Rotpunkt Male refusing to breed?

[Borelliiguy]

This is my second thread for today lol but I'm seeking help because I'm really baffled as to what is going on in my community tank. I've had this rotpunkt trio in my 40g for a while and all three are in great condition. So much so that the females are desperate to spawn with the male. They are plump and spend all day trying to lead the male back to their respective caves to spawn but the male doesn't want to. It's as though he chickens out.

Both females are constantly trying to get his attention. When he looks their way they instantly go into that >s< shaped position and glide over/towards their caves but again, he refuses to enter. Loses interest and goes back to "happily" swimming around the tank. Both have the canary breeding dress on. Both have their own territories (Tank split is roughly 50/50) I'm kinda confused as to what I should do? I haven't listed my parameters because A) The females are ready and B) These are from a domesticated strain and every domesticated Ap I have has bred in these parameters. And finally C) The male doesn't need to flare or display (he's a stunner lol) both females are beyond the point of courtship. The male is fully mature (one year old) eating well, and despite weeks of live and some frozen brine and bloodworm he isn't concerned with the job at hand.

I should mention that My PH is around 7 according to my nutrafin test kit. Any suggestions??? I'm truly and utterly stumped here so any constructive advice or theories would help.

 

[Mike Wise]

What other fish are in your "community tank"?

 

[Borelliiguy]

Hi Mike

Just dither/tetras fish. Diamonds, rummynose, and green neon. The tank is planted each female has a territory and caves to spawn in. The male has never been hasseled by these dithers but I'm afraid that sooner or later the females will turn aggressive and try to remove the male from their territory (the tank) in the hopes of attracting a male which is ready to breed.

I read that removing the male to another tank and feeding him on frozen/live food for a couple of weeks might help but again, I'm looking for all suggestions before i decide on any particular course of action,

 

[Mike Wise]

Well IMHO even if the females do breed, all of those tetras will decimate any fry that appear. Rummynoses and Green (False) Neons are infamous fry predators. I would remove every fish except the male and one female, and see what happens. Certainly there will be fewer distractions. A community tank is not an ideal breeding tank. BTW I had a sneaker male Rotpunct that could imitate a female in brood dress perfectly. I doubt that is your problem, but ... ?? If none of this works, I think it's time for new stock.

 

[Melanochromis]

I have had baenschi males who just won't breed regardless of how willing and ready the females are. I waited for half a year until I realized it was much easier to simply replace the male (luckily, I had many spare males). Then, I got eggs almost immediately. I think it's possible that some males are just uninterested in breeding, at least with the females you chose for him. This is the case for at least half of my baenschi males.

 

[Borelliiguy]

Mike , In my main community the caves are setup so as I can see with a quick flash with the torch what stage the eggs are in. Once they have hatched I wait 2 nights and then on the third I turn on my lights at night and startle the dithers and scoop them out. Which takes about 3-5mins tops. I leave the green neons in tank as they have never been a problem when it comes to fry. My panduros lost 3 fry in the same tank under the same conditions plus i never saw the green neons ever try to face the pairs aggression.

Melanochromis , Well I haven't had this male that long but I noticed the females were ready a few weeks ago. I'm glad I'm not the only one that's encountered this problem but I'm not willing to replace him just yet. We need some type of Ap viagra i'm guessing.

Do either have any suggestions on how to try and induce a spawn? I was looking into almond leaves and even though I'm not quite sure how to use them, I went ahead and bought a pack of twenty 8" leafs and so far the only course of action I can come up with is as follows.

Separate male and feed him up for two weeks. Add the almond leafs (not sure how long they take to lower the ph/achieve blackwater conditions) and let them get to work (?days) before i reintroduce the male.

If you guys or anyone else has any suggestions please let me know.

 

[Melanochromis]

I think if the fish are really ready to breed, a water change can usually induce them to spawn. But it seems like your aim at the moment is rather to induce the male to be interested in the female, which is more of a compatibility issue. Personally, I think an uninterested male is just a pain for someone who is as impatient as I am. He can remain uninterested for many months, if not forever, even if everything else including the female seem perfect. Maybe changing water parameters may get the male in the mood faster. I don't know, but please let me know the results of your experiment