caca breeding

[Thalassa]

Hi All,

I have a male Caca and 3 females in a planted scapped 55g with a ton of caves cracks etc. I have bred the male before but he recently murdered his mate. so I moved to a larger tank. Have about 30 very small tetra ember, neon, and silvertip as dither. also have 2 Ancistrus. If I want to breed the caca what does that look like? after I get fry do I pull the male or would I need to pull the male and 2 females or leave things alone? The pleco are to big to fit into the caves.

Thanks

 

[MacZ]

In short: for significant breeding your setup is not going to work. I strongly advice against plecos in the same tank as dwarf cichlids no matter what size the caves and you have 3 species of tetras aka fry predators.
Setup a separate breeding tank, move s female and the male, remove the dude after spawning and then you'll have success. You know where you can put the fry?

 

[Thalassa]

OK thanks for the info. so what about 2 or 3 female and one male in the 55? how would that work? would I need to pull the male and 2 female after I get the fry?

 

[MacZ]

Pulling the male, yes. Pulling fry/mothers, never.
If you want to breed seriously, one female per tank. Otherwise it not worth the fuzz at all.

 

[Thalassa]

Pulling the male, yes. Pulling fry/mothers, never.
If you want to breed seriously, one female per tank. Otherwise it not worth the fuzz at all.

ok so when people talk about a trio it's not really a breeding scenario but more of a lets not murder each other scenario. And removing the plec's after a quick google looks like more of a let the plecs keep they eyeball scenario. Do I have that right?

 

[MacZ]

ok so when people talk about a trio it's not really a breeding scenario but more of a lets not murder each other scenario.

Trios are technically harems and often choosen for keeping (not breeding) non-monogamous species. Makes zero sense to me. It has more of a vibe of getting a pair with a spare, in case one female is killed. For harems I personally would go for a group (3-5m/2-5f) in a 2m-tank.

And removing the plec's after a quick google looks like more of a let the plecs keep they eyeball scenario.

Most Plecos are at least partially nocturnal. Apistogramma are diurnal. Ever seen a stressed out dwarf cichlid at the surface in the morning after a pleco has rudely woken it from sleep?

Take a look at this thread:

Catfish in Apisto Tanks

What are good choices of catfish for an Apisto tank? I was thinking more along the lines of an algae eater or something to clean up uneaten food. Most Cories seem too large or meddlesome.

apistogramma.com

 

[Thalassa]

Thank you!

 

[MacZ]

Thank you!

My pleasure. Just keep in mind what Mike always says: Display OR breeding tank. IMO there is no real inbetween possible without maximum inconvenience for fish and human alike.

 

[MacZ]

in a 2m-tank.

Oh, just to make sure: this means 2 meters!

 

[Mike Wise]

A 55 is certainly a possibility if planning to breed a trio of A. cacatuoides - if properly structured so every fish can maintain its own territory. The primary reason why people recommend trios for polygamous species is so that the male does not constantly 'hound' a brooding female. Don't be surprised if a dominant female take control of broodcare of less dominant females. This is quite common with A. borellii, however.

Having said all that, I hope you know that you will need more than one tank for breeding success. I commonly have 2 or 3 set aside for each breeding tank.

 

[Thalassa]

A 55 is certainly a possibility if planning to breed a trio of A. cacatuoides - if properly structured so every fish can maintain its own territory. The primary reason why people recommend trios for polygamous species is so that the male does not constantly 'hound' a brooding female. Don't be surprised if a dominant female take control of broodcare of less dominant females. This is quite common with A. borellii, however.

Having said all that, I hope you know that you will need more than one tank for breeding success. I commonly have 2 or 3 set aside for each breeding tank.

thanks this is very helpful, I have a 10G and 20G below the 50g I can siphon into if I get fry to keep the male in. So would it be OK for me to keep the other 2 females in the 50G tank or should I remove them. and put them in a lower tank?

 

[Mike Wise]

Personally I would keep all 4 fish in the tank. This, however, depends on having a densely structured tank where no one fish can easily view another. The male will be less likely to bother a brooding female if there are other females in the tank to attract his attention.

 

[Thalassa]

Personally I would keep all 4 fish in the tank. This, however, depends on having a densely structured tank where no one fish can easily view another. The male will be less likely to bother a brooding female if there are other females in the tank to attract his attention.

Thanks I have a very structured tank with tons of line of site breaks.

 

[MacZ]

Can you possibly post a picture from the side?

 

[Mike Wise]

Thanks I have a very structured tank with tons of line of site breaks.

I personally think the tank is much too open. If you can see side to side and front to back it is too open for a breeding set-up for a polygamous species.

 

[Thalassa]

Here are the side views. I do have a lot of almond leaves I could add.

 

[MacZ]

No chance, Mike is right, the whole open strip in the front (and the back respectively) is your problem. Look at this schematic drawing. You have to break the lines of sight across. Front to back and make sure the lowest 10-15cm above the sand are closed off. If the fish can look under it or around it from an angle it's useless. Your tank leaves two big areas open that the fish can overlook. Whoever becomes the dominant fish will claim that whole area.

 

[Thalassa]

Thanks, I have more stuff to break things up.

 

[MacZ]

Then go for it.

 

[Thalassa]

I also have a coldwater 30g with a pair of A Borellii this should be dense enough for just 1 pair right?