# Black Orchid PK x Black Orchid CT



## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

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The Sire - 'Kuroran' - Black Orchid PK
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Age: Unknown, Mature male. Phenotype; Unknown. Background; unknown.
Owned from juevenile, so not over 14m.



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The Dam - 'Brangwen' - Black Orchid CT

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Age; Unknown, juvenile. Phenotype; Unknown. Background; unknown.

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Essential Data:
*​*Fish Conditioning Started: *24-Jan-15*
Tank Set Up Completed: *06-Feb-15*
Tank Water Additives:* Stresscoat+; Rooibos Tea.
*Male into Spawning Tank:* 07-Feb-15, 21:30 GMT
*Female Into Chimney: *07-Feb-15, 22:00 GMT
*Female into Spawning Tank:
First Recorded Embrace:
First Eggs In Nest:
Female Removed:
Male Removed:

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The Spawning Tank:
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Size: *10 Gallons (U.S. Approx)
*Depth:* 4.5 inches.
*Temperature: *28C
*Plants: *Live - floating (_cambomba caroliniana_/_hyrgophilia difformis_) & Fake.
*Cover: *House ornament & plants.


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The Breeder:

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Spawn number: 1. Emotional State: EXCITED!
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Banana worms are crawling up the sides of my culture. I will be starting a back up culture on Monday. Hoping this will allow three days before the fry are really eating for the first culuture to recover and the new one to be establishing. Brine shrimp eggs and hatchery are on standyby to be set up as soon as fry are a week old (I will harvest and dump or harvest and feed to the livebearer/tetra tank for a few days to be sure I have got it right. Betta fry will probably get this in combination with banana worms from two weeks old).

Kuroran has been building bubblnests since he first saw her a few days ago. Today was the first time Brangwen displayed breeding bars for him, so I decided to acclimate them tonight, to allow constant, clear vision between the pair. She has a large vase in the centre of the tank. Will be monitoring behaviour tomorrow to decide if it is time to try releasing her. 

The fun begins! =D


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Minor accident... was acclimating Brangwen (near the end, but cannot fit the cup and my hand in the only decent sized vase I have, so was acclimating in the tank proper before netting her into the vase) and went to answer a call of nature elsewhere... she either jumped out or was tipped... two rays of anal missing.  

Also, I am running the sponge filter for the fry and for the dad in dad's personal tank. I figure if I am going to try dad in (if he isnt unsuitable) if there was any disease I didnt know about (doubt it, as he has been isolated for three weeks as well as the dam) the fry will have it from dad anyways... Is this the right thing to do?


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

If either parent is carrying disease, it's safe to assume that the fry would catch it, so I wouldn't be deeply concerned.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

It shouldnt be an issue. QT is up 

He hasn't quite decided what to do about the new tank yet... milling around in a few places, flaring in them, but doesnt seem to have picked where to nest. Silly boy, thats what the live plants or cup is for! D:


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Good luck! I'm super excited to see how the fry turn out. If you get black orchids with dots on the fins in 4-5 years, I may have to buy!


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Should do. Most of the ones I have seen have them.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

The tank has been kep covered, so I am only checking a few times a day and they are not disturbed too much. 

So, checked three times today:

09:00-09:30 - 12 hrs for the male being in. Seems too busy exploring the tank for the most part, occassionally coming back to display for the female. 

12:00-13:00 - Female barring for male, male responding, so female was released to gauge the reaction. 

Male responded well, wriggling, flaring, and chasing. If she succesfully hid, he would look for around a minute, by the he was normally up the opposite end of the tank and seemed to forget the female until he chanced on her again, or she came looking for him. Is this a bad sign? 

She is following him, barring, cautiously watching him from behind the cambomba, and occassionally chasing him when he dances for her. 

No Nest. 

13:30 - 20:00 - checking regularly and discreetly (once an hour, one corner of cover is removed to check they are both not too badly hurt), but he seems to have lost interest to a point. I have rejarred the girl, divided the tank, as he still seemed to be getting so caught up in himself elsewhere he forgot a female was around. He is still displaying, sitting under his cup for nesting, but no nest and he is slightly clamped...??


