If you have Cichlids in your fish aquarium, can you imagine how frustrating it can be to know you have a pair of these clever fish spawning but you can never get around to actually seeing them do it? Such is often the case with Dwarf Cichlids who are quite secretive spawners. Many spawn in rocky caves, often upside down on the ceiling, just to be different.
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| Pelvicachromis pulcher, adult male (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The Kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulcher, is a modest-sized Cichlid from West Africa. The male has a spade-shaped caudal fin whilst the female's main claim to fame is her purple coloration which intensifies at breeding time.
These fish will certainly spawn in the community aquarium and are stout defenders of both their spawning site and subsequent fry. It is not unusual for them to 'disappear' for a disconcerting period of time only to eventually reappear with a couple of dozen youngsters in tow. However it is obviously best to set up a separate breeding tank for them.
Again a planted tank is recommended with the added furnishing of a flowerpot laid on its side on the substrate. You should enlarge the drainage hole in the bottom to allow the fish to enter and exit the pot from that end should they prefer to. Alternatively, short pieces of plastic pipe may also make potential spawning sites.
As with other Cichlids, a pair of Kribensis will normally pair off spontaneously should you have a number of them grown up from young in your collection. You could also buy a pair from your dealer, using the sex identification guide, but there is no guarantee that they will turn into a compatible pair bent on producing a family for you.
Once decided on a lady of his choice, the male fish will display in front of her with many turnings and U-shape bendings of his body. At this time too, his colors will be intensified.
They will disappear into the flowerpot or pipe to clean a spawning site on which eggs are laid by the female and fertilized by the male.
When the fry emerge from their hatching period and are free-swimming, the female's colors again intensify possibly to facilitate fry-adult communication. Her belly turns a deep rich purple whilst her fins take on a sooty black appearance, especially the pelvic fins which she continually flicks as if signalling to the fry.
Again, the parents will herd the young and protect them against any possible threat.
Raising the fry to young fish follows the normal feeding patterns and the fry grow quickly.
It is often the case that there is a predominance of one sex or another in the brood of youngsters.
Reports suggest that this state of affairs can be altered (perhaps producing too many of the other sex next time?) by tinkering with the water chemistry, i.e., raising or lowering the pH from what is was before. Caution must be exercised when altering the water chemistry; at the very least you might put off the parents' willingness to breed - even though you wouldn't be able to see them doing it.
Dedi Walker is a writer and fish enthusiast. She shares additional information in sites such as Corner Aquariums and Aquarium Sump Filters. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dedi_Walker http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Breed-Dwarf-Cichlids&id=6659837 |
