco. In the Hen House, those are two large floating java moss balls anchored to rocks (live), also picked up at Petco. The girls love them!!! (Chief's tube is semi-covered with java moss, still filling in.) 

I have marimos in the other 3 tanks. Locally, can only find them at PetSmart for $10 each. :shock: So, just waiting on the next one to get large enough to dive and share in the Hen House.




BambooTikiBettaGirl84 said:


> Those are real moss balls. I have seen them at Petco before. I was considering getting some but they seem to only come in one size.
> 
> BTW, lovely tanks! I love your sorority tank. Helpful hint to getting the girls pictures. Try putting pellets in and then taking the photos. My girls are always too busy eating to notice me trying to take photos of them.


Thanks so much. The moss balls do come in one size core, difference is how much moss is growing on each one. They do love to play among them.

Re pics, I'll give that a try!! When eating, 6 of the 7 eat from the surface. The 7th one, which is also the runt and the one who spent a couple of days in the community tank, thinks it's a bottom feeder now. Guess it hung around the cories a lot.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Have been remiss in posting. Work is keeping me busy, killing too many brain cells this early in the week. 

On the plus side, every one in the Hen House is doing well. At feeding time, 5 of the 7 girls all line up along the side of the tank. The 6th, the "wannabe alpha" is usually lounging in the back, and the 7th waits at the bottom. This is the same one who spent 2 days in the community tank. I suppose hanging with the cories was advantageous after all. She gets everything that falls, and no shoving matches! Suppose she's the smartest of the group; also the runt. I suppose I should try to name them. Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, and Grumpy? Nahhhh... that's not girly!! 

In other tanks, walked in to my office yesterday to find a very pissed off Dante, who was on his own for the first time over a weekend. He didn't like that at all! In retaliation, 1) he destroyed his bubble nest, and 2) took a couple of chomps out of his tail fin. :shock: Brat! 

Here he is BEFORE the chomping:










Suppose I'll have to come up with some form of entertainment for him on weekends when I know I won't be around. When I arrived this morning, there was a new bubble nest in the works, and a dancing Dante to greet me. 

Was a good way to start my day.


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## BambooTikiBettaGirl84 (Jun 29, 2014)

My community sorority has the same kinda ranking. The older girls will line up by the feeding rings (I have floating rings for them to eat out of cuz I have water lettuce and duckweed floating). The younger girls will come up after the older girls and they will shove eachother around a bit. I do have a few that will bottom feed though, those girls are the runts of my group too. They try to get the pellets that drop before my two plecos, 2 shrimp or bunches of snails get to them.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Another long day at work. What to do to relax? Spend time at the Hen House, of course. 

Did some pruning of Chief's tank, adding a couple more cuttings of ludwigia reopens to the girls house. The girls are so very curious of everything! They have to be in the middle of it all, following my hand around the tank, checking out the new plants. I suppose the new additions met their approval. 










Also working on a mini-condo type hideout for them, using a PVC pipe, cut in 3 pieces - sanded and filed smooth. When mature, it will be covered in foliage. In the meantime, three had climbed into one pod and had no idea how to get out. Finally, after climbing all over each other, one managed to find her way out. Soon thereafter, the other two followed. Silly girls!!! :lol:



BambooTikiBettaGirl84 said:


> My community sorority has the same kinda ranking. The older girls will line up by the feeding rings (I have floating rings for them to eat out of cuz I have water lettuce and duckweed floating). The younger girls will come up after the older girls and they will shove eachother around a bit. I do have a few that will bottom feed though, those girls are the runts of my group too. They try to get the pellets that drop before my two plecos, 2 shrimp or bunches of snails get to them.


Since they're still quite young (and small), I crush their pellets and sprinkle around the top of the tank, trying to put out separate "pockets" and discourage the shoving. The typical feeding finds them all at pocket #1, devour it, then they shift to #2, devour it, and so on. Except for my bottom feeder of course. She's in her glory. Oh, and I found a tiny stowaway snail in one of the original plants acquired for the Hen House. The girls haven't spotted it yet; but it should provide some intrigue, for at least 5 minutes.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

*Picture heavy*

This past week has been a busy one. Was out of town for a meeting, and upon returning, discovered just how much my finned friends missed me. 

First, Dante - he's my office companion. Couple of my colleagues made sure he was fed daily. They had the best of intentions, but did horribly overfeed him - food was floating all around the tank. Spent a good amount of time cleaning it all out. He thanked me by building a bubble nest and dancing the following morning. 










At home, same thing. Both Chief and the Hen House were overfed so thorough tank cleanings were in order. More cuttings from Chief's tank were added to the Hen House. Don't think they could ever have too many plants in there.

