Breeding Dwarf Cichlids - A Beginners Guide
There are quite a few species of dwarf cichlids available in the shops these days and they make ideal breeding project since they do not require a lot of tank space and any offspring can be passed on to other fishkeepers or your local shops quite easily.
If you are a first time breeder of dwarf cichlids
you will have to decide which species you want to breed. There are lot
of potential candidates here. You should start of with a species that is
wildly available, not too bothered about water parameters and hardy
(mistakes do happen..). Avoid species that require extreme water
parameters such as Apistogramma pertensis which require extremely soft
and acidic water.
Probably the easiest of all dwarf cichlids to breed is Pelvicachromis pulcher, aka the Krib.
Most LFSs have this fish in stock regularly. They are easily sexed, the female are smaller, all fins are rounded and there belly is a bright magenta colour. The male has an extended dorsal fin and the caudal fin is spade shaped whereas the females is rounded.
Figure 1: Adult Male
Figure 2: Adult Female
They are not picky when it comes to choosing a partner and so there really is no need for buying a group of juvenile fish and waiting for them to pair up.
A small tank of about 50-60l is big enough for a breeding purposes. The substrate should be sand or very fine gravel and the tank should be planted. Other décor can include bogwood and stones. Since they will lay their eggs in a cave you should also have a few halved coconut shells or small terra-cotta pots with a small opening cut out in your tank.
They are not fuzzy about pH. Any pH from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline will do fine. Some people keep them in brackish water and the survive but will never show their fulll colour. This species originated from Western Africa from streams and rivers with soft slightly acidic water but is so domesticated that it will breed in virtually most water parameters. Water temperature should be around 25-26 degrees Celsius.
When the female is ready to spawn she will swim in front of the male bend into an S-shape trying to lure him into the spawning cave. Once the eggs are laid the female will guard them while the male guards the territory around the spawning cave. The young will hatch after about three days and will be free swimming after another six days. Now both parents guard the young. Microworms and freshly hatched brineshrimp are a good first food and will need to be fed 3-4 times daily. After about three weeks it is time to move the young into a growing out tank. By now they should be feeding on ordinary flake food but it is always advisable to feed them some frozen and/or life food as well. This will enhance their colouration and rate of growth.