Pytchochromis Oligocanthus

[JonV]

I have a trio of this species. Sorry I don't have any still shots but I do have video clips if needed. Short version of my story here.

Bought the male from a seller in Colorado back just before Thanksgiving. Male arrived, bag had leaked in shipping, practically devoid of water. I managed to revive and save him. I ordered 2 females from a local seller to me, Jeff Rapps, Tangled Up in Cichilds. Females quite small compared to the male, but easy to ID as they are significantly darker then the male.

First week together, one female laid a pit of eggs. They didn't get fertilized. The male had shown little to no interest in the 2 females until just 2 weeks ago. I noticed he began to pursue the 2 females around the tank, and this was on Wednesday night 7 Jan 09. By 9 Jan 09, Friday morning, both females had laid eggs on 2 seperate sites in the tank. By Saturday, one female abandoned her site. That site was located elevated slightly, on the surface of a brick. The other females site was about a foot to the left of there, in the substrate, on some shells. This group got fertilized.

I noticed 2 days later, by Sunday night, the eggs had already started hatching and the female was picking up free swimming fry and relocating them about six inches to the back of the egg site. Over the next week, both the male and female were watching over the fry very intensely. I had to take special care when cleaning the tank due to the size of the fry and aggression from the parents.

I just did a cleaning in the tank this past tuesday, and the water is now finally clear. Was able to get an estimate on fry count, close the 50-60. Today, all day, I have been watching the site, and I find none at all. Dad still sits over the site, but he does not chase off anyone comming into that area. The area has a numerous amount of small shells in there, but I cannot locate any fry swimming around at all, and the mother is not watching over the site anymore.

Not sure if anyone has bred this species before, it's one of the few egg laying Africans out there, but is this unusual?

Tank is a 100 gallon tank, 5' x 20 x 18 I think. Filter is an AC 110, temp fairly steady at 80. I've been adding API salt with water changes for the last month. Total occupants in the tank are:

1 male 2 female Pytchochromis Oligocanthus
7 Unsexed 1 inch Xistochromis Phytophagus
6 Unsexed 2.5-3 inch Paratilapia Polleni
6 Unsexed Tilapia Bythobates
35 3/4 inch 2 month old Labidochromis Caereleus
1 1 inch Pseudotropheus Crabro
1 4 inch Ho Lo Catfish
2 2 inch Clown Plecos
4 Juli Cories
6 Palateus Cories
3 Bronze Cories

Tank is mature, 1 year old now, almost perfect nitrogen compounds. pH stable at 8.1 I just don't have a GH and KH reading. Anything else I need to add to get some advice/help?

 

[tankmates]

I have successfully bred this fish. I have found them to be terrible parents. They quickly forget about the fry and the fry are usually eaten. I have had luck when they lay eggs on something that I can move to another tank. The fry are tiny when they hatch and soon are taking fry food and bbs.

Good luck!

 

[Vincent Fu]

A lot of African cichlids lay eggs. With the large number of fish you have in your tank I'm not surprised the fry did not last long. If you want to raise them your best bet is to siphon some out right when they become free swimming. They may be too small to take baby brine shrimp. I usually start them off on crushed pellets. Good luck.

 

[JonV]

I'm sorry I did forget about this post, my apologies!!! I did get them to spawn successfully beginning of March, and man did they ever spawn! Over 200 fry, and I had no bottom feeders in the tank this time, which was the trick.

tankmates, I appreciate the input, I really do, only what I saw as the fry grew, was the exact opposite of what you experienced. Both mom and dad attending and watched over their brood for week after week with strong vigor to the point, my Xistochromis Phytophagus practically got pinned on one side of that tank, and the Polleni and Yellow labs on the other. Put the siphon in to clean, the male would bite the tube so hard, you felt the vibration up to the top. I thought they turned psychotic or something.

Anyways, I eventually took out all the adults in the 100, moved them to my 180 and now the 100 occupies all 200 plus Pytcho's, along with about 50 Flavus, 35 Taiwan Reef Albino's, 10 Yellow Labs, and 4 Astatilapia Aeneocolors. I have about a 100 more fry just waiting to get size to move up to that tank as well, a group of Kenyi, Zebra Obliquedins, more Flavus, and more Taiwan Reef albino's.

 

[duanes]

when my P oligacanthus spawned in a community tank, the tankmates overwhelmed the parents, and rather than give up the fry up, the parents ate them, a phenom I've seen before when there is a spawning in a crowded tank. But when I gave the parents their own tank they were perfect parents, and raised about 100 fry.

My females were about half the size of the males

Like Vincent's experience, I found the fry to be too small to accept artemia, and pureed peas worked well until larger foods were accepted.
I've also had Tilapia bythobates spawn in a community of much larger cichlids, and they faced off any fry stealer and raised their young to independance.