An interesting discovery is that, while the girls are still very young, they recognize me, and will rush to the front of the tank to greet me, making sure I see each one of them. Perhaps it's because I spend time with them, interacting with each of them. They're used to me having my hands in their tank all the time; even coming to the top of the tank and allowing me to "pet" them. They're at the point where they'll vie for my attention. 

My little buddies.  Knock on wood, the sorority is doing very well. I wouldn't say they're all BFFs (a couple have a nip or two) - but they tolerate and respect each other. Although, at feeding time, they all try to eat from the same spot (likened to eating from one plate), even though food is distributed in various locations to avoid overcrowding. 

They're quite comical, too. The tank is heavily planted. Often, they'll get bottlenecked playing follow the leader, trying to work their way in and out of the mazes; and determined to push their way through, instead of going around any obstacles.

It's not obvious who's the alpha and 2nd in command; they all seem to be holding their own. Perhaps the prospect of spending a couple of days in the community tank is fear enough to maintain the peace. Of course, this is just wishful thinking I'm sure. Only one has experienced that "time out." She's probably the most easygoing of them all now.

Was reading in a thread earlier discussing stress stripes, aka "mood bars." One of my girls still throws them occasionally, but I've come to dub her the drama queen. She's light aqua, but can change her color to a dark blue to match the other blues in the tank, perhaps trying to trick them into thinking she's "one of them" - but of course, they know who she is. They'll chase her away, and as she swims off, her color reverts back to aqua again.

Here are some pictures of them - at varying stages. It's hard to get a decent pic still, so some are from the day I got them:

Sorority started all because of this one...



























She may be the queen bee...









This is the drama queen, who changes her color like a chameleon...









The "blue crew"...









My easygoing girl - also the runt...









and, last but not least, this girl...



























I do want to introduce a bottom feeder to help keep their tank clean. But, I'm afraid I'll upset the balance of the sorority. "If it ain't broke - don't fix it" keeps echoing in my head. I've only seen 1 run-of-the-mill stowaway snail (so far, sure others are not far behind) and recognize it, alone, can't do the job. I believe it's just the counter - the more snails, the messier the tank's going to get. The tank's been cycled since Day 1, it gets routine maintenance/water changes and all readings are still good; however, just want to ensure the cycle doesn't crash unexpectedly. Perhaps a couple of nerites would fit the bill. Will continue to research.

To finish (this lengthy wordy post), this is Red, my 20-lb kitty, keeping the girls in line while I was away. 










Good job, Red!


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

What have we here?










Is there a wolf in sheep's clothing lurking in the Hen House?


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## BambooTikiBettaGirl84 (Jun 29, 2014)

Females can sometimes make bubble nests too. It's rare but it does sometimes happen. I know one of my girls (I know for sure that they are a girl) has made them before.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Thanks! I've read that, and have seen some very small bubbles here and there; but this one was much larger, and out of the blue. 

Just in case, going to keep an eye on the VTs. I've never seen a male placate CT, so thinking if one is, indeed, a masked marauder, it's one of the 3 VTs.


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## BambooTikiBettaGirl84 (Jun 29, 2014)

I actually had a crowntail in my sorority that looked just like a female until a few months in the new tank, the she turned into a he. He actually didn't bother the girls and kept things in line.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

SunnyCydUp said:


> To finish (this lengthy wordy post), this is Red, my 20-lb kitty, keeping the girls in line while I was away.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


"If you're bad mommy will let me eat you" >:3 Damn that's a fat cat! Lovely pelt though. 
I (sadly) have 2 fatties as well, last wights were about 18 and 20 lbs but that was a while ago... long store short (before they got dumped on me): past owner let someone cat sit who literally ripped open a large bag of cat food, dumped it out on their food bowl (burying it), and left them unattended/not cleaned up after for a week! Unfortunately one is a meowing monster and won't let "dieting" be an option x.x Its the same s.o.b. that made me have to lid most of the tanks and make all the tank tables non fat-ass (cat) accessible.



SunnyCydUp said:


> What have we here?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If so they're probably thinking "awwwww yeeaaaaah" and the girls are thinking "oh heeellllllll nooo".


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> "If you're bad mommy will let me eat you" >:3 Damn that's a fat cat! Lovely pelt though.
> I (sadly) have 2 fatties as well, last wights were about 18 and 20 lbs but that was a while ago... long store short (before they got dumped on me): past owner let someone cat sit who literally ripped open a large bag of cat food, dumped it out on their food bowl (burying it), and left them unattended/not cleaned up after for a week! Unfortunately one is a meowing monster and won't let "dieting" be an option x.x Its the same s.o.b. that made me have to lid most of the tanks and make all the tank tables non fat-ass (cat) accessible.


The angle makes him look plump but he's pretty solid - him and his brother are Maine **** mix - they are *huge* cats - my "puppycats." Harley, his brother, is 24 pounds and looks nothing at all like Red. We rescued them when they were just 4 weeks old; have had them 5 years now. I can't imagine life without them. 





































