Aquarist: Northern_Aquarist

Aquarist Notes

Photo of aquarist's species:

Genetic Line:   Aquarium Strain

Line Traits:   Female may have dwarfism/balloon mutation?

Year Acquired:   2025

MN Aquarium Society Auction. Bought as a singular pair.
Approximate water parameters; Temp: 78F, pH: 6.2, TDS: <50

Spawning notes:

Species Spawned:   Yes

I have gotten many spawns from this pair, but only 1 from which I managed to raise fry. Many spawns failed from fertilization issues, which was probably due to the water being too hard. Most failed spawns were likely due to one parent or the other eating the clutch, assumedly because they were too small in number, but I'm not sure. Water needs to be pretty soft, with a TDS of 50 or less. I usually use some alder cones as a botanical and live plants in a mature tank are non-negotiable for me.

Have Reared Fry?   Yes

This species will exhibit classic cichlid behavior where the offspring receive a lot of attention from the adults. I originally spawned these in a 10 gal, but once the fry were free-swimming the female became too aggressive towards the male, so he got to go spend a few weeks in the quarantine Bachelor Pad for his own safety. I always prefer to keep my breeding fish in a mature planted tank to provide a lot of opportunities for fry to forage on. Additionally, I started the fry on vinegar eels once they were old enough to actually control where they were swimming. When they began to outgrow the vinegar eels I transitioned them to frozen cyclops & BBS. In time they happily grew accustomed to a mixed diet of frozen and dry foods. I removed the fry once they were almost a cm in length.