# Boring Jewels



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

I have an ongoing, over six month issue with a bred pair of jewels in a 36 gallon tank with some Oto cats, rocks and plants. The last spawn was in the spring and the problem I am having began after I separated the fry from the pair. They have been cowering in pits, behind rocks, in plants since then and seem to be in a state of suspended animation. They eat but only a little even if I offer live food.

I put in some dither fish recently, a school of 10 danios. Water quality? I do 20% water changes weekly and while the nitrate level is not zero its better than it was at the peak of their prolific spawning activity last spring. Still, they cower.

How do I get them to be more social? Shall I get some more Jewels? I worry that there will be a bloodbath. Any ideas?


----------



## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

Hi your fishes are depressive because they lost their fry, just let them little time and they will get their normal behavior.
xris


----------



## oldwheat (Dec 24, 2007)

Try adding some floating plants such as watersprite. Water quality could possibly be a factor, what are the GH, pH & temp? Also, do you treat the water with any chemicals?


----------



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

Is six months seems like a little long to be depressed. They had lost fry before and would turn around and spawn again.

The tank is full of Amazon sword plants. Temp is 79-80, 15 ppm nitrate, a little acidic....OK I'll try to fix that. The nitrate is tricky. I use the niro-zorb packet and change it every month or so but it still is high. No chemicals. 20% water change every week or so and the water coming in is good (I test it occasionally). I have been considering a CO2 injection system to feed the plants to enhance the organic nitrate absorbing process. I have noticed a black worm infestation in the gravel. Problem?

Thank you for your replies.

S


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Try increasing the water changes to 50% weekly for the nitrate. I don't know what the niro-zorb packet is but it sounds like chemicals to me and some of them can sterilize fish. I had this liquid stuff made by Tetra called Easy Balance and decided not to use it after I heard bad things about it. I don't know anything about worms either but ewwww.


----------



## addicted2cichlid (Apr 8, 2008)

15ppm nitrate isnt bad at all... try re-arranging the tank.


----------



## Matts_Cichlids (Jul 29, 2007)

Water changes do tend to bring on the breeding of the jewels. Try putting in some more flat surfaced rocks aswell to give them more options of where to lay the eggs as they like to lay them on flat surfaces which they clean and prepare prior to spawning.


----------



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

I just added another jewel and he is very quickly assimilating to the local norm. Boooring. I will take both bits of advice; I will rearrange the tank and go for the 50% weekly water change. The other thing is I also have an aerator stone going steadily. I'm thinking of putting in a cheezy air-actuated motion device of some kind to be a visual stimulant. Also, I have many plants and as a result many hiding places. I will report my results.

Thanks for you help!

s


----------



## Matts_Cichlids (Jul 29, 2007)

I just moved my pair of jewels to there own tank 50gal tank. They have bred twice in the main tank with no success due to some other big hungry fish so I hope they spawn again. So far they are always together and they are looking after one peticular rock so im guessing it wont be too loong before something happens. . . I hope


----------



## Matts_Cichlids (Jul 29, 2007)

Well since my last post my pair of jewels have already layed eggs but not on the rock as I thought they would, instead they are at the base of a fake plant. They were very quick considering they have only been in that tank for a few days.


----------



## KMNL (Sep 4, 2008)

Mine are going through the same thing. My male is acting normal again but the female is still depressed.


----------



## billijaywest (Oct 13, 2008)

Dewdrop said:


> Try increasing the water changes to 50% weekly for the nitrate. I don't know what the niro-zorb packet is but it sounds like chemicals to me and some of them can sterilize fish. I had this liquid stuff made by Tetra called Easy Balance and decided not to use it after I heard bad things about it. I don't know anything about worms either but ewwww.


are you saying that easy balance sterolises fish, that would explain why mine arnt mating


----------



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

I am the original poster here. Hello!

Well, I rearranged, did a 50% water change and they bred. However, the male was the only one brave enough to fan the eggs which was out in the open on a rock. The female stayed in its hiding place and would only come out occasionally, and only in a complete panic, if someone entered the room or walked past the tank. The eggs hatched during the day when there is nobody home and I assume the fry was consumed.

They are a neurotic pair. Perhaps it is because most of the day they stare into an empty space. I'm thinking I should leave the TV on for them to watch the soaps. The dither fish (danios) are "noise" but it seems to be completely ignored. The jewels hang out deep and low while the danios swim high.

One theory I have is that the male is significantly larger than the female. When they first bred, the difference was not this much.


----------



## Matts_Cichlids (Jul 29, 2007)

They don't sound like they are a true pair to me because they act nothing like my breeding pair. The TV wont make any difference lol.

Here's a few pics of my pair and there fry and the male is larger than the female and they are inseparable and always together.


----------



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

G'day mate (I had an Aussie roommate in college)! Very nice. Thank you for sharing these and yes I see that the size difference is similar to mine. The only difference I see is I have real plants and a greater density of them. My guess now is that the species' tendency is to hide and my tank offers them hiding places in abundance and they are simply doing what is natural.

Mine are indeed a pair. They are inseparable and they have spawned successfully at least 6-7 times in the last year. See photos below from April08.

http://www.sergeaudio.com/dropbox/jewel1.jpg
http://www.sergeaudio.com/dropbox/jewel2.jpg
http://www.sergeaudio.com/dropbox/jewel3.jpg

Do you feed them Vegemite :wink: ?

Serge


----------



## Matts_Cichlids (Jul 29, 2007)

Jewels like heavily planted tanks but I haven't got into real plants because they don't really survive well in my main 6ft tank. I only recently put the Jewels in there own tank to breed without the fry being eaten by tank mates. They layed eggs at the base of a fake plant within days and have been doing well ever since.

Gotta love the vegemite mate :thumb:


----------



## Serge (Mar 8, 2008)

So when do you separate the pair from the fry and how do you do it? I'm thinking that what I did last time may have been too traumatic for my pair. I used the vacuum to siphon out the fry. Also, what do you do for lighting? I have a flourescent tube which may be too bright.

My roommate's staple diet was tea (no sugar, no milk), white toast with butter and vegemite. I was hooked in no time. He got a package from home every month (we were in New Haven, CT in the early 80). Men at Work was on the stereo all the time.

Serge


----------

