Hi Guys,
Here's my story - hope you seasoned tangs breeders out there can help...
I have two 12cm lepidio elongatus in a 4x18 heavily decorated tank with logs, rocks, pipes etc. There are heaps of hiding spots with broken lines of sight. The substrate is a mix of coral chips and gravel that buffer the water well. I also add homemade salts so the ph is about 8. Filtered by 2224 eheim with 20% weekly water changes. The setup has been going for about 1yr. The other fish are a breeding peacock colony (1M3F) that I'm using as dithers and leave the holding girls to do their thing. Also I have one other non-cichlid silver fish that I'm not sure about and 3 bn as cleanup crew.
Both elongatus are fine, no ripped fins, eat well on pellets and hangout pretty well together for badass fish. They chase the peacocks away when they get too close, but don't chase them around the tank like centrals do. The tank is quite boring with not much going on - it's dedicated to the lepidios.
I've read that 4footers maybe be small, but the elongatus don't swim much. They spend 95% of the time hanging out around their cave-like hiding spots which are on the same side of the tank, about 20cm away from each other with full line of sight. They ambush anything that comes too close.
I've had the elongatus for about 6months now and they have grown larger with deeper bodies. Their behaviour is changing, previously it was very clear which one was dominant with constant chasing and minor ripped fins. For the last 2months or so it's been very peaceful.
There are definite differences b/w the two, one seems to have more brighter white spots (I assume male) and always approaches the other. The other is slightly duller and fuller in the stomach (I assume female). Lately the male gets very close on his approaches like side by side, each facing the other way. Both are flaring, shimmering, the usual "spawning" signs, but the fuller one either backs off/retreats or chases the other away...give them 10-15min, and the male is right back at her again.
These guys have very visble set of chompers and can inflict serious damage, but like I said, both have no ripped scales or fins... however the peacocks aren't so lucky. I hope I have a pair and not two girls, as I'm assuming that the normal ripped fins and constant chasing would occur if they were the two girls. I know that they are not two boys, as one will be ripped up badly or dead.
Is the elongatus behaviour the start of pair bonding signs or just a territorial stamping?
I don't have any experience with breeding tangs let alone this family... so I'm all ears.
Thanks, Mike
Here's my story - hope you seasoned tangs breeders out there can help...
I have two 12cm lepidio elongatus in a 4x18 heavily decorated tank with logs, rocks, pipes etc. There are heaps of hiding spots with broken lines of sight. The substrate is a mix of coral chips and gravel that buffer the water well. I also add homemade salts so the ph is about 8. Filtered by 2224 eheim with 20% weekly water changes. The setup has been going for about 1yr. The other fish are a breeding peacock colony (1M3F) that I'm using as dithers and leave the holding girls to do their thing. Also I have one other non-cichlid silver fish that I'm not sure about and 3 bn as cleanup crew.
Both elongatus are fine, no ripped fins, eat well on pellets and hangout pretty well together for badass fish. They chase the peacocks away when they get too close, but don't chase them around the tank like centrals do. The tank is quite boring with not much going on - it's dedicated to the lepidios.
I've read that 4footers maybe be small, but the elongatus don't swim much. They spend 95% of the time hanging out around their cave-like hiding spots which are on the same side of the tank, about 20cm away from each other with full line of sight. They ambush anything that comes too close.
I've had the elongatus for about 6months now and they have grown larger with deeper bodies. Their behaviour is changing, previously it was very clear which one was dominant with constant chasing and minor ripped fins. For the last 2months or so it's been very peaceful.
There are definite differences b/w the two, one seems to have more brighter white spots (I assume male) and always approaches the other. The other is slightly duller and fuller in the stomach (I assume female). Lately the male gets very close on his approaches like side by side, each facing the other way. Both are flaring, shimmering, the usual "spawning" signs, but the fuller one either backs off/retreats or chases the other away...give them 10-15min, and the male is right back at her again.
These guys have very visble set of chompers and can inflict serious damage, but like I said, both have no ripped scales or fins... however the peacocks aren't so lucky. I hope I have a pair and not two girls, as I'm assuming that the normal ripped fins and constant chasing would occur if they were the two girls. I know that they are not two boys, as one will be ripped up badly or dead.
Is the elongatus behaviour the start of pair bonding signs or just a territorial stamping?
I don't have any experience with breeding tangs let alone this family... so I'm all ears.
Thanks, Mike
