the males come in ist and make the beds and wait for the girls to arrive. once the females spawn they dont hang around very long, its up to the males to fend for the eggs until they spawn. its some were around the 50 degree range that triggers the spawn. the females only use 1 bed but the males have been known to visit a few more beds but once they are commited to 1 nest, they are great fathers and will defend against any and all fish that try to eat their young.