Dithers for SA tank

[Mythic Figment]

Dithers for the display, you won't need separate target fish since you have a group of geo's. The best target fish are always a member of the same species. And the geos will act as targets for the sev's.

The sevs aren't for breeding....at least I doubt they will be. I am unsure of either sev's gender since they are so small and super reds are notoriously sterile. If I get a viable breeding pair, I would be shocked and incredibly excited.

Problem I have with the geos is that I have a 55 ready and waiting for a breeding pair to take up residence. The pair will likely claim the entire tank as their breeding turf and a third geo would just get destroyed. Plus I only have six and they do best in groups of 4+, so adding a third to the pair will leave me with three in the display and their social hierarchy could lead to a couple of deaths.


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[darth pike]

The sevs aren't for breeding....at least I doubt they will be. I am unsure of either sev's gender since they are so small and super reds are notoriously sterile. If I get a viable breeding pair, I would be shocked and incredibly excited.

Problem I have with the geos is that I have a 55 ready and waiting for a breeding pair to take up residence. The pair will likely claim the entire tank as their breeding turf and a third geo would just get destroyed. Plus I only have six and they do best in groups of 4+, so adding a third to the pair will leave me with three in the display and their social hierarchy could lead to a couple of deaths.

If it were me, I'd drop the pair in the 55 for breeding and then return them to the main tank once the fry are large enough and use the 55 to grow out the fry unless they are ramping up to breed again. You are right, a 55 is too small for a target fish and the pair ... so if they aren't ready to breed back into the group they'd go. Or use a divider in the 55 and another cichlid as the target. Dithers in a breeding tank are generally a bad idea since most tetras and danios are great fry predators. I don't like to keep trying to force a pair together since in nature, an unready partner is chased off and a new one is taken. In the new world cichlid sense, monogamous is just for that one breeding cycle. They might stay together because they are already in sync time wise in their breeding cycles, but they may not be. With geos, they just head back to the group once the cycle is over, hence why I'd return them to the main tank if they showed signs of not being in sync for another breeding cycle.

But I tend to do things a little differently than most.

 

[Mythic Figment]

If it were me, I'd drop the pair in the 55 for breeding and then return them to the main tank once the fry are large enough and use the 55 to grow out the fry unless they are ramping up to breed again. You are right, a 55 is too small for a target fish and the pair ... so if they aren't ready to breed back into the group they'd go. Or use a divider in the 55 and another cichlid as the target. Dithers in a breeding tank are generally a bad idea since most tetras and danios are great fry predators. I don't like to keep trying to force a pair together since in nature, an unready partner is chased off and a new one is taken. In the new world cichlid sense, monogamous is just for that one breeding cycle. They might stay together because they are already in sync time wise in their breeding cycles, but they may not be. With geos, they just head back to the group once the cycle is over, hence why I'd return them to the main tank if they showed signs of not being in sync for another breeding cycle.

But I tend to do things a little differently than most.

Interesting. Made me think. What if I just removed one parent (probably male) back to the main tank after the fry are free swimming and keep the other with the fry for a while? That would keep them from potentially killing each other and also from breeding for a bit while the fry are growing out in the 55.

For the next breeding event, I would just add the parents to a 40 breeder and so the same thing. By the time they are ready to breed a third time, the first batch of fry should be fairly close to sellable.


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