They're very smart, trained to 1-word commands and hand signs/signals. Harley loves nothing more than a good bellyrub and both boys, while not ideal lap kitties, are extreme cuddlers. When they purr, it sounds like a tugboat.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

your cat is so cute!^.^ i love big fat fluffy cats lol...(i also happen to have one)... your sorority tank looks awesome too! i love how densely planted it is! there all so cute (esp the 'Blue crew"..I love CTs!)! and your other boys tank looks good too!


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

Kitties! :d


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

*new pictures...*

So, let's see... since my last post:

* Two of the girls spent a couple days together in the community tank learning how to get along with others - including a very large angelfish and 15 or so other fishes; and
* The hen house acquired 2 janitors (corys) to help clean up after the girls - who are really making a mess of their house. 

The tank is becoming more dense with all of the plants - affording each of the girls plenty of areas to claim as their own turf. 

Here's the Hen House as it looks today...









Also, managed to stalk the tank and capture some candids:

The new janitors... after introducing the two of them to the tank, took me an hour to find them (because there are *sooooo* many hiding places)...


















Have determined this one is the Queen Bee...


















Engaging with her sisters...









She's the 2nd in command...









But this one _thinks_ *she's* 2nd in command...









This is my dwarf water lettuce - not looking so dwarf!! It's growing like crazy - no ferts, just light...









and last, but certainly not least - Chief in his neighboring tank... 









It's a shame he doesn't want any tank mates, cause he really does look bored - all by his lonesome. I considered placing him right next to the Hen House, but figured that could really upset the overall hormonal balance of the girls. So, for now, they're separated on opposite sides of the room.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Cory need to be kept in groups of 6 *minimum*, they are a shoaling fish and benefit from the company of their own kind. Yours appear to have false julii cory. 
I'd recommended *strongly *returning those cory, as to keep in in a proper size group you need a minimum 20-30g tank for swim room and bioload. Instead get dwarf cory or pygmy cory, they stay small so you can fit several in a 10g tank comfortably (personally I prefer the look of pygmy cory and they're slightly smaller so you can get even more).
Another thing to keep in mind is cory don't like warm waters, usually 77F is their *max *acceptable temp, though some species can go a little warmer.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Aqua, thanks so much for the heads up. I can actually add them to the 20g community tank.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Time-out seems to be turning into a norm for one of my girls. This time, she may become a permanent fixture in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (the community tank). She's looking at me going - it wasn't me! it wasn't me!!! But hard to claim innocence when caught red-handed!


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

SunnyCydUp said:


> Time-out seems to be turning into a norm for one of my girls. This time, she may become a permanent fixture in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (the community tank). She's looking at me going - it wasn't me! it wasn't me!!! But hard to claim innocence when caught red-handed!


Piece of another girl's fin sticking out of her mouth?


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Pretty much, haha!

Saw something really interesting last night when I was watching her in Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. She dropped - twice - a stream of eggs into the tank. Maybe it was her gift to the neighborhood - protein for all.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

This last episode of bickering has positively proven the Hen House's maximum capacity is 5 females. The Blue Crew is no more; one of the girls will permanently remain in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, while the other is taking up occupancy in a new home. 

Everyone seems to be much more relaxed, no squabbling or flaring (that I've witnessed), all fins intact. It's a good, good day to be in the Hen House, I suppose.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Turkey day has come and gone, and the holiday season is officially starting. I enjoyed getting my extra sleep yesterday morning - not a Black Friday shopper. There is nothing I need that badly. 

Life is moving in fast-forward, and I can't find the pause or rewind button. Ended up working while on vacation which, in itself, really sucked because I was in dire need of decompressing. My family finally understands why I come home and stare at fish. I can just watch them, requires no thought. They said it all makes sense now. And, then, when they saw the girls lining up for me to pet them, they truly thought I'd lost it. Until they saw the girls' reaction - the girls LOVE it! So take that, doubting family! haha.

Nothing new to report, really. The Hen House is status quo. The girls are getting bigger; very little bickering going on in the tank. They still haven't been 'named' - except for Killer, who's in the community tank. Why Killer? She has blood red eyes! And a blue-purplish coloring - depending on her mood. 

Last weekend, the community tank multiplied with the addition of baby guppies. I was so excited! Of the ~30, only 2 have survived, and that was through intervention (I was going to let nature take its course, but as they started dwindling, I said ok - time to step in). So 'Ben and Jerry' have taken up residence in a breeder's box. Meanwhile, the 3 females all look ready to pop again, so I'm pretty sure Ben and Jerry will be hanging with the cousins soon enough. I've dubbed the daddy guppy Urkel - as in Steve Urkel - as in irksome. Oh he's such a PITA! At one point, I did move him into the hen house. That lasted all of 15 minutes. Then it took another 10 to get him back out again.

