Honduran Red Points 40B

[AR115]

Looking to grab some HRP’s for one of my 40 breeders. Will be getting them as juveniles so wondering how many I can safely put in a 40b and what other fish I should add for dithers or is that not necessary? The other question is one of my 40b’s is planted and the other is just sand and rocks with a piece of driftwood, which is ideal? If 2 of them pair up Im assuming the others will need to be removed?

 

[Gourami Swami]

I would get about 5 of them. Grow them out and try to end up with a pair. You could keep some others of a single sex or remove them. I find the pair bond is stronger if there are other cichlids in the tank, but it depends, your pair may kill the others so it's a risk. I'd grow them out and see how they are with each other then decide.
Thicker the decorations/plants the better

 

[AR115]

So in the end this tank would be home to just the 2 in a pair, shouldnt add anything else? Obviously for breeding purposes

 

[Jexnell]

You can add a dither, they live with live bearers in the wild, so Swordtails, Plattys, etc would work. A Bushynose pleco or Porthole cat for bottom feeder.

 

[duanes]

When I had breeding pairs, I would use live bearers as dithers, but remove them when spawning started, and I would usually only keep one pair per tank once the pair bonded. If I left others too long, the pair would send them to an early death, or any other fish in the tank.

They like caves, pots PVC, to spawn in.

 

[AR115]

Im new to the whole breeding aspect so forgive me but once they pair up and spawn do the fry need to be removed and put into another tank?

 

[duanes]

In my case, I usually allow the parents to guard the fry for a few weeks, even a month or more.
But if it looks like the parents are starting the spawning rituals again, that is the time to either remove fry, or switch the parents to a different tank.
In nature parents guard fry for sometimes months
I often find it easier to remove the two parents the tank, rather than hunt down 50 or more fry.
Although when the fry are still schooling in a tight shoal they can be easily siphoned out.