Paratheraps hartwegi preparing to spawn

[notho2000]

My 13" male and 11" female 'hartwegi' have been paired for about 2 years and have spawned several times over that span of time. They have been quite compatible excepting the post-spawning "bash" that the female usually gets (notice the female's tail is missing a chunk - from the last spawn 3 weeks ago). But she always comes back and they "make up". Here they are preparing their usual site - a 12" diameter flower pot at one end of a 180g tank filled with other adult Paratheraps and Vieja. They basically take over one end of the tank and do their thing. I'll try to put on a follow-up video of the spawning act when that occurs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE6K8Kp9reY&feature=channel

[smitty]

Yes they are doing there thing and they look great. Another species that I would love to have.

[notho2000]

Well, while I was upstairs uploading the previous video, the pair proceeded to spawn. When I went down later, there were some eggs in the pot (nowhere near the number that I know this female is capable of laying). All I saw was one highly patterned male doing guard duty in front of the pot. The female was nowhere to be seen. After some looking, I found her hiding behind another nearby pot, cowering. I guess they had a spat and 'dad' kicked 'mom' out. Looks like he'll be going it alone this time. Here's the situation now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MgWLLDw ... ature=plcp
-Jim

[Jafh]

I find very similar the Hartwegi to Bifasciatus just as synspilus to melanurus or coatzacoalcos to zonatus.

Great fish!