Malta Aquarist Society

 After the Brasilensis, these fish are the second on the list for me to breed. I opened this thread as I have never bred them. At the moment I have about 4 of these fish, I think they are 2 males and 2 females house with some angels and corys. Any suggestions and experiences would be much appreciated.

martin

Size; up to 3" (7.5cm) but after smaller.

Tank setup: Planted mtank with good water quality.

Compatibility:  A very peaceful cichlid, which may be bullied by agressive tankmates.  They may however show some aggression when spawning.

Temperature; 22-26Celcius.

Water chemistry:Fairly soft, ph around neutral to slightly acid.

Sexing: Male sare generally larger and have elongated rays at the front of the dorsal fin.  Females are smaller with a more rounded body shape, and have a pinkish area on the stomach.

Breeding:Eggs are laid in hollows or on flat rocks.  Both parents will guard the eggs and fry.

Thanks for the info B.Sammut. Any personal experiences in breeding them would be greatly appreciated.

martin

I have a pair which bred last april .. the day defore I went abroad and unfortunately I found nothing when I cam back. They were housed in a one footer with floating plants to reduce the light and a chunk of bogwood. They laid their eggs of the bogwood.

good luck with yours C=

 Hi Robert , is it important to reduce the light ? Do they feel more comfortable for breeding ?

I did add floating plants on purpose because I felt like they had too much lich and no where to rest .. I think its wise to add some shelter for any kind of fish especially the delicate and shyer ones =]

Thanks Maniac. Did you use rain water or conditioned tap water for the breeding ??

martin

Yep I used rain water but  be careful when using rain water .. i don't know the amount of pullution there in Malta =D but here at Sannat we live really close to the cliffs and there is little pollution because of the frequent breeze from the see that sweeps everything =P hope this breeze does not effect the salinity of the water =S

so you never tested the rain water before putting the fish in ???  Where they alone in the breeding tank or in a comunity tank ??  Well if they bred i think that the water was fine.

martin

Cichlid maniac:

but here at Sannat we live really close to the cliffs and there is little pollution

I know what it is like in msida my friend as i lived there for 27 years....... well if there was nothing good at msida at least there was alottttttttttttt of rain water to collect for free. I will wait for Maniac reply for my questions first.   

martin

no .. i never really did =D

I thought so Maniac. Every time I checked my rain water i always was satisfoed with the results. Ok so i will be using rain water for the ramirezi breeding. Thanks alot.

martin

 Some pics of my male ramirezi :

 have they ever bred Ted ???

martin