Pairing sajicas.

[luggy978]

I've had a cryptoheros sajica now for a couple of month. He was about an inch when I got him and now is about three inch and definatley a male. I can just see the nuchal hump starting and he's a beautiful crimson red on the fins. I really like these fish and I've decided I want to have a go at breeding them and was wondering about the best way to pair him up. The sajicas I can get at the moment are about 1-1.5". (dont think you can sex them at this size, can you?) Would I be ok adding 3-4 new fish in with him at this size or would I need to grow them out for a while to see what sex they are then add the females for him to choose one. I'm not sure at all on this so any advice would be hugely appreciated. Also any other advice would be helpful too

Thanks in advance



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[virgil2090]

Great smaller cichlid! What size tank? If your tank is 55/4 ft.or larger, then you could add the new fish, re-arrange the decor.you can add a few other target fish, maybe giant danios or rainbowfish.they will be hard to sex at that size but look for smaller ones with some yellows to be female.

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[duanes]

If you are able to see and select your new sajica, females are fairly easy to determine, because sexual differences are quite distinct, and it would be a good idea to obtain a few females for the male to choose from.
Know that once they pair (unless in a fairly large tank) the paired female may eliminate any of her competition.


the female

 

[luggy978]

Hi guys. Ive only got a 29g at the moment for the sajicas untill i get something bigger. Hopefully very soon, im moving out of my shared flat in 4 weeks . I have set up a 15g to grow a couple of females out, which i can use for the fry later if they decide to breed. If i can identify the females when i pick them up that would be an extra bonus but all the ones in my LFS all have the crimson tint to them. Surely they all can't be male??. Thanks for the pics duane that male looks awesome. Is he yours? So my plan is....getting 3/4 sajicas, putting them in the 15 till they get a bit bigger, maybe 2", then putting them in with the male till he chooses one then swiftly removing the remaining fish. Does this sound ok?

 

[duanes]

A 15 gal isn't much space, my female (the little one in the pic) is only about 2" and when courting, killed every other female in a 45 gal tank.
But if you have only females growing in the tank, you may have better luck.
As you can see, the male is about 4.5", beside the color, and size, compare the steep profile of the male to the more gentile slope of the female.
These sajica are both the same age.

In the tank of my pair, I keep lots pieces of PVC that only the female can get into, and escape, even as a mated pair, the male can get abusive.