help with breeding in community tank

[alexander]

So I have 4 unidentified apistos (possibly A. sp. Nanay/Melgar ) in a 75 gallon planted tank with some keyhole cichlids, some tetras, hachets, and a bunch of BN plecos. I have two males and two females and one surviving fry that is almost half the size of a female. Well one of the males is harassed by the other male and seemingly by the females. I was thinking of pulling him out or does this help them to breed by having a little competition or dither? Everyone gets enough to eat so I'm only worried about him eating new fry and being in the way of successful breeding attempted by the favored male. If I do pull the subordinate male out I will also pull the young one as he/she is also harassed.

 

[bigbird]

Hi,

Do you have enough hidding spots, caves etc for all to hide in ? If you have 2 males in one tank, then sometimes one will try and dominate, especially when there is a female around. cheers jk

 

[slimbolen99]

I've found the plecos and tetras are excellent fry hunters, or at least it seems that way to me. I'm sure if you've got plenty of cover you will have some fry make it. Good luck!

 

[alexander]

Hi,

Do you have enough hidding spots, caves etc for all to hide in ? If you have 2 males in one tank, then sometimes one will try and dominate, especially when there is a female around. cheers jk

Yes there are plenty of caves and such for everyone. One of the males IS dominating.

 

[alexander]

I'm not too worried about the fry being eaten since the females are very protective and I put in some java moss.
What I am trying to find out is if a sub male in the environment helps or hurts either the breeding of rearing of fry.

 

[Mike Wise]

IMHO the tetras and plecos will be more of a problem than the sub male. Since only the female guards the fry. A school of tetras can make short work of a school. When the female chases off one tetra, the others take advantage of her absence. Plecos are tanks. If they can get to the eggs/fry at night, they will eat them - and there is nothing the female can do to stop this. A community tank is not a breeding tank. You might get a few to survive, but not nearly as many as in a breeding set-up.

 

[Bilbo]

Exactly as Mike says.
Its a lovely sight to see a mother protecting her brood and loads of fry swimming round a community tank but a school of tetras will make short work of them. I have seen a mother get so wound up that she will end up eating them herself.

 

[alexander]

so now the previously sub male has become the dom male. I think I will move all four to a 30g if I can catch them. I took out the rubbernose plecos and green fire tetras from the 30g to make it a little more breeding friendly. I will also take the hatchet fish with when I move the apistos from the 75g. I am assuming the otos will be fine but I'm not so sure about the amano shrimp still in the 30G.

 

[strohl71]

I currently have a trio of cacs in my planted community tank. One of the females has had three separate batches of fry in the last few months. Even with her aggressive vigilant guarding and plenty of cover, none of the fry have made it. They last a week or so and then they are gone.

The cardinal and red phantom tetras pick them off one by one. The female possibly eats the last few by herself.