Anybody else have adult Electric Blue/Gold ("Platinum") Dempseys?

[liquidlizard]

Thanks, although props for being the JD master should rightfully go to bb66cuda for setting the foundation for my breeding project
Nice to hear from you, Marc--I am glad you hung onto some platinums, and would love to see some pics of them!


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[liquidlizard]

Good news...two new pairs are now courting. I have a super nice and completely unrelated normal female in with the platinum male, to create a new line of fish that carry both blue and gold genes. Also, a young male ebjd is pairing with the gold het blue female...this pairing will create both electrics het for gold, and double het blue/golds. The really cool thing is that these will be unrelated to the offspring of the platinum male crossed with the blue gene female...and they will be the key to produce two separate lines of platinums!
Man, I love playing around with genetics


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[GillstreetBlues]

Looks really good

 

[liquidlizard]

Thanks!


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[kdcichlids]

Wow! Amazing Project. I greatly appreciate that you are sharing all of your efforts with us. I have a pair of BG Dempseys which I was told, by the previous owner, carry the EB Gene. They have bread several times but I have been unsuccessful at keeping the fry. I do make regular water changes and I have the correct sponge filteration. Perhaps you can give me some advice on what I am doing wrong? Also, for some unknown reason, both the male and female pair dart frantically at the surface of the tank after the fry are free swimming. This only occurs after spawning and the fry are free swimming. They dart so sporatically at the surface that they cause some of the fry to be ejected out of the water and stick to the top of the cover. Do you have any suggestions? PH is 7.6. Water is very hard. Temp @ 75 to 82. I appreciate any help that you can give me.
Thanks

 

[liquidlizard]

Hi Kdcichlids, thanks!
I don't know what would cause your pair to dart at the surface like that, but I do know I have the greatest success with fry if I pull them from the adults' tank before they are free swimming. My pairs like to spawn in clay pots. I leave the eggs in for the parents to tend for the first day or two, Then pull the pot and put it in a bare bottom tank with an airstone to keep the water circulating over the eggs.
Or, you can leave the eggs with the parents until they hatch, and siphon the wigglers out with a turkey baster. I find the fry have a higher survival rate, grow much faster and are easier to raise if separated from the parents early on. It is also much easier to separate the fry earlier rather than wait until they are free swimming to try to catch them.
I find that if fry are left in with my pairs, they tend to eat the fry once they are about 10 days old, as they prepare for a new spawn. So if you pull each batch of eggs, the adults spawn more frequently, and they don't have to expend as much energy protecting each batch of fry.
Hope that helps--


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[kdcichlids]

Hello liquidlizard, thanks!

I really appreciate your suggestions. I will definitely apply everything that you have shared. I look forward to success with my Dempseys. I also look forward to seeing more of your post. Maybe I might be able to get some of your Platinums in the near future? Again thanks for your help.

 

[liquidlizard]

No problem--hope that helps. It's what I've learned through trial and error with this species.
I should have have platinums for sale soon--I'll keep you posted!


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[liquidlizard]

Good news with both the new pairs...I came home from work to find a spawn from the platinum male x normal female, and the gold female shows every indication of spawning tonight or tomorrow with her new EBJD mate. Just gave everyone a huge dinner of live blackworms, so that can't hurt either


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[liquidlizard]

So it took a few days longer than I expected, but on Friday the gold het blue female spawned with the smaller EBJD male. I pulled the eggs today and should have wigglers tomorrow. I am really excited about this spawn. I plan to hold back some of the EBJD's to pair up with the baby platinums as future breeders...


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