What can I do with that female mandarin?

[daniella3d]

Do yours spawn together?

I know in the wild that mandarins are solitary and after the sunset they all gather together and spawn. That's the only time they tolerate each other in the wild.

Today they sort of ignore each other. The male never ever showed any sign of agression toward the female and she is not attacking him any longer so I guess that's good. I can see them often near each other without any sign of aggression. Will they spawn? that's the big question.

Originally Posted by marie

My 2 mandarins really don't like each other at all and only get together just before lights out.
The female was half the size of the male but the first in the tank so when I added the male she attacked him furiously, he got fed up and beat the crap out of her and peace has sort of reigned ever since

[gobytron]

I've had a pair spawn before.
It was more due to the light cycle in that sytem than anything IME.

T8 actinics at the time...
very dim, deep blue lighting.

Since I switched to VHO or T5, I have never witnessed spawning behaviour again...even with the same pair.

[daniella3d]

I had no problem getting my old pair to spawn under my small moonlight and it is the same female, so lighting here is not a problem because I have my moonlight on for an hour and half.

The light cycle is the same and so if it was suitable for spawning before, I suppose it will still be. But that's a new male, so not sure she will like him or not.

It must be a rare occurance to see mandarin spawning under full light?

Originally Posted by gobytron

I've had a pair spawn before.
It was more due to the light cycle in that sytem than anything IME.

T8 actinics at the time...
very dim, deep blue lighting.

Since I switched to VHO or T5, I have never witnessed spawning behaviour again...even with the same pair.

[marie]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I had no problem getting my old pair to spawn under my small moonlight and it is the same female, so lighting here is not a problem because I have my moonlight on for an hour and half.

The light cycle is the same and so if it was suitable for spawning before, I suppose it will still be. But that's a new male, so not sure she will like him or not.

It must be a rare occurance to see mandarin spawning under full light?

Mine used to spawn after the MH's went out but before the vho's turned off when I had them. Now I only have the MH's so they start their dance just before the MH's shut off and finish in the dark.....

[daniella3d]

Don't you find that amazing that they know when the light is about to turn off before it does? They seem to have an internal clock

Originally Posted by marie

Mine used to spawn after the MH's went out but before the vho's turned off when I had them. Now I only have the MH's so they start their dance just before the MH's shut off and finish in the dark.....