White Cloud Breeding

[Shane Thompson]

Okay I bought 8 white clouds at my fish store and have had them for about one and a half weeks. Someone told me that to get them to mate, you have to condition them. So I fed them daphnia and the females got fat. One fish died. However, I still have 3 males and 4 females. I heard that flaring fins is a sign of mating. However, the FEMALES have been flaring back to the males. Is this pure aggression, or just normal behavior? I still have no fry. Please tell me on how to tell this and also how tiny the newly hatched fry will be( I have a big clump of plants in the corner as a target). Thanks, Shane

[pleco_breeder]

Shane,

The fry are very tiny, and I always used a flashlight to help. Even then, eyes are all that is visible for a few days after they are free swimming. The eggs are a totally different story. If they are spawning, you should be able to see the eggs rather easily in a well lit tank. Otherwise, it's back to the flashlight.

Provided that the fish are conditioned, and not just fat (there is a visible difference), you may need to separate the sexes for a few days to get them to have a solid go at it. I never noticed any flaring when I was raising the LF type, but could have been happening while I was at work. I would simply find eggs once I returned home. Another possible method, and what I used and still do for egg scatterers, can be found here .

Larry Vires

[Damon]

Patience, young grasshopper. 1 week isn't a long time to have fish let alone expect them to breed. They have to get adjusted to your tank and parameters. Once they feel comfortable then they will establish a pecking order. Once that is done they will do what comes natural. While white clouds are easy to breed, they still need the right parameters and timing to do it.

[danny1]

sorry to but in, same topic but i have the same problem with my 10 white clouds to breed i have had them since boxing day 2006. and still no frys.

[Damon]

Try a large water change with water 5 degrees cooler than tank temp just at lights on time.

[doggydad38]

Here's something else to consider. White Clouds will swim one way across the tank to spawm and eat the eggs they just laid on the return pass. Shallow water will increase the number of eggs that make it to the substrate and, subsequently, hatch. You may not be seeing eggs or fry because too few make to the bottom.
Tony