Pelvicachromis taeniatus 'Moliwe' spawned!

[Cumb Dunt]

New question concerning these fish:

The largest male and largest female have apparently paired off and spawned inside of what I would call "a hollowed-out clay egg with a hole in it". I can see about 30 brownish eggs, I bet there are more. They are a lot larger than I imagined them being. Both parents are defending the territory.

Anyway, what I want to know is: can I remove the clay egg to a smaller tank and raise the fry on my own? Or do they need their parents?

The reason I ask is because if the fry hatch and become free swimming in their current tank, they will undoubtedly be eaten. (Tankmates = wild angelfish, cardinal tetras, Corydoras sterbai, Melanotaenia rainbowfish, other P. taeniatus 'Moliwe').

Also--if it IS possible to remove the clay egg to a new tank to hatch and raise the fry, would small snails constitute a threat of predation?

And finally, one last question...I have experience with Mesoamerican cichlids (Thorichthys, Archocentrus, Cryptoheros, etc.) that when paired and guarding a spawn, will fight and sometimes kill one another if the eggs are removed. Is this known or likely in Pelvicachromis?

(Bear with me here--I am a West African n00b)

 

[tjudy]

My experience with westies (and P. taeniatus in particular) is that they are good parents, but not great parents for the first couple spawns. When I have a new pair I like to let them try to raise a few spawns on their own. This seems to 'cement' the pair and make them better parents in the long run. THe longer the fry are allowed to be with their parents, the faster they seem to grow, and the fewer deaths there seem to be (except for new parents). After the parents have had a few clutches, I will remove the fry after they are free swimming but still in the spawning pot. They are just off the bottom. Sometimes I miss and have to carefully catch them with a fine net. I place the fry in an incubator and rear them there. An incubator is a small area in a tank (I use tupperware dishes with superfish mesh glued over holes in the bottom to allow water flow) that allows me to concentrate the fry in a small space so I can get more food to them.

I have only had one type of P. t. beat up a mate after spawning. That was a male 'nyete'. He did it three times and I broke up the pair. He was the only 'nyete' of three males I had that did it, so I think that it was an unusual occurrance with a single bad fish.

 

[Cumb Dunt]

Cool, thanks.

This morning the female was no longer guarding the clay egg, and the eggs that were inside of it were nowhere to be seen. I assume they got "eaten".

I'm 99% positive this is their first spawn, so I will give them a few more. Should I expect the pair to put the eggs in the same place in the future?

 

[tjudy]

Hard to say. If they feel comfortable in that spot they will use it, if not they will not.

 

[Mike Wise]

If you are really interested in breeding your kribs, now is a good time to remove the other fish from the tank or, less preferable, move the pair to another tank by themselves or with a few small dither fish.

 

[Cumb Dunt]

If you are really interested in breeding your kribs, now is a good time to remove the other fish from the tank or, less preferable, move the pair to another tank by themselves or with a few small dither fish.

This isn't currently a possibility, which is why I asked if I could remove the eggs.

 

[LyreTail]

My Moliwe's spawn so much I have to give the juvies away. With a slightly acidic pH I get nearly exactly a 50/50 rate of female to male fry. I keep them in the acidic tank for the first two months or so and then I do not worry about the pH very much anymore.

I seem to be getting odd genetic color annomolies like 4 extra spots on the females tail and several on the female dorsal fin. Also bright red on top half the males tale. I took my best looking juvies and intend to try to enhance these traits

They are no harder to spawn than regular kribs " just add water!"

 

[mummymonkey]

My Moliwe's spawn so much I have to give the juvies away.

I sold a load of Moliwe at auction a while back and they went for less than the pulcher!!! Didn't get much for my subocellatus either.

 

[Lisachromis]

People probably didn't know what they were. That happens alot in auctions....

 

[Cumb Dunt]

Yeah, around here the aquarium hobby is comprised almost entirely of "Old-Timers" that neither know nor care about the newest fish in the hobby. Of course, P. taeniatus 'Moliwe' is not exactly a newcomer...but if you've kept fish for 50+ years you probably stopped paying attention to the latest and greatest a while ago.

I usually have good results at the club auctions if I put a color photograph of one or both adults on the bag with a brief description. (e.g., NOT LFS KRIBS! LOOK CLOSER!)

You think that's bad? Try selling Ludwigia sp. 'Pantanal' at a club auction. People who know what it is will pay MONEY for it. At the club auctions, if one guy knows what it is he might outbid up to, say, $5.

Not worth it.

 

[tjudy]

Auctions are not meant to make money for the seller... they are meant to make money for the club.

LyreTail... the 'abnormalities' you are seeing in your moliwe fry are not really abnormal at all. Moliwe teaniatus are an extremely variable teaniatus, and you are probably just seeing the expression of that diversity. The number of spots in the fins of males and females is too variable for spot number to be a positive identifier on any Camaroon teaniatus. If you ever feel like shipping, I would love some of your fry to cross into my lines.