cichlid breeding

[fish 4 life]

hey i am going to set up a 40 gallon breeder and i was wondering what are some good cichlids that breed alot? should i split the tank in half and put 1 pair of cichlid in each half or should i just put 1 pair in the whole 40 gallon???? is there any cichlid that breeds like once a month or more????

thanks so much!

 

[CLDarnell]

Cichlids tend to work better when established as a breeding group or "harem". Usually one male to 3 or 4 females works really well. Multiple males in a tank will most likely lead to some pretty big aggression issues.

Convicts are the go to fish when you simply want to breed fish. As one member here once said, Convicts will breed on a wet paper towel

 

[fish 4 life]

Cichlids tend to work better when established as a breeding group or "harem". Usually one male to 3 or 4 females works really well. Multiple males in a tank will most likely lead to some pretty big aggression issues.

Convicts are the go to fish when you simply want to breed fish. As one member here once said, Convicts will breed on a wet paper towel

cool so could i put like 1 male and 5 female convicts all together? how often would i get fry??

 

[CLDarnell]

cool so could i put like 1 male and 5 female convicts all together? how often would i get fry??

1M/5F would make a good group. Breeding does depend a lot on water parameters including temperature. Also, depending on what happens with the fry from each spawn will play a determination on the next spawn. In a perfect world, with that group, you could easily expect a new batch of fry every 1-2 weeks. Convicts are the rabbits of the Cichlid world

Good luck!

 

[clgkag]

American cichlids tend NOT to be harem breeders. They usually pair off and defend against any others. Doing a group like that you will probably have one pair and 4 females hinding in the corners.

 

[Gruff Master]

American cichlids tend NOT to be harem breeders. They usually pair off and defend against any others. Doing a group like that you will probably have one pair and 4 females hinding in the corners.

+1. This will not work well with Convicts in a small tank. You will have dead females once a pair spawns. Harems are mostly found in African Cichlids. This thread is actually in the wrong section too. This is for Pike Cichlids. It will probably be moved.

 

[Batt58]

Saums breed pretty regular too

 

[Otherone]

I was wondering why there were 2 of these posts.

A few days ago you wrote about your New Unhealthy Oscar in a 46 gal tank with a Sengalus Bichir and a "Grasscutter" aka Silver Catfish which has the potential to get as long as the Oscar - 14". Althougth I DO applaud your enthuiziasim, you might want to think about slowing down. The tank you already have would be a good Convict breeder tank, however it is not good for Oscars and medium sized catfish. IMO the tank you want to be buying at this point is 75gal or larger.

 

[m1ste2tea]

lets just say that you do have a successful breeding pair. What do you intend on doing with the fry?

they're going to need a seperate tank or else they will get eaten, and convicts are quite common out there so dont plan on making any money breeding those. are you looking to produce your own feeders?

 

[baldtaxguy]

OP - you posted your question in the CA/SA section and you rec'd bad info referencing "harem breeding". You'll see that more with Old World species.

If you are looking to establish a pair of CA breeders, the best way is to be patient, acquire 6-7 juveniles of a species and raise them up together. You will notice a pair (or sometimes pairs) develop. Usually simultaneously, you will see the other fish experiencing violence from the pair(s), running for cover. Then is a good time to rescue the other fish but at the same time, add another dither species, something that is expendable. Hopefully the pair continues to bond and start breeding. Most CA's spawn monthly to every six weeks once a pair is established. You need to be careful after each spawn, particularly if you pull fry, that the male does not "blame" the female for the loss of fry and take it out on her. That, and just general aggression by the male in between spawning, sometimes leads to the need for dividing the pair during these periods, or setting up an incomplete divider, whereby the female can pass into a secure, divided area of the take without the male harrassing her.

As a fishkeeper, you need to think about why you want a breeding pair in the first place. Do you want to raise and sell the fry? Then you want to choose a species accordingly, one that is salable, but also one that is an easy-to-moderate challenge in breeding. Anything to difficult to breed could lead you to get discouraged, assuming your original goal continues to establish a breeding pair of fish.

Or do you want to generate fry as feeders? Then convict species work the best, and depending on the tank size, you can set up multiple pairs within a same arrangement and pull fry as needed - again, not a "harem" in the technical sense, but multiple, individual breeding pairs. if you want a true "harem" situation, post your question on Old World boards. Hope this helps-and good luck.