HELP NEEDED

[thetank82986]

Please Help -

I have a mated spilotum pair (nicoraguan cichlids)

They are digging pits but not laying any eggs. Am I doing something wrong that they are not laying eggs?

Please advise and help. I would really like them to breed.

 

[fisher12889]

It's kinda hard to tell if your doing something wrong since we have no idea what your doing... What size tank are they in? Tankmates? What are your water parameters? (Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, temp) What's your water change schedule like? What do you feed them?

 

[thetank82986]

72 gallon bowfront, ammonia is 0ppm, pH is neutral, temp is 80 deg, nitrite is 0ppm, Nitrate is 1.1 ppm. Tankmates is one Clown knife, water change is 15% every week, feed them hikari sinking pellets and frozen bloodworm/brine shrimp. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Loves severums]

hope this helps. i found this.

I have found many websites that say the same thing, if you buy them young and grow them out they will form very strong pair bonds and spawn very often. The key is getting them young. You will notice when they are in spawning mode the black horizontal bar will fade leaving just a black spot 2/3 of the way back. Another interesting fact, they are one of the few species that practice "creching",where groups of females will combine their clutches and band together to defend the fry. Hope this helps, I have three of them (about 2") and two sport spots and one loner with a black stripe a black stripe.

As for food to help them breed. I feed New Life Spectrum, im not sure if this will spur them on but they look absolutely brilliant. And like I said before I have two in spawning mode and one not,

 

[fisher12889]

I would get rid of the clown knife, and up the water changes. Fifty percent a week with water that is a few degrees cooler than the tank. Patience is also important, how long have you been trying? Sometimes it takes awhile for them to start spawning in a new tank.