So, it's springtime; snow is melting, and I have once again begun to cautiously raise the temperature of my basement tanks to prepare for moving the fish outdoors into their stocktanks for the summer. They only get 4 or 5 months of nice weather outdoors, but I don't feel comfortable keeping them in cool temps for the entire remainder of the year. That just seems a bit too long for a semi-dormant rest period, so I start to provide some cautious heating at this time of year, and also in the fall for a month or so after they are brought back indoors. I prefer to provide them a longer active season and a shorter cool period. It seems to give them the rest break they desire or require, but...there are complications...
Specifically, the fish are becoming more active and as breeding begins to occupy their dim thoughts, they start to get more aggressive, while still in the basement. I have about 20 Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus youngsters, last year's fry, and they are starting to get a little rambunctious with each other. Worse than that, I have two pairs of Cichlasoma dimerus adults, who spend the cool period living in perfect harmony with each other and other tankmates. During summer, I am forced to separate the two pairs or else the beta male...who is also the omega male
...gets pretty beaten up by the alpha. Each summer I try them in a larger stock tank than the previous year, and am soon forced to remove the sub-dominant male and his lady for his own protection. I had finally admitted that I would just cut to the chase and give each pair its own breeding tank this year, but I woke this morning to find the beta/omega dead and judging from the condition of the carcass, it wasn't an easy death.
I had just upped the thermostat setting on that tank to 67F, which is where I planned to keep it until the outdoor stock tanks hit that level in the sunshine. Nope! Bumping it up that final 3 degrees, from the 64F I had turned it to a few days ago, meant that the Mr.Hyde was brought to the surface in the alpha and spelled doom for the other male.
Dang. I liked that fish.
Of course, the goldfish are getting frisky and chasing each other around now as well. If they follow last year's pattern, they will spawn in the basement tank very soon, but the eggs will all be eaten immediately. Once outdoors, in my single inground pond, they will start utilizing the plants for spawning and begin breeding in earnest, resulting in hundreds of baby goldfish to rehome or otherwise recycle come fall.
Also slated for outdoor "staycations" this year are Medakas, Swordtails, Flagfish, some cats, not sure what else so far. These others haven't begun to feel stirrings in their loins...yet...so maybe they'll behave and play nice until the sunshine has its way with them.
Specifically, the fish are becoming more active and as breeding begins to occupy their dim thoughts, they start to get more aggressive, while still in the basement. I have about 20 Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus youngsters, last year's fry, and they are starting to get a little rambunctious with each other. Worse than that, I have two pairs of Cichlasoma dimerus adults, who spend the cool period living in perfect harmony with each other and other tankmates. During summer, I am forced to separate the two pairs or else the beta male...who is also the omega male
...gets pretty beaten up by the alpha. Each summer I try them in a larger stock tank than the previous year, and am soon forced to remove the sub-dominant male and his lady for his own protection. I had finally admitted that I would just cut to the chase and give each pair its own breeding tank this year, but I woke this morning to find the beta/omega dead and judging from the condition of the carcass, it wasn't an easy death.I had just upped the thermostat setting on that tank to 67F, which is where I planned to keep it until the outdoor stock tanks hit that level in the sunshine. Nope! Bumping it up that final 3 degrees, from the 64F I had turned it to a few days ago, meant that the Mr.Hyde was brought to the surface in the alpha and spelled doom for the other male.
Dang. I liked that fish.
Of course, the goldfish are getting frisky and chasing each other around now as well. If they follow last year's pattern, they will spawn in the basement tank very soon, but the eggs will all be eaten immediately. Once outdoors, in my single inground pond, they will start utilizing the plants for spawning and begin breeding in earnest, resulting in hundreds of baby goldfish to rehome or otherwise recycle come fall.
Also slated for outdoor "staycations" this year are Medakas, Swordtails, Flagfish, some cats, not sure what else so far. These others haven't begun to feel stirrings in their loins...yet...so maybe they'll behave and play nice until the sunshine has its way with them.
