checkerboard cichlids

[electric eel]

i got what appears to be a trio of f1 or f2 dicrosus filimentosas.i've had them in a spare 10gal tank that i had set up for a pair of rams(the rams are not in there now)one of the females looks to be gravid so i would like to move them into an appropriate breeding setup.any sugestions as to tank size and set up would really be appreciated.also are these guys aggressive enough to defend the eggs from about a dozen med.tankbred neon tetrs.i plan to take the tetras out if they spawn.do i even need dithers with these guys?ph,hardness and temp.?thanks for any input!

 

[ste12000]

Here are a couple of interesting writeups about spawning this species...Goodluck.

http://www.thedigitalfishroom.com/articles/fils.html

http://forum.apistogramma.com/showthread.php?t=7879

 

[electric eel]

thanks!i guess i'll put them in sraight ro/di.mine is running about 5ppm right now.they are pretty well conditioned been feeding very small redworms,grindals some live daphnia and bbs for 2weeks or so.i have a bunch of oak and beech leaves and a 20long that is currently free.i think i read you also have bred a.barlowi.mine haven't done anything yet.they are more then big enough.been keeping them at about 75ppm and ph around 5.5 and 80f.i have 2 pairs in 20h's.been considering putting all 4 in a 55gal but i read that the females are very aggressive towards each other in an aquarium.uwe romer told me at the aca this year that it helps to have some other fish in with them to stimulate them to pair up.what has been your experience?

 

[Zack Wilson]

Kindof going off topic, but to your question about the barlowi, I would personally suggest moving them to the larger tank. Mine have proven to be highly polygamous, and in a 55 I kept 1 male with 7 females. All got along fine with no excessive aggression, and the male would spawn successively with each female. They all carried very well. They were also in with about 24 adult Dicrossus, and preferred to spawn in the coconut shell in the middle of the tank. The male centered his territory around this shell, but nobody got hurt.

 

[electric eel]

wish i could have gotten more females but everyone wants to sell pairs(don't blame them)thanks for the advice.