P taeniatus Nigeria Red

[edinjapan]

I have a pair of these set up in a 60 cm tank with the following parameters
ph<6.4, KH 0º, GH 4º, NO2 1, NO3 0, water temp 28ºC, heavily planted with A nana, C spiralis and C wendii. Bamboo charcoal tubes and clay flowerpots are used for caves. Water changes are done twice a week.

I'm hoping they will breed and they've been in this setup for 2 months with no action other than displaying to each other.

[GaryofMontreal]

I used to breed large numbers of P taeniatus, although I prefer the Cameroon fish to the Nigerian ones. Your set up sounds good. It's not an easy species, as compatibility is an issue and some males never seem to step up. It really is the only dwarf cichlid where you seem to get asexual males, and where females can be desperately courting and males will not get it. I find females are also more territorial than males.
Do you have deep sand or fine gravel? I expect so with your plants, but it never hurts to ask. Excavating a cave can be a trigger. You can push the sand til it almost closes the entrances to caves, and the fish will sometimes get very busy fixing the nests, which can lead to nesting.
They like caves with very small entrances. In maybe 80 spawns, they never once chose a flowerpot or a cave with an entrance wider than 2 to 2.5 cm.
I liked to get mine going at 25-26, to raise oxygen. 28 may be a little warm.
Some peat extract can be a trigger.
They spawn in bursts as well - 2 or 3 broods and then long periods of inactivity.
They need dithers, but very few and very surface oriented ones. They will kill dithers as they start to spawn, so be vigilant to save them. Once they spawn, dithers are a liability.

[edinjapan]

I'm using Amano's soil for the gravel, at the start I buried the pots so only a little hole was visible and let them go at it. Temps were lower, I just raised them to see if the warmer temperature would trigger some action. I've got 2 wild male P schenops in the tank and a pair of X captivus-of which I have too many at the moment. Can you say "Population explosion"? I knew you could...

I'll try brewing some peat tea and see if that helps after I remove the goodieds.

[GaryofMontreal]

It sounds like you're doing everything right. Maybe the Goodeids intimidated them, as they are very timid. Or maybe you have a pair compatability problem.
If you replace the male, the female will die. If you then replace the female, the male will die. It's the taeniatus rule.
They are fantastic fish, but not consistently easy to breed.

[edinjapan]

And at the equivalent of US$80 each that is not cheap.I seem to have mixed luck with egglayers, I did pigeonblood discus and every two weeks I would have a brood, lionhead cichlids breed for me like guppies now but that was after a slow start. Don't get me started about the angelfish I was breeding, the LFS's in the area would dread my bimonthly visits as I was always unloading fish and rarely paid cash.

And yet, successfully breeding apistos, mouthbrooding bettas, rainbowfish, certain species of catfish and plecos and some of the tetras has eluded me.::(:

[GaryofMontreal]

I think the biggest obstacle is tank size. We all lack money and space, and tend to crowd fish. Your tank is the bottom range for taeniatus and most Apistos. If you add more than three or four other fish, you are overcrowded with those groups. It's very hard to manage their need for space.
The easily intimidated ones like taeniatus are even tougher.
Expensive reds here run at $30 a pair, and looking around, you might get them for $25. Life in North America has its drawbacks, but space and cheaper fish are great things...
I've had no luck with mouthbrooding bettas - made it to eggs but never fry. It's Farlowella and Sturisoma that drive me crazy. They aren't supposed to be hard and I've got tons of info on habitat, food etc. They just don't breed for me. I love those sticklike cats, but I never have them for more than one lifespan.

[bae3]

If you want a no-fail mouthbrooding betta, I suggest B.falx. They were split off from B.picta a few years ago, since it didn't seem reasonable that picta would have two populations, one on Java and one on Sumatra. People here have no trouble spawning them in tap water. They are attractive in a subtle way, and the males don't fight.

It's interesting to watch them. The females court the males, and when they spawn they take hours at it. The eggs are huge, and the fry are large and easy to raise.

http://smp.ibcbettas.org/species/falx.html

[edinjapan]

If you want a no-fail mouthbrooding betta, I suggest B.falx. They were split off from B.picta a few years ago, since it didn't seem reasonable that picta would have two populations, one on Java and one on Sumatra. People here have no trouble spawning them in tap water. They are attractive in a subtle way, and the males don't fight.

It's interesting to watch them. The females court the males, and when they spawn they take hours at it. The eggs are huge, and the fry are large and easy to raise.

http://smp.ibcbettas.org/species/falx.html

I remember getting some B pallifina and some B coccina on my last trip into the wilds of SE Asia. The rules were much less stringent then than they are now concerning catching and transporting tropical fish. At that time Indonesia wasn't flirting as they are now with the imposition of Sharia Law.

I really wish I could raise bettas but I've given up on that until I do something foolish like retire to Thailand or Vietnam.:laugh:

[bae3]

I remember getting some B pallifina and some B coccina on my last trip into the wilds of SE Asia. The rules were much less stringent then than they are now concerning catching and transporting tropical fish. At that time Indonesia wasn't flirting as they are now with the imposition of Sharia Law.

I really wish I could raise bettas but I've given up on that until I do something foolish like retire to Thailand or Vietnam.:laugh:

B.falx is being raised commercially in SE Asia and distributed by the Singapore suppliers. Menagerie, a Toronto LFS, gets shipments of interesting fish directly from Singapore and when they have B.falx, it's only about $3, so maybe your LFS can get them for you.

Best of luck with your P.taeniatus. Kribs are probably my favorite fish, and I've been wanting to try some of the other species for a long time, but they are hard to find.

[Noctame]

I keep meaning to bounce into the menagerie to see their new freshwater wing. They were renovating Sept 30th. LOVED their South American display tank :3

[edinjapan]

I spent a short stint there as one of thier original employees. Took a trip there last October while I was visiting family to see if there was anything good. Better selection in HK or Bangkok. Guess I'm spoiled by the selection here in Japan.

Back to the P taeniatus... They now share quarters with just the one solitary molly and some snails, I'm hoping that they'll take the hint and start reproducing.

[edinjapan]

Ok, they did the deed day before yesterday and the female is busy guarding. I can shine a light down the tube and check the eggs twice a day. They're a white colour but haven't fungused, does that mean they are infertile?

[GaryofMontreal]

Not necessarily. Be patient. You can change egg colour with the foods you offer (if you ever want taeniatus eggs to match your curtains....).

[edinjapan]

Finally! I have fry!

[CACAdmin]

Congrats! :thumbup: