Flower nems breeding?

DakotahSteel

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I have probably a dozen different flower nems in my tank and they’re beyond awesome! I have noticed I have this one and one other that the mouths are starting to look like this… someone had said they might be breeding but I can’t find anything confirming this… any ideas?
 

DJF

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I have probably a dozen different flower nems in my tank and they’re beyond awesome! I have noticed I have this one and one other that the mouths are starting to look like this… someone had said they might be breeding but I can’t find anything confirming this… any ideas?
I believe that is more of a hunger response.
 

jkcoral

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When they spawn, you’ll see the males stand up and make a cup shape, kind of like a trumpet. They’ll release love juice in the water every few minutes for about 30 min to an hour.

IMG_7518.jpeg


Witnessing a spawn is the only way to identify the males.
 

gonzo620

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When the males spawn it is pretty obvious. They will become erect. Their bodies will extend an obvious amount. They will resemble an open patio umbrella. Then they will expel their gametes into the water column. Enough of them will turn the water cloudy.
The females on the other hand I have not noticed any visible signs of giving birth. I the one time I saw this happening. The babies were just tumbling out of the mouths. Mouth was slightly open and you could see different colored babies kinda slowly just tumbling out and the water flow pushing them off the mothers disc. Hope this helps.
 

jkcoral

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When the males spawn it is pretty obvious. They will become erect. Their bodies will extend an obvious amount. They will resemble an open patio umbrella. Then they will expel their gametes into the water column. Enough of them will turn the water cloudy.
The females on the other hand I have not noticed any visible signs of giving birth. I the one time I saw this happening. The babies were just tumbling out of the mouths. Mouth was slightly open and you could see different colored babies kinda slowly just tumbling out and the water flow pushing them off the mothers disc. Hope this helps.

Yup! Very rarely have I ever seen females giving birth. But you can usually find babies hiding underneath of the skirts of suspected females

IMG_6570.jpeg
 

gonzo620

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Yup! Very rarely have I ever seen females giving birth. But you can usually find babies hiding underneath of the skirts of suspected females

IMG_6570.jpeg
I was very fortunate to see it. I could help myself to start collecting them. I put them in a Taco Bell nacho cheese container. Lol.
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jkcoral

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I was very fortunate to see it. I could help myself to start collecting them. I put them in a Taco Bell nacho cheese container. Lol.
IMG_1893.jpeg
IMG_1894.jpeg
IMG_1892.jpeg

That’s one way to ensure high survival rates! I’ve only seen females giving birth 2 or 3 times versus the dozens and dozens of male spawns I’ve seen over the years.

I have a bare bottom nowadays, so I do my best to collect babies safely and put them in pvc caps for a while!

That’s a good looking bunch!
 

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