Spawning Report: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock Gudgeon

Name: Lee Agin

Scientific Name of Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda

Hobby Name of Fish: Peacock Gudgeon

Method of Reproduction: Substrate Spawner, typically in a cave

Number and Gender Distribution of Parents: Pair, there is a 2nd male in the tank too.

Origin of Parents: Unknown, purchased at Centreville Aquarium

Approximate number of eggs: Probably closer to 50, these guys are still small

Date of Hatch or Birth: 2/17, Overnight

Date of Free Swimming If Hatched: 2/18

Approx. Number of Fry at 30 Days: 24

Approx. Number of Fry at 60 Days: TBD

Aquarium Conditions:

pH (0 to 14) - between 6.8 and 7.2

General Hardness (ppm) - between 150 and 300

Average Temperature (F) - 75 degrees

Salinity - N/A

Average Nitrate (ppm) - 10

Aquarium Size (L X W X H and Gallons) - 20”X10”X12”/10 Gallon

Water Source - Fairfax tap, water conditioner added to remove chlorine/chloramine

Water Changes - I don’t think I have done one on this tank just yet

Filtration System - Sponge, Swiss Tropicals

Additives - Either Seachem Prime or API Stress Coat when filled, nothing since.

Décor:

Live Plants - Java Fern and Anubius

Leaves - Indian Almond Leave pieces

Cave - Small, clay pleco cave

Substrate: Play sand

Lighting: None, gets indirect light from the rest of the fish room

Food Fed to Parents and How Often: Daily - alternating between frozen daphnia, frozen brine shrimp, live white worms, live daphnia, and live brine shrimp

Food Fed to Fry and How Often: TBD, probably vinegar eels to start, thanks Frank!

I noticed that the dominant male disappeared into the pleco cave a few days back. I also saw him chase away the female once or twice while feeding the tank's residents. Unfortunately, the position I placed the cave in originally did not allow for easy viewing. Today I turned the cave around so that the opening is facing the front of the tank and took a look with a flashlight. He is definitely guarding a clutch of eggs as suspected, not sure exactly when they were laid, but seeing eyeballs in the pictures, it looks like the eggs may be close to hatching. I may set up a 5-gallon tank today with some water from the parent's tank and lots of java moss to move the cave into, with the male and eggs still inside.

Male guarding the eggs:

Female swimming by, looking for a snack:

I moved the male, in his cave with the eggs - now brownish in color, a sign that they were close to hatching - to a bare bottom 5 gallon tank with Java moss, 1/2 an Indian Almond leaf and a sponge filter early evening on Fri, 2/17. Early morning on Sat, 2/18, the male was out of his cave hiding behind the sponge filter. After removing him back to his 10 gallon home and rinsing and removing the cave, I spotted multiple fry in the 5 gallon: