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Biotodoma Cupido pre spawing???

cbzoo

New Member
Messages
13
Location
C.B Iowa
Well it seem that the WC Biotodoma Cupido that I got from Jeff over at aquatic clartiy last year are getting interested in something... maybe some prespawing activity.....:cool:
I purchased 6 of these and of the 6 due to agression/overcrowiding???? in a 40 breeder I am down to 4. While growing them out I noticed that I had two small and two large fish. As I ordered both sizes from Jeff this was not much of an issue. In the last year both sizes have grown but the size difference has not changed. I stiil have 2 large and two small sized fish.
Right now and for the last 3 days or so I have seen a change in the tank...For the whole time I have had them except for at the begining when first introduced to the tank and I had some agression issues these fish have been model tank mates.. just swimming arround together with no issues and never any single area of the tank prefered over the other.
Now however I have one of the large fish sitting in a half of a flower pot all day only coming out to eat. I had always thought that the lager ones were the males and the smaller ones were the females.... I may have to revise this thinking as it looks like we have a female in a cave trying to attract a male??? Does anyone here have experience with this breed of fish? Does the male or female prepare the breeding site?
Another strange issue that just started is the the other three fish position themselves in front of the flower pot. At times is is hard to even see the other fish in the pot.
The whole time I have had these fish they never once sat in the flower pot. They just ignored it... If I have one of the larger fish sitting in the half pot should I place another half pot in the tank or should I leave things as is and see what happens?
There also seems to be a color change of the one sitting in the pot. While in the pot it is a very dark color with what looks like stress bars on it. When it swims out to eat the dark coloration completly disapears almost instantly. When it swims out of the pot to eat it is very dark in color which then disapears within a few seconds...
Tanks specs...
40 gallon breeder with DIY 20 gallon trickle filter.
Temp 83 Deg F
lightly planted with drtfwood and Anubis.
W/C 50-60% with R/O mixed water to keep TDA at around 150 PPM.
Sorry no PH value as I have not pulled my PH test out in
other tankmates are 2 LF BN plecos which spawned.. Maybe the pleco fry that are disapearing are helping to promote spaning behavior??
10 F1 corydoras sterbai
4-5 F1 L340 pleco growouts..
Thanks Jeff for providing me with a fish I have wanted for a long time. Wonderfull fish with very nice colors just starting to show up. There is small highlights of red starting to appear on both the anal fin area and the tail of the two larger fish! I hope to post some pictures soon but I am wary of using a flash around them right now.. Maybe I will set up the tripod an try to take some picts with out the flash.....
 

a.d.wood

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
264
Location
Staffordshire, UK
I can only think of 1 spawning report for Cupids in captivity (in Holland I think) but would probably struggle to track it down again.

I would leave well alone as the group sounds fairly settled and keep fingers crossed!

Andrew
 

slimbolen99

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
550
Location
Shawnee, KS
I've got a quartet that I've been growing out for the last 9 months. I'd be interested in seeing where your pH is as well as kH and gH. Mine have done the same thing as yours; however, they don't have any "caves", only lots of driftwood and plants. The pH in my tank has been as low as 4.5 and as high as 7.6 (over a course of a LONG period of time); kH around 1*, and gH around 7*.

Also, how long (nose to tail?) are yours? Mine are sitting at 3" at max. Either they are slow growers or they are stunted...in a 75 gallon.
 

cbzoo

New Member
Messages
13
Location
C.B Iowa
I have not measured them but they were shipped in as 3" and 2" sizes and I would say the have both grown out maybe about an 1" in length but they have grown alot taller in girth then they were. I will have to get out my PH test kit to get you a reading on PH I do not yet have a KH/GH test kit but as I am planning on getting some WC discus in next year and I was planning on keeping track of both maybe I can get the kh/gh test kit earlier..
I have read in other posts that these are very slow growing fish. I am not real sure about how long I have had theses in maybe Jeff can recall when they were shipped out. I am at work so I do not have access to my saved E-mails...
 

aquaticclarity

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,809
Location
Richfield, WI
I sent them to you in April of last year.

Glad to hear they are doing well for you! I have 5 large Biotodoma I picked up from a different source (pair WAY to much but they are full colored Santa Rem Biotodoma). They two are seeming to go through the motions. The smallest one in 3 1/2" and the largest is easily 4 1/2".
 

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