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I type all that, turn round to check one last time that both are 'settled' with the female having only recently been rejarred), and yes, he is still rather clampy (maybe because I am lifting the blanket?) but....:










After always nesting in the ring before, has he suddenly decided rings aren't for him?  

He is also 'curling' under it...? This is a behaviour I always assumed was a practice for wrapping. Not seen him do it before, though. Do you think this is him being inexperienced, rather than uninterested? 

Hope it goes without saying, once jarred they are left for hours at a time, I only checked every hour to make sure he hadnt killed her after watching for an hour from across the room. Nervous.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

He isn't interested at the moment, though she is. I have called a pause to this one. He is stressed and clamped, and she is starting to become so. She is building a nest in her jar, poor lass. I think I will give her time to recover and breed a different pair all together. This first spawn is as much about the experience as anything else. Would it be nice to have produced fish I *might* have been able to show (iffy becuase of teh CT/HM pairing I know)? Yes. Is it a big issue? No. I have homes for them be they pet quality or show quality.

As all my fish are fed the same diet, I am gunna use a backup pair. I've been thinking on it for a while, as a what-if it doesn't happen thing, and am leaning towards my spread-irid/partial dragon (metallic not white opaque, so not dragon to pureists) and my OHM male.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

That's disappointing, but I guess he just isn't ready yet or the change of scenery threw him off. Good luck with your next try!


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Well, it happens. Sometimes they just aren't interested, or the blind date isn't all that hot, hehe.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Yeah, I guess. I wouldn't be overly impressed if someone dragged me out of bed and chucked me in a hotel room with a random bloke who keep coming back to see if we had made babies yet, tbh! Can't expect the fish to be any different. 

My TradPk has been waiting for me to throw a female at him for months. Things progressing quickly in that tank now! 

I also have permission to get a 5gallon spawn bucket if doing this spawn goes well and I can source homes for the fry. Might be allowed a second growout too! XD So may not have to wait 3-4months for the retry of this spawn.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Exciting!

Is it common to cover them with a blanket even during the day?


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I felt I had to, as he kept getting distracted by whatever was going on outside the tank. XD Fool. I have eggs from the other pair though!


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Nice!!


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Yay!


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I'm excited. This is gunna be a tough 24-72 hours! I need to see fry!!! XD


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Well, this spawn will not be being repeated, doing my nightly feed and I have, sadly, lost my female. Not pale, not striped, not bloated.... just gone. She was behind the sponge filter... maybe she was tired and got stuck there, IDK. She was fine this morning, but I kept the light off most of today as it is shared between hers and Kuros tanks, and I thought they could both use some quiet time. SIP Brangwen.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I am sorry for your loss


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Its a shame.  Worried about what could of casued it. She didn't seem that stressed out. :/


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I'm so sorry.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

To make it worse, the male has developed a gill in jury. I say injury cos I tested the water before todays change, and it was 0-0-20, so.... urgh I dunno. He had a bloody gill whe I checked him over in his tank today. Only has a blunt stone and driftwood in there. It certainly wasnt there when he was acclimated back in after the breeding attempt. Weird as...


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Could it be one of those bacteria things that hurt the gills and fins first? I hope it's just an injury!


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I dont think so. I have looked at all my breeding tank gear and the net (plastic frame); is craked!  I think it mustve happened when he was transferred back in.  I really need a scoop. I hate nets :/


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I hope it heals up soon. I managed to hold on to the store betta cups, and I use those for water changes and for removal from tank.


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

I have a clear tub I use, as we get ours in bags from tanks over here. Unfortunately he died.


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## minikin (Dec 4, 2014)

I'm so sorry you lost them.  At least you gave them good lives.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)




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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Yeah, I guess. Better than in a store, anyways. Have a HMPK orchid female, and I *think* a DT geno black orchid HMPK male. Certainly a dark fish, with blue irids on the fins.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Oh, that sounds interesting!


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## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

This fish has me confused as hell. Not a clue what colour it is now, though I am starting to suspect blond and/or Non-Red.


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