Thursday, March 8, 2012

Aquarium Fish, Convict Cichlid-Archocentrus Cichlidae

Male and Female Convict Cichlids With Fry

Aquarium fish, the most popular aquarium fish is Convict Cichlid gets its name from the distinctive 6 to nine stripes that make them easily identifiable from any other tropical fish and Convict cichlid markings resemble 19^th century prison uniforms worn by the inmates.

Convict cichlid are carnivorous, herbivore this animal needs their greens Convict Cichlid eat a variety of common fish food and plants and have no special dietary needs. Their habitat does not need anything special although they do prefer a natural colored gravel bottom with large rocks and caves like structures, such as clay flower pot with hole in the bottom and use floating aquatic plant vegetation is always necessary to help with dimming lights from your aquarium hood lights and set your hood lights with and inexpensive timer that will automatically shut off the lights after being on for eight hours remember this cichlid thrives in low light.

Plant in substructure Amazon swords, Christmas moss and lie on top of your substructure moss balls further (never ever use plastic flower pot when the female lays her eggs she won’t know the difference between plastic or clay but her eggs will not adhere to the plastic surface) for the convict cichlid remember this fish is a heavy digger and tearing up plants is a given but plants are necessary for the cichlid overall growth and development.

The Convict Cichlid is a tropical fish and prefers warm water that is in the range of 74 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so the aquarium will require a good, reliable aquarium heater. Because the convict cichlid nature to dig in the gravel, under gravel filters do not make the best filters for Convict Cichlids.

You should choose a good canister filter because your convict cichlid will be breeding; I use Aquaripure because it eliminates weekly water changes and keeps my aquariums nitrate balanced so I’m able to maintain and breed all types of tropical fish.

Originally I purchased Aquaripure because it reduced water changes, pH and disease problems that were occurring in my tanks; the breeding of my fish just happen because their water conditions had became so much better the nitrate, pH were in balance; I know this because I test my water routinely.

Convict Cichlid Require Large Amount of Aquarium Real-estate as Their Own.

The biggest concern with these fish is that they are territorial. They will get along well with other fish of the same breed but there must be enough room for them in the aquarium. While these fish do not grow as large as other tropical fish, like Tiger Oscars, they still need their space; convicts will attack other fish if they are not kept in a large enough aquariums. It is not uncommon for them to attack other aggressive tropical fish including much larger fish like Oscars. These fish will fight and can inflict damage to each other if they are provided enough space to allow them to claim their own territories. Providing enough space for convict will also allow them to grow to their full size and they will be much healthier long term.

Convict Cichlids is one of the easiest Cichlids to breed and are a great choice for the first-time breeder; aquarium of at least 60 gallons in size or 227.124707 liters; if you provide convicts with a good diet and they will soon spawn with out any extra special care from the aquarium owner. The pair will chose a flat surface which can be a rock inside your tank or the top of their cave and females will lay hundreds of eggs. Both the male and female will protect the eggs and fry.

Convict Cichlids Are Most Studied Fish World Wide

With a few precautions, this fresh water fish the convict cichlid makes a great fish for anyone who wants to keep tropical fish. Many enthusiasts continue to keep them because their unique appearance and easy care makes them highly desirable. Once the basics of tropical fish care and handling is understood, some may choose to expand their set-up to include larger tropical fish like African Cichlids or Asian Cichlids or even Salt Water Fish.

What is the Best Convict Cichlid Food to Use? – Your Need to Understand Benefits Convict Cichlid Effective Diet

Convict cichlid in their natural habitats, this species feeds on crustaceans, (definition crustaceans: class of mandibulate arthropods including: lobsters; crayfish; crabs; shrimps; woodlice; barnacles; decapods; water fleas;) small fish, insects, various worms, plants and algae; further social status and associated stress can affect digestive function in convict cichlids. Providing the best cichlid food for your convict is one responsibility that an owner makes to his or her cichlids.

Aside from providing the best environment, food is basically one of the most important needs of fish that must be given importance. It is the key to their survival. Most of the time, it is the essential tool for their growth, reproduction and appearances. Nevertheless, large number of cichlid species being sold today in the market has diverse feeding requirement. Thus, it is hard to identify what is the best food to give them. The food that you give them need not only satisfy their hunger. But also provide proper nutrition for them to use in their lives.

Good source of protein are live crickets, they eat insect larvae, so go buy a pack of frozen (not freeze dried) bloodworms. They will enjoy those. Floating cichlid pellets aren't a terribly good staple diet anyway because they tend to cause constipation if used alone. As well as wet frozen bloodworms, you could also try frozen krill, frozen brine shrimps and chopped seafood of various types (prawn, clam, and squid). Some people have success using freeze-dried foods but in over 35 years of fishkeeping I have yet to own a fish that enjoyed them! Hence I recommend the wet frozen foods you store in the freezer. All fishes go wild for these.

So I'd buy a small package and try them out first if I were you I would also feed them live white worms and live brine shrimp. They usually contain multivitamins to promote good health. This has the tendency to boost their immune systems as well as help improve the digestive function. These are manufactured to make feeding these to cichlids easier and less stressful for you. The food supplement it contains make it considerable important nutritional source for your pets. Convict cichlid like salad this will be obtained by them munching on algae and aquatic plants. You need to feed them spirulina in flake form or frozen spirulina.

