If they have been on a consistent 9-hour-light (8am-5pm) photoperiod, pick
up a timer for 6.00 bucks at your favorite discounter (K-mart, etc), set it
for a longer on-period and plug in your light through the timer. I won't
say whether you have to increase the day length gradually or just bump it
up all at once. I don't really know. A sudden bump-up might get the males
going without the females having time to develop mature eggs. If you
wanted to be scientific, you could set up two tanks and do one treatment on
each. You would have to isolate them from one another with light proof
barriers, though, or it won't be a valid experiment. What you want to end
up with is a long day similar to what they would have in their native
habitat in the spring and summer. I think overkill is OK, so shoot for
maybe 15 hours of light and 9 hours of dark. Beware, if you have displays
of sunfishes nearby, they will also respond to this treatment and become
more aggressive. Cool temps will help to counteract that.
Mark
Ohio
USA
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