Recommend a Dwarf Cichlid for Breeding

[celaeno]

I'm planning to start a second 20g long as a bare-bottom breeding tank. Right now, I'm thinking a pair of German Blue Rams or Laetacara Dorsigera, with a BN plec to clean up the algae.

What other dwarf cichlids would you recommend besides apistos?

Would they do ok in a bare-bottom tank or should I have some substrate?

Also, if I decide not to raise the fry, would the plec take care of that or should I get other fish to eat the eggs/fry?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Would they do ok in a bare-bottom tank or should I have some substrate?

Definitely have some substrate. The BN will eat the eggs and wrigglers if he can get at them, but not after that. Rams are fairly hopeless parents with any other fish, but L. dorsigera are good parents and capable of inflicting quite severe damage on larger fish.

Nannacara anomala or A. cacatuoides are possibly the easiest Dwarf Cichlids to spawn.

cheers Darrel

 

[ed seeley]

They'll need some substrate as digging is a big part of many cichlids breeding behavious and I can't see why you'd set up a breeding tank and then want something to eat the babies! Anyway I don't think the bristlenose will eat the babies.

Any commonly kept cichlids would be a good choice. If you're new to breeding them then Nannacara, Anomalochromis, Pelvicachromis (kribs) or either of the two you suggested would be a good starting point. However with Blue Rams you need to get good stock to start with - I'd start with Bolivian Rams as they are a bit tougher.

 

[Bilbo]

This looks like a "put on" to wind us up but I will play too.

Neither of the fish you mentioned are apisto's and both are great fish to breed if you can.
One of the best as easiest apistos to breed would be, as Darrel said, the A. cacatuoides (cockatoo). Other fish have already been suggested and I agree that they are all good choices.

All dwarf cichlids like some sand or fine gravel and some hiding places. You should not need a pleco in a breeding tank and a bit of algae isn't such a bad thing in a fry tank.