Help me sex my 397s

[axle]

nice :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

first time round let them do their stuff - only collect eggs if they get kicked out...

397's very rarely eat the eggs

Cool thanks Johnno thats good to know, I was planning on letting him do his stuff. Id hate to disrupt there home too much now they have started spawning. Im just happy I have atleast one confirmed pair now.
Actually the 3 I have in another tank look to be getting a bit frisky with each other too.
Ive been having a bit of a look around each morning for any kicked eggs which is no easy task when the gravel in the tank is almost the same colour/size of plec eggs

 

[axle]

Does anyone know how many eggs the 397s produce on average??? I dont wanna start shining torches in the cave but Im near positive the eggs are still there. I can tell because of the angle his body is on sitting over the clump.
The female that laid was pretty darn fat but it is there first ever spawn.

 

[Brengun]

20 to 40 or so

 

[axle]

I thought Id take a peek a couple of days ago cos the male was kinda fanning on and off and I was starting to think the eggs may have dissapeared.
It was good news, fry up the end of the cave. Cant tell how many there were but I was amazed as they seem to have coloured up already and the egg sacks are nearly gone.
Anyway Im stoked hopefully they will be out of the cave soon.

Even better news the big female looks to be fattening up again to the point where she was when they spawned, Is this possible so early?

 

[axle]

There turned out to be 20-30 in the spawn, but since they have dwindled away to only a few left. I let the male do his job and the fry leave the cave when they were ready to. I noticed a few dead ones laying on the bottom one day after work and a lot more looked bloated, so I collected what was left and put them in a saver. A few healthy looking ones left which I hope survive. Maybe being there first spawn things will improve next time.

I read Brenguns breeding log again when I ran into problems which helped me out, Thanks for going to the trouble Brenda.

 

[Brengun]

I like to watch the fry hanging upside down like bats in the log and when I am pretty sure those egg sacks are nearly gone I tip them out into a container (photo moment) and into a frysaver. First spawns can be a little weak sometimes but the next one should be a good one for you.