Hi all, my wild-caught Taeniacara candidi bred about a month ago and the female was caring exclusively for the fry, who are growing quite nicely. There are plenty of microorganisms in my filterless aquarium and I also feed baby brine shrimp twice a day.
The male kept a certain distance, every once in a while chasing away the small tetras. He almost never went near the fry. When he did, the female didn't get nervous and just nudged him away or ignored him. He didn't seem interested.
Last night I noticed the male guarding the fry for the first time, bobbing up and down guiding them around the aquarium. The female was nowhere to be seen. This morning I saw her protecting the cave where she spawned the first time, certainly with a new batch of eggs.
I've never seen this kind of behavior in other dwarf cichlids: the female caring exclusively for the fry and all of a sudden the male taking over after breeding again. They never seemed to take care of the fry together.
Has anyone experienced this with T. candidi or apistos?
I've attached photos of the aquarium, you can see the male in one of them, the fry are hidden in the plants. Some extra algae now because of the heavier feeding for the fry.
Thanks!
The male kept a certain distance, every once in a while chasing away the small tetras. He almost never went near the fry. When he did, the female didn't get nervous and just nudged him away or ignored him. He didn't seem interested.
Last night I noticed the male guarding the fry for the first time, bobbing up and down guiding them around the aquarium. The female was nowhere to be seen. This morning I saw her protecting the cave where she spawned the first time, certainly with a new batch of eggs.
I've never seen this kind of behavior in other dwarf cichlids: the female caring exclusively for the fry and all of a sudden the male taking over after breeding again. They never seemed to take care of the fry together.
Has anyone experienced this with T. candidi or apistos?
I've attached photos of the aquarium, you can see the male in one of them, the fry are hidden in the plants. Some extra algae now because of the heavier feeding for the fry.
Thanks!
