Checkerboard Cichlids - Dicrossus filamentosa

[Krimson_Rose]

I just acquired a pair of these guys & was wondering if anyone has any advice on breeding them. I've read that they are difficult to breed but not impossible. I have them in my 75g community tank right now. I've been doing lots of research trying to decide how I should set up their breeding tank. So, has anyone bred them before?

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, and found the females to be 'dumb as bricks'! They are a true blackwater species that requires very acidic and very soft water for successful breeding. Breeding reports are in almost every book on dwarf cichlids.

 

[Krimson_Rose]

Yes, and found the females to be 'dumb as bricks'! They are a true blackwater species that requires very acidic and very soft water for successful breeding. Breeding reports are in almost every book on dwarf cichlids.

So, not very good parents huh? Are the males better parents, or does the female become aggressive to the male like other apistos?

 

[Mike Wise]

Male, as a rule, have no interest in brooding fry. I once had a female happily fanning eggs while another female was just as happily eating the eggs from behind the mother.