Wild-caught P taeniatus with babies

[GaryofMontreal]

In a cichlid thread, I mentioned how my Pelvicachromis taeniatus Moliwe had spawned at a much cooler temperature than I would have expected. Here are some pictures of this interesting little family group.
I like these shots, as to me, they catch some of what is fun about watching the excellent care these fish take of their young.

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The pair with the babies, beside their coconut cave.
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The female with the young. I like the little one just above her eye.
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The male watching over his young, while the Mom went off to grab a bite to eat.

[sass]

Wow great shots, oh to be able to afford a nice camera as well as stay in the hobby.

Love the little bellies on the fry.

Do you keep these in a tank by them selves?
I was always under the impression that males would eat young fry?
I obviously have to go back and do "more learning".:frown:

[moose113]

Those are great shots Gary! I really like those fish. What size tank are you keeping them in?

[CACAdmin]

Great shots, Gary. The little ones are so cute.

[GaryofMontreal]

I'm a believer that dwarfs need larger tanks than the older literature says. I have my taeniatus in 20 gallon, 24 inch tanks, which is the smallest base size I would ever keep a dwarf in. You can use a 24 inch 15 gallon too, but the water quality is more of an issue. I'd prefer to have a 30 inch base, but I just don't have those tanks anymore.

Male taeniatus seem to hang around in 'areas', while females hold distinct and aggressively defended territories. To me, females are dominant in this group. I keep them in single pairs with upper level fish - in this case Chromaphyosemions, lampeyes or Epiplatys.
In a 15, you may lose the smaller fish once spawning begins. It's the only time these generally peaceful fish get touchy. In a 20, with the extra few inches depth, everyone does well.
I've never had a male taeniatus attack fry. The female is the main parent, but the males help out, even transporting fry in the mouths when they need to move them quickly. They'll carry them to food, and things like that.
After a few weeks, when spawning begins to be an urge, both parents will kill fry, which in the wild would disperse away from the central territory and begin their independent lives. In a tank, they stay too close to the spawning site and become a threat.
I've kept this species off and on (mostly on) for 15 years, and I am convinced of two things - it isn't just one species, and the entire taeniatus group are the most interesting cichlids I've ever seen. They never get boring or predictable.

[moose113]

Thanks for the info Gary. What size grow out tanks do you need for the fry? If they spawn every few weeks, I imagine you'd be knee deep in fry.

[GaryofMontreal]

They aren't as easy to raise as say kribs, and mortality is higher. If I get a batch, I may raise 8-12 pairs. I have to then sell them quickly before they breed and fight. Last year, I had no bites on the CAC auction, but we'll see this year.
I like to raise fry in with non predatory species, just along the bottom. With a multi-tank set-up, I can do that. The bigger the grow out tank, the better, and the quicker they grow.