- Messages
- 14
I came across these rare Dwarf Cichlids in September of last year when my LFS had a batch in and these little beauties have been a favourite ever since
I've currently got (after a significant amount of time spent last year trying to source females) 1 adult male and 2 adult females in a Fluval Roma 125 L. The set up is black water via peat with a significant amount of leaf litter across the sandy bottom... lots of driftwood strategically placed, a few caves and some low light plants such as microsorum & anubias dotted around. I also use water sprite as a floater to dim the light even further
This species are very shy unless there are 'dithers' of some sort to bring them out into the open.. I initially went for 8 Dwarf Pencilfish however soon discovered them to be unsuitable due to them constantly harassing the female(s) when she had spawned and eating the eggs... for this reason they were removed and after much deliberation and research I added 3 honey gouramis instead and they've had the same effect as the Pencils in terms of bringing the Foirni out and making them feel secure. They've also not showed any interest in the eggs so at the moment it's all going to plan in that regard
Current water conditions are as follows:
Temp 26 degrees c, pH 5.7, dKH 0, dGH 0.....
One of my initial concerns with setting up a soft water tank was managing the lack of a buffering capacity to avoid pH swings but I deal with this by ensuring the tank is reasonably light stocked and doing on average 2 x 10% water changes per week
I've had numerous spawns from both females in the past few months but as of yet I've not had any fry. I am hoping that this was partly a case of inexperience on the behalf of the females and that with more practice and a slightly more acidic pH in the range of 5 - 5.2 I may get some fry...
This is my first attempt at breeding any kind of freshwater fish and I've noticed that the females, after the initial courtship and laying of the eggs, allows the male to fertilise the eggs but after this she becomes very hostile towards the male, driving him away when he thinks about getting even remotely close
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who may have kept this species before or perhaps even attempted to breed them to hear your experiences?
Cheers,
Chris
P.S I have tried to attach a few photos... visibility isn't the best due to the black water and I haven't yet mastered the art of editing lol
I've currently got (after a significant amount of time spent last year trying to source females) 1 adult male and 2 adult females in a Fluval Roma 125 L. The set up is black water via peat with a significant amount of leaf litter across the sandy bottom... lots of driftwood strategically placed, a few caves and some low light plants such as microsorum & anubias dotted around. I also use water sprite as a floater to dim the light even further
This species are very shy unless there are 'dithers' of some sort to bring them out into the open.. I initially went for 8 Dwarf Pencilfish however soon discovered them to be unsuitable due to them constantly harassing the female(s) when she had spawned and eating the eggs... for this reason they were removed and after much deliberation and research I added 3 honey gouramis instead and they've had the same effect as the Pencils in terms of bringing the Foirni out and making them feel secure. They've also not showed any interest in the eggs so at the moment it's all going to plan in that regard
Current water conditions are as follows:
Temp 26 degrees c, pH 5.7, dKH 0, dGH 0.....
One of my initial concerns with setting up a soft water tank was managing the lack of a buffering capacity to avoid pH swings but I deal with this by ensuring the tank is reasonably light stocked and doing on average 2 x 10% water changes per week
I've had numerous spawns from both females in the past few months but as of yet I've not had any fry. I am hoping that this was partly a case of inexperience on the behalf of the females and that with more practice and a slightly more acidic pH in the range of 5 - 5.2 I may get some fry...
This is my first attempt at breeding any kind of freshwater fish and I've noticed that the females, after the initial courtship and laying of the eggs, allows the male to fertilise the eggs but after this she becomes very hostile towards the male, driving him away when he thinks about getting even remotely close
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who may have kept this species before or perhaps even attempted to breed them to hear your experiences?
Cheers,
Chris
P.S I have tried to attach a few photos... visibility isn't the best due to the black water and I haven't yet mastered the art of editing lol
