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[turkeyboy85]

What do you think? Is there a breeding season?

I found my female leo with a sperm sack in her, and my male motoro trying to chase down another female motoro, what do you guys think?

Another theory is when i moved home into my parents house the water is softer then it was in my apt in wisc, my motoros were breeding in hard water, but a month after the move date, there is love in the air!

[Miles]

I think it is!!

I believe the brazilian scientists at the synposium said breeding was seasonal and they only bred 1 time a year.

[sergeyal]

  according those tables on German site they can mate any time of the year:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=iw&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.potamotrygon.de%2Findex.htm&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=

and also

After moving into the aquarium described here in July 1998, the first two pups born. . It was unfortunately not viable premature births.  In November 1998 it was again, 4 healthy pups saw the light of the world (see report in DATZ 4 / 1999).  Since then there have been at a distance of approximately 3 months (+-10Tage) regularly offspring.

from here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=iw&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.potamotrygon.de%2Findex.htm&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=
 

[turkeyboy85]

my motoros started breeding last sept. since then she has gotten knocked up right after giving birth. However the recent activity in my other rays seems to show an increase in mating behaviors, within the last 3 days....

[Miles]

Breeding 1 time per year in the wild... based on seasonal change.

[RoyalFlush]

It would make sense for there to be a breeding season.
They can also in theory breed anytime during the year but it would make more sense to breed months ahead of the rainy season of the year to ensure their pups are born into a time of plenty.
The rainy season in the Amazon lasts from November to March.
Once the rainforest is flooded it becomes rich and teeming with life and remains that way for the few months following. So really anytime from august onward would be ideal.
Perfect for the pups for arrive into a time of plenty.

If I am not mistaken, March if not April was right around when Mike @ H20 had the massive birth of all those Leo pups.  I will be asking him about his light cycles that he provides for his rays next time I converse with him.

You have to figure in the wild, they have a natural day/night cycle. This could help their "internal clocks" time when it is best to breed. The light cycles we provide in captivity rarely match those in the wild. So it in theory could easily throw off a rays natural breeding cycle, assuming they have one.


Another factor that would come into play would be that the seasons are reversed down in the southern Hemisphere.
Spring- Sept. to Dec.
Summer- Dec.-Mar.
Fall- Mar.-Jun.
Winter- Jun.-Sept.
The exact opposite from up here. We might not be able to judge this with our rays in captivity for certain unless we recreate the natural sun cycles (as well as seasonal temperature variations) in nature. This has really compelled and inspired me to do just that. (Not only for breeding, but my rays health as well.)

I am allowing the natural sunlight do all of the lighting on my pond. Perhaps this with variable temperatures during different times of the year could replicate the seasons and spur my rays on to breed during a certain time of the year. They will be running on an opposite schedule from their wild counterparts. Thus breeding will take place to ensure birth in the summer time.

[sergeyal]

I found my female leo with a sperm sack in her

turkeyboy85 can you post a photo of that or description of where its located and how its look like?

[turkeyboy85]

here ya go, notice the bite marks and in the 2nd and third pictures you see the sperm sacks hanging out

[sergeyal]

thanks
is it hanging out of cloaca?

[turkeyboy85]

if that is the scientific name for her vagina.... then yes lol

[sergeyal]

it has a dual purpose 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaca

is this  sack always occurs prior to  mating?

[turkeyboy85]

No, the sack actually comes from the male, the male releases the sperm into the females cloaca . But the sperm is inside a sack think almost like a chicken egg, but soft. The shell would be the sack, and the sperm would be the embreo in a chicken egg. Once the male mates with the female the sperm sack breaks inside of her and eventually brakes apart and the sperm is released inside the female

[sergeyal]

interesting
this way no sperm being wasted thus increasing the chances of successful mating.