# Black Skirt Tetras



## Kialz (Feb 16, 2009)

Hey so lately ive noticed like a gravid spot on my female black skirt and when i woke up today they were obviously trying to get something going ;-) but i thought alright the males showing dominance yeah yeah normal stuff but they have been flying around the tank not really fighting but abusing each other and im starting to wonder if i got a bigger problem here.
*Edit* They have been doing this for over an hour to


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

hmmmmmmm.how can you tell that they are abusing each other?are the fins ripped?scales missing?or are they just chasing.chasing is quite normal you know.i never noticed and of my tetras having gravid spots.the females just get fat.and the males will chase all over the place to get the females to spawn.have you done a water change in the last couple of days?is there a storm on the way where you live?these are a couple of things that will trigger spawning activity.


----------



## Kialz (Feb 16, 2009)

lohachata said:


> hmmmmmmm.how can you tell that they are abusing each other?are the fins ripped?scales missing?or are they just chasing.chasing is quite normal you know.i never noticed and of my tetras having gravid spots.the females just get fat.and the males will chase all over the place to get the females to spawn.have you done a water change in the last couple of days?is there a storm on the way where you live?these are a couple of things that will trigger spawning activity.


Yes im aware that they do play around but they are flying around the tank bumping into each other and trying to rub onto the female, its a great day over here blue sky, sunny day and i had done a water change last night.


----------



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Tetras don't get "gravid spots," they aren't livebearers  Female will generally just get kinda fat.


----------



## Kialz (Feb 16, 2009)

well i guess im just looking to closely but i would definatly say her belly is quite big


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

bingo.........there you have it.you did a water change last night.and that is what triggered the spawning behavior.nobody is abusing or being abused..just trying to spawn.


----------



## Knight~Ryder (Dec 2, 2007)

No need to worry, my black skirts do the exact same thing from time to time. They go NUTS and swim from one of the tank to the other and back, in half a second.


----------



## Kialz (Feb 16, 2009)

Thats really intresting that a water change caused them to spawn, but what i cannot understand is why that would trigger is or is that just one of those things that happen and nobody really knows why.


----------



## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

My guess as to why water changes drive spawning behavior is that a rapid change in the water conditions causes the fish to panic and go into survival mode... and thus spawn in an attempt to preserve the species. Kinda like how pine trees drop their pinecones in a fire.


----------



## Kialz (Feb 16, 2009)

You do have a point there but at the same time if the fish is in a panic it will become stressed and would not be likely to spawn.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

it is gods design..it is how it happens in nature.study up and find out about it.


----------

