<!--quoteo(post=2782:date=Oct
24 2006, 06:08 AM:name=curlew)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(curlew @ Oct 24 2006,
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Hi,
Has anyone
experienced breeding difficulties in of these species?
I have a pair of Nigerian Reds
(aquarian strain) which has produced just 2 fry in the last 12 months and although have recently
had another brood they don't seem to last more than a week.
The ' Moliwe '
pair I've had better success (if thats what you call it) after obtaining several pairs which
either the female or male died suddenly, I am left with the present pair. they bred in June this
year and out of 20-30 I have 8 left, now they will not breed. the female is in full colours but the
male seems not interested.
Has anyone serious thoughts on these situations and how do i
get them to breed again.</div>
I keep and try to breed a
lot of the P. taeniatus types. Your experiences, unfortunately, are not uncommon. I
struggled with them for years, and finally made a few changes that seem to have done the trick.
That being said, they are still not as easily reproduced as P. pulcher. I am currently
working with seven P. taeniatus varieties.
Diet -
These fish are
primarily plant detritus feeders. I feed a crushed (not powdered) flake mix that is a combination
of 40% vegatable flake, 40% spiruline flake and 20% cichlid growth flake. I feed a breeding pair
by placing the wetted tip of my index finger on the flake and touching it into the tank. A pair
with fry will also get bbs when I am feeding their brood. I think that the bbs might be
conditioning the female, because by the time I pull fry she is close to gravid again. I also feed
a 'treat' every other day, which could be freeze dried krill (which I grind in a coffee
mill, soak in water, and then press into a paste that holds together in water), live white or
grindal worms, or some other freeze dried or small live food. Food size is important. They like
food in small particles. Otherwise they will chew, chew chew and not swallow.
Water
Parameters -
I make all my water now and reconstitute the RO/DI water with Kent Marine
R/O Right to a TDS of 150 mS conductivity, KH 2-3 and pH 6.9 - 7.1. When I stopped using tap water
I noticed is significant increase in the vigor and spawning success of the fish. Breeding pairs
without fry get a 25% water change weekly. and pairs with fry get a change every third day. I keep
the temperature below 78F, usually 74-76F. It gets hotter than that in the Summer and I notice a
decrease in breeding.
Breeding tank -
I breed in 15 gallon or 20 gallon tanks
that have a thin layer of very fine gravel (but not sand) both back corners hidden my driftwood and
at least two spawning caves. I try to keep at least two females with a male, though one female
will frequently get beaten and need soem respite. I will also use a female P. pulcher as
this 'target' female. Th presence of a competitor fires up the breding female and she will
spawn more frequently and do a better job guarding and rearing the fry. I also use small tetras,
danios, platies or rainbows as dither fish (just a few). The tank is quite busy, but I hve had
more success with community than I have with just a pair. I use mystery snails as a cleanup crew.
Kribs are not good at defending caves against plecos or cories... especially at night. The cave
should have a deep, broad interior with as small an opening as will allow the male into the cave.
I fill the caves with gravel each water change (unless there are eggs or fry in them) and the pair
will industriously clean them out.. courting the whole time.
Rearing fry -
I leave
the fry with the parents for at least two weeks. If the female is pushing the male away from the
fry I will remove him and let her raise the babies alone. I feed bbs three times a day for the
first week, then I feed bbs twice a day and powdered flake food once a day. I use teh same flake
food I feed the parents, but I powder it in a coffee mill. Hydrate the flake and feed it as a
cloud of food amongst the fry with a dropper pipette. If the fry ever look thin they are not
eating enough. After two weeks I move the fry to an incubator hanging in another tank. I feed
them bbs and crushed flake in that smaller space and increase water changes to every other day.
After 3-4 weeks in the incubator the fry are 1/4"-3/8" long, and I move them to a ten
gallon to grow out. P. taeniatus fry grow slowly. I feed three times a day (bbs and fine crished
flake) and do a 40% water change every day (or at least no more than two days between changes). I
also increase the TDS, alkalinity and pH a bit by adding some aged tap water. The fish seem to
grow fine in the tap, but the adults seem to breed poorly in it.
Hope that helps...