Teleogramma brichardi

[Nebraska_cichlids]

I have two pairs of T. brichardi in two separate tanks. They get along just fine, but so far I've failed miserably getting them to spawn. (Well, at least I never got to see any fry.) I know that some forum members have spawned them before (Jeff, Ted, Steve, and probably others). I was wondering if you have any pointers as to what is needed to get them going (tank size, water, substrate, diet, temperature etc etc.)? Thanks

Janos

 

[freshwaterfishfan]

Janos,

My problem was finding a compatible pair. Once I got that, I gave them a 40G alone with tons of drift wood and some plants and pretty much ignored them and next thing I knew there were youngsters scooting around the bottom. I've never had luck taking the fry away from the parents - so I've let them raise them up. I would only get 2-3 per spawn to grow up but they were healthy looking.
I think they like really acidic water because mine really only spawned in tea colored water that I did 30%/month (so the pH really drifted downwards). I did not have a lot of flow in my tanks, though I heard they like that.
Steve

 

[tjudy]

I agree with the compatible pair comment. I never saw a correlation with water chemistry with spawning frequency or success. I kept my pairs in 40Br with sand and a large flat slate sitting on a few smaller pebbles. Lots of cover over that. The pair would excavate under the slate and spawn there. I had another pair that spawned in a flat pot also under a pile of stuff, but the pairs with the slate set up spawned more often and had larger broods.

I think that there is a ph and/or temperature influence on sex ratio. Both Jeff and I experienced skewed ratios.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Slate/shale piles have been the prefered spawning sites for my pairs of Teleogramma. Every once and a while a coconut cave was used though.

Normal spawn size ranged from the low 20's to the upper 30's with the occational larger or smaller spawn.

The first several times I had spawns the pH was in the 6.0-6.3 range and I got an almost dead even split on sex. More recently the pH has bee in the 6.8-7.0 range and the outcome has been male heavy offspring.

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Thanks guys. One of my pairs bonded pretty well (with the female displaying the "classical" red belly), while the other pair tolerate each other. I might move the bonded pair to a larger tank, add more decoration and wood than in the current set-up, and try to keep the pH to 6.5 or lower.