Just curious: with that number/ratio, are you planning to add any dithers to this tank?
Nanochromis Splendens
- Thread starter fishguy1978
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fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I added 6 rainbow cichlid juvies. The larger female chases the smaller but I haven't seen the male chasing the females.
Well, in my unsolicited opinion, that is not the best choice for any number of reasons, foremost among them being the fact that the rainbows will pick off Nanochromis fry, one by one by one.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
And plants tooWell, in my unsolicited opinion, that is not the best choice for any number of reasons, foremost among them being the fact that the rainbows will pick off Nanochromis fry, one by one by one.
. But, I can now take down the planted 55g tanks since it is only housing guppies. The rescape will have the N.S. in mind.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I think the male has paired with the larger female. I have the 2 coconut huts placed at opposite ends of the 29g. The smaller female hangs out around the one in the front of the tank while the larger is in the back. I don't see the male aggressively chasing the female either. Fingers crossed.
Sounds good. Nanochromis pair up pretty easily if both the male and female are in good shape, but it is a good idea to have distractions, even for bonded pairs. In a 29, a school of neon or cardinal tetras would be perfect; that's what worked best for me when I was breeding N. transvestitus. Keep the pH low, and don't let it fluctuate, and everybody will be happy!
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Not taken the same day but he's showing interest
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Moved the trip to the 55g
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
The pair have excavated the back corner and between the coconut and the rock. I sat watching them and the female would do her body shake/shimmy to get his attention to follow her or attack him and drive him away. Both tend to stay very close to the coconut not venturing past the large rock. The solo female on the right ventures all over avoiding the pair.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Added a third cocohut and 2 bamboo caves. I will push them into the sand so they are vertical. Drill a 1/2in ish hole that shijusy accommodate the male.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Well, the splendens definitely enjoy their's.When I was breeding N. transvestitus their favourite spawning site by far was inside of halved coconut shells.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I've been feeding the freshwater krill daily and now my male has disappeared. Saw the female in one of the cocohuts and she wouldn't come out even for food.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
He came out of hiding. Not pairing with the female though.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I have the two females and one has been with the male while the other healed up from combat. I moved the female back in with the male and she instantly started flirting with him. He responded by pushing on her, flaring his fins, and flaring gills with his mouth open. I had to remove the female that had been with the male as her fins were tattered. The second female had to be removed after a couple hours as the male had driven her from the bottom of the tank. The two females are in separate 29g aquariums.
Pair bonding in Nanochromis can be a challenge when you have so few specimens, and you need either one of two things (preferably both) currently- (i) vastly more hiding places, as in a tank with so much vegetation (e. g. Java moss) that they can hide effectively from each other, and/or (ii) more specimens to spread the aggression around. Space is not an issue in your 55, but the sight lines are too open, and the male has no other targets (dithers don't matter so much until the pair bond is formed), so the females are paying the consequences. I've seen this before with N. transvestitus and N. parilus, but not to this extent. Dwarf cichlids are not like their larger relatives in that space is less important than privacy, i. e. a well-defined territory, even a small one. Good luck.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I noticed that my male was not out and active which is abnormal. Pulled the coconut huts and found him still alive but shrunken. Died two days later.
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This thread is ended.