Trying to pair parachromis 'la ceiba'

[AngryConvict]

Hi, new here, been trying for a couple of months now to pair a male & female la ceiba caught parachromis..

Tried having them alone in a tank with divider and the female would happily come out to interact with the male through the divider, but the male is a complete nutcase and doesn't give her a break when they're put together.

I decided now to try a different approach and see if they'll pair 'naturally', in a 100g tank with a couple plecs and some small cutteri to dissipate aggression. She has plenty of hides he can't fit into so doesn't get really get beaten on, but the male still badgers her whenever she comes out.

The male doesn't seem to shred her fins or try to lock lips, rather it's all chasing and bumping her belly which kind of suggests to me he's being a bit too forceful with her for a spawn?

Any advice or things I can try to get these two to get on and pair?

cheers

 

[duanes]

Just because you have a male and female, doesn't mean they will become a compatible pair. Cichlid have complicated rituals that determine compatibility, and if all are not perfectly aligned, it may be a no go.
I have found the best way to pair cichlids (be they Parachromis, or any species) is to get a number of females 3 or more (the more the better) and let them work it out naturally.
There are also some triggers that will bring out spawning readiness.
Doing a water change(or a few water changes one after another) that mimic the rainy season can help. This is where you do a large water change (50% or more) using slightly cooler, softer water.
I had a pair of Parachromis that would spawn every time I added a large portion of rain water to the tank.
Using a combination of DI water mixed with tap water can also be used to mimic the change of season.

 

[dan518]

A divider with a hole cut out big enough for the female but small enough that the male cannot get through, once the eggs are fertilised you should be able to remove the divider till the fry are about an inch.

 

[AngryConvict]

Thanks both, the divider had gaps the female could fit through, they'd display for each other but then the male wouldn't give her a chance to do what she needed to do.

I don't really have the opportunity now to get a few more female for him to pick from, so hoping this will eventually work out. duanes by water changes one after the other do you mean say three smaller ones in the same night? or 50% daily for a few days?

I'll try looking into rain or RO water, but living in a flat with no garden a waterbutt isn't much of an option here.

They've been in the 100g for 4 days now and both eat fine, female will come out for food. Perhaps it might be best to leave them a couple of weeks like this till they properly settle in before saying for sure, rather not keep disturbing them unless there's anything more I can do with this method. Otherwise I'll have to go back to trying with a divider. The issue isn't getting them to spawn at this point but rather simply a pairing. Perhaps the male will calm down a bit when he's established his territory in this bigger tank? he wasn't so much of a nutcase in the divided tank, but rather just harassed the female too much

thanks

 

[dan518]

If there the same pair I had, they paired up out of the holding tank with 10 fish in at robs, might just need a bit longer to get settled, also well bonded pairs can still be hard on each other at times.

 

[AngryConvict]

No it's not the same pair as the previous owner managed to break that bond, but still decided to mis-sell me them as a pair. I do however also have the male I believe she WAS paired with, although it's quite a bit larger and lesser looking than the one i'm trying to pair with.

 

[justarn]

Dillywoods has baby freddys ATM dude.

 

[justarn]

A bit long winded but as they so rarely come up in our area might be worth grabbing a half dozen and growing some out.

 

[AngryConvict]

If only I had space matey, all 8 fully stocked right now.. could at least free up a bit of space if these guys paired so I can be rid of the spare male

 

[duanes]

What I mean is maybe a 50% water change per day for 3 days or a week.
During the rainy season here (where loisellei are endemic) an entire river can turn over in a matter of a very short time.
You may want to try that big male, sometimes females are looking for (I know way to anthropomorphic) a large male that she can rely on to protect her and her brood, and what looks better to you, may not be what she sees as potentially better.
With many Parachromis that have spawned for me, the males have been double the size of the females.