Royal whiptails bred, but the male is still a baby!

pleco4me

Member
Mar 7, 2011
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6
Perth, Australia
Hey guys,

You wont believe it, but my royal whiptails have spawned. At the moment there is about 15 eggs on the back glass panel.

The amazing thing is that the male (I didnt even know he was male, because he has no bristles at all) is only about 10cm long to the beginning on the whip. The female is substantially larger, but I am still shocked to see the male has matured at such a small size.

The spawning is still taking place now, so Ill leave them be before taking pictures.

Has anyone had such a thing happen before?

Female (at the time of taking this picture, I was under the impression that she may have been stunted, due to her extremely fat body... little did I know she was just gravid!!)



Male




Craig :)
 

bigbird

Pleco Profiles Moderator - RIP FRIEND
Sep 9, 2010
6,306
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Sydney, AUSTRALIA
good news and well done. Keep an eye on the eggs to make sure they are fertilized. Keep us updated. cheers jk :thumbup:
 

Bigjohnnofish

Global Moderators
Staff member
Apr 15, 2010
1,399
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Perth, Western Australia
i have had them breed at 6cm male and 5.5cm female head to start of their whippy bits....

couldnt even tell which was which as the male hadnt even really developed a beard.... but hes the one guarding the eggs.....
 

pleco4me

Member
Mar 7, 2011
37
0
6
Perth, Australia
i have had them breed at 6cm male and 5.5cm female head to start of their whippy bits....

couldnt even tell which was which as the male hadnt even really developed a beard.... but hes the one guarding the eggs.....
Wow they were even smaller than mine!

I was just so shocked to see the eggs in there... really wasn't expecting it at all. Not expecting these eggs even to make it to the hatching stage due plainly to the male's inexperience.

Ill keep you updated however :)

Cheers
 
J

jamous91

Guest
this is going off topic a little but why would normal twig catfish swim up and keep hitting the roof of the tank
 
J

jamous91

Guest
Hmm not too sure then... Could be something wrong with your water. Have you tested it lately?
well i no longer have them now i just thought i shoulw ask cos u this thread is about there big bros so i thought i should ask
 

RobHarrison

Member
Mar 29, 2010
651
1
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39
Bolton, NW Uk
Sounds like poor water quality if there acting strange im afriad.

Well done though Pleco4me :D shame the eggs were eaten but the fact you have a pair is still something to celebrate :D Is there anyway you could set up a new tank for them to be alone in?
 

pleco4me

Member
Mar 7, 2011
37
0
6
Perth, Australia
Sounds like poor water quality if there acting strange im afriad.

Well done though Pleco4me :D shame the eggs were eaten but the fact you have a pair is still something to celebrate :D Is there anyway you could set up a new tank for them to be alone in?
Thanks! :D

Now you mention it, I do have a 3ft tank with some cichlids (boring!) that I could use as a whiptail breeding tank. I might just do that hehe... :lol:
 

RobHarrison

Member
Mar 29, 2010
651
1
16
39
Bolton, NW Uk
It would give you the best results for a breeding of the pair of royals, Best of luck if you do go for that route, im sure if you got youngsters there would be a lot of people in Australia that would be wanting young from you :)
 

Bigjohnnofish

Global Moderators
Staff member
Apr 15, 2010
1,399
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36
Perth, Western Australia
It would give you the best results for a breeding of the pair of royals, Best of luck if you do go for that route, im sure if you got youngsters there would be a lot of people in Australia that would be wanting young from you :)
how many would you like... i have heaps !!! :thumbup:

really nice fish but they dont move very fast in the shops or by private sales... :dk: