Blood parrots (or whatever you choose to call 'em!)

[Infiniti]

Hi all!
Gosh, I used to be on these forums allllll the time a few years ago when I had many many fishies. I specifically remember Mojo! **waves** Not that you'd remember me. I can't even remember what my username was back then, so I'm starting fresh. Just another newbie! :rolleyes:

Anywho's...back to the topic at hand. I recently re-set up my 29 gallon and bought 2 bp's. I'm sorry, but I just LOVE the little guys - hybrids or not. :huh: I had a pair before that grew huge, but ended up giving them away with my stingrays when I sold my 125 gallon. :sad:

So, now I have one who's orange and about 4", and the other is a bit smaller (3") and has the "natural" coloring with the black stripes and such.
Well, they started their mating rituals & last nite I noticed the bunches of eggs they've laid in their "cave". My question is this: How do I tell for sure which is male? Now, I know that females have the egg tube when spawning, but both seem to have them. The orange one's is much bigger and protruding. Do males have...well,...um...visible "hard ons"? Or, do I have a couple females? If they wanna swing that way, that's okie dokie with me! :D I'll be the first to run out & buy 'em a rainbow sticker for the tank! ;)

I guess I just was wondering if the males have any visible boy parts, or if that's definately a sign of a female...Thx bunches!!! :)

~Beth

[liv2padl]

the males "boy part" is pointy while the females "girl parts" are more conical and blunt. that said, females can and do lay eggs in the absense of a male .. they just won't be fertilized and will turn white in a matter of days.

[Infiniti]

Thx!! Then I do have a male & female! Chances of him being fertile, tho, seem to be slim to none...How long does it take before you can tell if the eggs are fertilized or not?

Thanks again!

~Beth

[Infiniti]

Okay, now I have a new question!

The parrots ate all the eggs, as I suspected would happen. Now, however, the female is pestering the male to death. She's constantly chasing & nipping at him. I put another cave in for him to hide in, but she's decided to stake claim to both of them. He now just kinda hovers vertically at the top of the tank by the filter, not moving around much...Any clue as to what's wrong or what I can do?!

Thx!
~Beth

[liv2padl]

as with many 'hybrid' fish, the chances of the male or female (or both) being sterile is high. as for the 'female' pestering the male to the point of stress, you can try adding some 'target' fish if your tank is big enough. what size is the tank the parrots are in? how big are the parrots?

target fish are those that (a) will take the attention of an overly assertive male or female away from the opposite member of the pair and (b) are robust enough to withstand such spawning pressure. in order for such method to work, you need at least 3-4 target fish ... this will dilute the attention away from a single fish.

[Infiniti]

The parrots are 3" & 4". I already have 3 tiger barbs, a couple mollies & 2 algae eaters in there, but they are ignored. I don't want to put anything else in there cause it's only a 29 gal.