# Lots of current?



## NavinWithPs (Apr 3, 2003)

would red bellies breed in tanks with lots of current. not to the point where they are stressed or anything like that. i understand that they live in rivers that flow thousands of gallons per hour. just wondering if they break from the pack to go to an area that's more still???i have a powerhead in my 200, just wonderig if i should turn it off to have a better chance of them breeding.

thanks.


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## P-Power (Jan 23, 2004)

good question!
I want to know this as well! (sorry I don't know the answer)


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## 33truballa33 (Oct 18, 2004)

what u can do is if u do a simulation of seasons like some people do turn off ur powerhead during the "dry " season, adn turn it back on during the "rainy" season.. this mimics the death pools with no current then mimics the replenishment of water and flowing waters.. hope that helps..


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## NavinWithPs (Apr 3, 2003)

33truballa33 said:


> what u can do is if u do a simulation of seasons like some people do turn off ur powerhead during the "dry " season, adn turn it back on during the "rainy" season.. this mimics the death pools with no current then mimics the replenishment of water and flowing waters.. hope that helps..
> [snapback]1003012[/snapback]​


interesting. never thought of a powerhead being used that way. now my question is, what exactly are the months of rain and dry?


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## 33truballa33 (Oct 18, 2004)

the winter is rainy season and summer is dry season.. i think its the opposite of our seasons.. dont quote me on that.. but if ur doing it in ur house u can determine what they are. by doing water changes.. turning off powerheads and filters..


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## cmsCheerFish (Dec 17, 2004)

yes southern hemispheres seasons are opposite ours in the north.


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## CROSSHAIR223 (Jan 17, 2005)

I know that whenever I change the water on my breeders I find they breed faster if I make the water a little colder than the tank. I don't know if that's how you are supposed to do a water change I just thought to do it cause when it rains it would be a little colder than there streams. Either lucky or my fish just like it cause it really seems to work with my breeders.


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## Zip (Apr 17, 2005)

I must have stumbled onto the same things with dumb luck. A week ago I dropped the water temp back down (I had raised it to clear up some fungus they apparently caught from goldfish), and gave a good cleaning to the Emporer 400 which increased the flow quite a bit. Tonight I'm sitting here frantically researching how to raise piranha fry.

I had noticed a whole lot more fighting and bites taken out of fins this past week. One of the fish (I'm assuming the father, from my reading here) has been swimming obsessively in circles over one spot. I thought to myself that it almost seemed like it was protecting eggs (not that I've ever had any experience in breeding fish....well, guppies don't count), but after finding nothing with a cursory check, I shrugged and went on. I had also thought I heard breeding P's is difficult, so I never gave it very serious consideration as being a possibility. Tonight I spied the little buggers swimming around to my amazement!

I caught and flushed a feeder rosy barb from the tank (who has probably been snapping up some fry), and put a net over the intake to the filter to hopefully keep the little guys from being LaMachine'd. I turned the filter off completely at first, but soon decided that might do more harm than good. I also have a pleco in the tank, who has probably Hoover'd up a good number of eggs.

In retrospect, after reading articles here, I had noticed bloating, darker coloration, etc (smacking forehead). Ah well, live and learn.

Tomorrow I'm setting up my 20 gallon in hopes of saving some of the fry. Hope I have some success, as I was caught completely flat-footed.


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## CROSSHAIR223 (Jan 17, 2005)

If you have a pleco in there you might wanna take him out too. I started calling mine "BC" for birthcontrol. The bastard would eat the eggs. He only managed to eat part of a batch before I caught him soooooo if you do have one in there watch him lol. As far as the current I would seem logical that they would mate in the "eddies" of the river. Less current no fighting and a good place to relax thus this probably the reason the father circles the fry and provides his own "current" so they get 02. I can't think of why they would have that instinctual trait if they laid there eggs in the current cause there would be no reason then. One benifit is the eggs are quite sticky so if they are layed in the current they could stick and not go down stream bashing. I think I might try moving your power head to somewhere else then the corner of the tank. By doing this you can still have a current but whatever space is behind the current will lack the same flow and maybe that will be enough of a mimick to make them think they are in a slow spot. I'm glad to hear my idea of dropping the temp with water as it would with natural rain in the wild worked for you too. I was wondering if it really mattered of was just blind luck.


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## Zip (Apr 17, 2005)

They set their nest up in a tranquil part of the tank without much flow. I don't have a power head, just the Emporer 400.

Am curious, what temp do you exactly keep your tank at, and what temp is the replacement water you put in? You just allow the new water to warm up to the rest of the tank on its own, correct?

Don't know what to do about the pleco. I like him in the 75 gallon, but if I took him out when the P's spawn, and put him back in when it's safe, I'm afraid the P's might not accept him again. As it stands now, the pleco pretty much rules the roost.


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## CROSSHAIR223 (Jan 17, 2005)

I have my tanks at 80. Upon filling it's just by feel. I usually put in 20 gallons right at the same temp and one quite a bit cooler. It drops the overall temp by a couple degrees. Lol I have the same emperor as you. If your pleco is of any size I wouldn't worry I've never ever had problems with mine and I moved him into a new tank about every 5 days. They seem to know how to handle themselves.


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