Pelvicachromis Taeniatus breeding with pics
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This is a description of breeding my Pelvicachromis Taeniatus.
Pelvicachromis Taeniatus are a relative of the common krib and come from west Africa where they live in streams and quiet rivers, there are around 10-15 regional colour patterns and there is still a debate if they are the same fish or different species. In the aquarium trade they are slightly harder to find than the common krib (Pelvicachromis pulcher)and also slightly harder to breed.
I got lucky and found a tank containing (bipindi)(regional variant)and bought a pair around two months ago.I placed them in a 30 litre tank tucked away in a quiet corner in the kids bedroom. I fed heavily with bloodworm, ZM pellets and flake. They were in great condition but did not show many signs of breeding, the female would tense infront of the male and quiver her body next to him, he just swam off and ignored her advances. I recently completed work on my fish room and moved all my tanks into here. The Taeniatus were given a 35litre tank to themselves, it was decorated with three coconut caves with small entrances and bogwood with Java moss and fern with a gravel/sand substrate.
One cave was placed right at the back in the most hidden sheltered spot under the wood, the entrance was hidden from view by bogwood. The fish settled in immediatly and i observed them shifting gravel/sand from the caves using their mouths, pretty soon the caves must of been empty and there were piles of gravel stacked outside the cave entrances. The female continued to display to the male with quivering body and bright colours he continued to ignore her.
Everything was ready for breeding but they needed a final push, this was acheived with an old trick i learnt years ago. I removed 50% of the water and replaced it with cooler fresh water, this simulates the start of the rainy season, and dropped the temp from 80f down to 74f. I also placed a mirror next to the tank side, this had an immediate effect on the female…She went MAD.
Charging the glass, quivering, bright colours, she did not like the thought of another female(reflection) sharing her tank, it was the female that displayed the most although the male did show hightened colours and aggression. He then started following the female into the cave and exited after around five seconds, i then knew he was fertilizing the females eggs.
Next day the male was found sat outside the cave entrance and the female was no-where to be seen. this continued for 8 days before i saw the female leave the cave, she hid her fry under the closest piece of wood and i still did not see them for another two days, the first time i saw the fry the female had them tucked away in the cave nearest to the front glass. I counted 25 fry and have not lost any in the first week. They have now been out and about for a week or so and are really growing quickly. They feed on baby brineshrimp, microworms and a tiny high protein fry pellet. I carry out a 30%water change weekly and this seems sufficient.THE PAIR
PREPARING THE CAVES
FRY 2 DAYS FREESWIMMING
FRY 1 WEEK OLD
MATURE MALE ‘BIPINDI’
Great pics,what kind of camera have you got?I bought a Panasonic LS75 in the summer.I now think it is definitley me & not the camera that is rubbish. :cry:
Hi boyneburn, glad you could join us…I use a Fujifilm s5700, I would certainly recommend it for taking good fish pics. It is a 7 megapixel camera with a good size LCD screen and the most important aspect i looked for in my new camera… a close up macro feature.
Thanks for looking.ste,
thanks a bunch for the description with the pictures! My daughter just picked up a pair of the common ones (P. pulcher). Similar breeding conditions as what you described? She has an upside down (3″?) flower pot with an opening broken out. Coconut shells work better as caves?Hi, im glad your daughter decided to get the kribs (pelvicachromis Pulcher) the pelvicachromis family are one of my favourites and pulcher was among the first cichlids i bred.
Yes the conditions for breeding will be exactly as i described, in my fish i notice that if possible they move under cover, mine creep along the bogwood hugging it close, then they dart into a cave and check that the coast is clear.
Flowerpots are fine, i only use coconut as i find they look more natural in my tanks (its hard work draining the milk and removing the coconut flesh) thay also add tanins to the water helping create soft/acidic conditions.THIS PHOTO IS THE FRY AT 8 WEEKS.
AS WELL AS ‘BIPINDI’ I ALSO KEEP ANOTHER VARIANT CALLED ‘MOLIWE’
Can you notice the differences in colouration?? the female ‘moliwe’ also has spots in the anal and dorsal fins where the ‘Bipindi’ does not, the ‘moliwe’ male is also a lot more coloured in the fins.
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