Well, gonna go stare at the fish again. Peace out. :nicefish:


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

*Chief, while you're cute, you're a bumbling idiot.*

*Saturday*

_- 3pm: Chief, meet Lulu._

And the courtship began. 

_- 3:15pm: Chief starts building his bubblenest. _

He'll catch Lulu out of the corner of his eye and dart of after her, tearing up the bublenest in the process. For every step forward, he takes 2 backwards. In his defense, Chief is a HM, maybe a little moreso than HM. All that finnage leaves a wake as he peels off after Lulu.

Lulu periodically comes to see how it's going; each time turning away, probably laughing at Chief's lack of building skills. 

*Sunday*

_- 12am: Chief is still working on the nest. Puniest little bubblenest ever. Fail! But you're still cute, Chief._

I turn the lights off, having no idea what to expect when I wake up. Thankfully, when I do, find they're both alive, untouched, and still a puny little nest; but Chief is determined.

_- 10am: Lulu's tired of waiting, and becomes the aggressor. Nudging Chief, they finally started spawning._

Two bumbling idiots - just can't seem to figure it out. Got to give them an 'A' for trying though. And, for perseverance. 99% of the time Chief's left stunned while Lulu looks on. She'd go nudge him again to try and get him out of his stupor, and nuzzle in for another embrace attempt. 

_~2pm: Go to offer them some frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp - which Lulu happily takes. _

Chief only had a bloodworm. Then I notice he's frantically working on the nest - *putting eggs in the bubbles!* Hooray! I count about 10, could be more. There's at least that many still on the bottom he's either not seeing, or waiting until it's over to retrieve. And each tryst ends up knocking an egg out of the nest, but he's oblivious to that, too. For now.

Nor am I sure if the eggs are fertilized or not; will have to wait a couple of days and see.

_Sunday, 4pm: At the time I write this, they're still at._ 

Lulu's relentless! Girl just can't get enough! Seriously, as he's gathering eggs and trying to put them in bubbles, she's ready for more - nudging him. Come on big boy - let's go! 

They've had at least 3 successful embraces; not sure on egg count. Doesn't look like she's dropping very many at a time. I'll do a post-rollup with pictures once they're through with this spawn.

I have to say, these two have gotten along really well - was a good pairing. Sure, he's chased her away from the nest, but no biting, no nipping, no hurting one another. It's too bad they can't be kept together. Yes, I know it's not possible, it's sad really.

But Chief's gonna be busy these next 3 or so weeks. That's right - I'm letting him tend to his babies. Many have had success. I'll post progress/results.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Haha horny girl is wearing her lover out. Hope you get some fertile eggs that survive and grow! Look forward to photos.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

*Geez, still at it!!*

Chief and Lulu are still going strong!!! As mentioned in the previous post, here's some pictures.

Chief









Chief and Lulu









Lulu's not impressed









Reminds me of Pepe Le Peux - look at those eyes, ha!









One of who knows how many attempts









And another - 









This was the most common event though...









Well, Chief and Lulu's interlude just came to a close, and Chief is scouring for eggs. Lulu's not very happy that her fun was cut short, but I think Chief had enough. Besides, he's gonna be busy for a while now.


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## Veerie (Nov 29, 2014)

Chief is gorgeous! Can't wait to see how this turns out!


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

Sad to report it appears there won't be any babies for Chief this time around. :-( He worked really hard, too. Poor guy. 

Will pair him with Lulu again after the holidays.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

SunnyCydUp said:


> Sad to report it appears there won't be any babies for Chief this time around. :-( He worked really hard, too. Poor guy.
> 
> Will pair him with Lulu again after the holidays.


Nest failure or eggs turned out infertile?

Did you try conditioning them before breeding (lot more frozen or live foods) try to encourage him to make a nest before he comes in? You've probably experienced or read this, but a lot of people say their males make bubble nests when there's a storm (especially at night) apparently the pressure change triggers a natural breeding instinct so they want to make a big bubble nest. I read that one breeder simulated a fake rain in the tank when there is a storm outside (watering pail to sprinkle water into tank for at water change) then left their pair be over night and had success.

Good luck on the next round.


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## SunnyCydUp (Aug 31, 2014)

^Looks like a mixture of both. Chief was doing a great job watching and rebuilding his nest. I can only assume nature took its course and the eggs were infertile. 

Chief is a little despondent now, but need to recondition him and Lulu before putting them back together again. Of all the horror stories I've read and pics I've seen post-spawn, there was nary a nip, torn fin, nothing - on Chief or Lulu (who's back in the Hen House, wishing she was still at the bachelor pad next door.) ;-)

I've read about the storm scenario - when my cats start acting nuts, I know something wicked this way comes. Now that Chief and Lulu had their "dry run," hopefully, next time, they can really get down to business.


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