l397 trapping

[Ron.H]

hi,looking for some advice on my l397s. about six months ago i purchased a young mature pair of these from a friend and also three wild caught sub adults. my friend had them trapping on and off, sometimes for five or six days but no spawns. about two weeks ago the mature female was trapped by a young male for four days then released. two days later she was trapped by the mature male and has now been trapped for seven days. just wondering if and when i should think about intervening. anyone any experience of how long these could potentially trap for. cheers ron.

[Ron.H]

hello again. she has now been trapped for nine days, anyone have any thoughts of what i should do. he does not appear to be showing any aggression, just covering the entrance and all seems very calm. hope someone could give me some pointers .cheers ron

[Jools]

I would try to remove them, the female should not be in the cave for days. She's not going to starve in this timeframe, but suspect the male has got his options wrong or is stuck.

Jools

[bekateen]

Hi Ron.H,

I agree with Jools. It's not unusual for them to trap for many days, but you normally find the female leaving and returning during that time. If that's what yours are doing, it's okay, let them continue. But if it's been 9 days non-stop, you should give her a break.

Good luck, Eric

[Ron.H]

hi and thanks for replies. obviously i dont know what happens through the night but i'm fairly sure she's been in the cave all this time. i will leave them for tonight and look to remove them tomorrow. is it as simple as shaking them out into the tank. thanks again for your help. cheers ron

[bekateen]

You may need to dangle the cave upside down for a while if he's locked himself in with his pectoral spines. I've had times where I held a cave in the air for many minutes, waiting for the male to exit a cave (no female inside, I just needed him out), and he came out when he was ready.

Cheers, Eric

[Ron.H]

hi. removed the male today he fell out of the cave with a couple of gentle shakes. the female wouldn't budge but after replacing the cave she exited within minutes. both fish appear to be in good health. thanks again for the advice given, will report back if they ever manage to spawn. cheers ron.