Algae are food that most herbivorous fish feed on. They can be fed, in the forms of wafers, balls or discs, to provide vegetable-enriched nutrients to your pets. Look for those that are infused with spirulina which is a food supplement widely known for as blue-green algae. They also have excellent nutritional and healing qualities. It is rich in protein, vitamin B-12, Beta Carotene, essential fatty acids and minerals. Herbivorous cichlids need this algae food for strength, stamina and longevity. These are fairly inexpensive, making it a practical food choice.

Processed dry fish flakes, pellets, granules or balls are common food for the fish. They are also the cheapest. In selecting the food to buy, you need to look for those that are packed with meat and vegetables. Select those that are with various nutrients needed by your pets. These nutrients include omega-3 fatty acids for additional energy and fast growth as well as vitamin C for good health. Color enhancers are also added to bring about better coloration to your fish. Others contain different nutrients that add to the needed nourishments.

Organic foods that are fresh and live are important to the health of your fish they are great sources of protein. However do not feed your convicts live feeder fish in addition, be cautious over the live food you buy because they are not always clean or disease free. I use to feed my sale water ells live feeders and my ells would die in a year or two, when I stopped feeding live feeders my ells are now nine years old.

The best cichlid food should not only diminish the cichlid’s cravings; it needs to provide the proper nutrients that are necessary for them to prolong their health and life. Most of the time, feeding is treated as an obligation; but since this is an integral part of the living thing’s existence, it is best to be given utmost consideration and thought; after all, that is a call to responsible ownership of pets.

Monogamous Convict Cichlids Spanning Male and Female Cichlid

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Cichlidae

Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae

Genus: Archocentrus

Archocentrus is a small genus of cichlid fishes from Central America. The genus currently contains 3 species It formerly included 7 of the species now included in the genus Cryptoheros, as well as the convict cichlid, now included in the genus Amatitlania. The Rainbow Cichlid, Archocentrus multispinosus, was formerly included in the genus Herotilapia. A 2008 study led by Oldrich Rican suggested that the Rainbow Cichlid is actually more closely related to the Jack Dempsey (genus Rocio) and the cichlids of the genus Astatheros than to the other Archocentrus cichlids, and thus under consideration to be moved back to the genus Herotilapia

Convict Cichlids in Caves

Species

Archocentrus centrarchus Gill, 1877

Rainbow cichlid, Archocentrus multispinosus, Günther, 1867

Archocentrus spinosissimus Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902

Taxonomy

Albert Günther originally described the species in 1867 after Frederick DuCane Godman and Osbert Salvin collected specimens in Central America.[4] In 2007, the species was moved from the genus Archocentrus to a new genus, Amatitlania based on Juan Schmitter-Soto's study of Archocentus species. However, a 2008 study led by Oldrich Rican proposed moving the species in Cryptoheros and Amatitlania, including Amatitlania nigrofasciata into the genus Hypsophrys.

Female Convict Cichlid

The convict cichlid displays significant color variation across its range. Some of these regional variants are now considered different species In the cichlid-keeping hobby, Rusty Wessel collected one such fish Amatitlania siquia "Honduran Red Point" from a stream in Honduras. The Honduran Red Point Convict ranges from Atlantic Honduras south to Costa Rica. Other new species formerly included in A. nigrofasciata are:

Amatitlania coatepeque, from Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, and

Amatitlania kanna, from Panama's Atlantic coast

The type species, A. nigrofasciata, which used to cover all these species, is restricted to the northern population ranging from El Salvador to Guatemala on the Pacific coast and from Honduras to Guatemala on the Atlantic coast

A number of synonyms exist for this species including: Archocentrus nigrofasciatus, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus and Heros nigrofasciatus.

Etymology

The common name convict cichlid is, like the species name, derived from the vertical black stripes on the fishes body and their similarity to the striped prison uniforms of British convicts. Similarly, the species epithet nigrofasciatus literally means black-striped.

Description

The wild-type of the species has 8–9 black vertical bars on a blue-grey body, along with a dark blotch on the operculum. Juvenile convict cichlids are monomorphic until they reach sexual maturity. Unusually for fish, the female is more highly colored.

Convict Cichlid

The male is mostly gray with light black stripes along the body. Males are larger than females, and they have more pointed ventral, dorsal and anal fins which often extend into filaments. In addition, older males frequently develop vestigial fatty lumps on their foreheads.

She has more intense black bands across the body, and pink to orange colouration in the ventral region and on the dorsal fin. The average standard length of mature males in the wild ranged from 6.3–6.6 centimeters, while breeding–sized females ranged from 4.2–5.5 centimeters.

The maximum standard length has been reported to be 10 centimeters, with total length near 12 centimeters (4.7 in). Body weight has been reported to range from 34–36 grams (1.2–1.3 oz).

Selective breeding has resulted in a leucistic strain of convict cichlids, in which the dark barring of the wild type is absent. These are also known as white convicts, pink convicts, gold convicts and A. nigrofasciata "Kongo",. The leucistic colouration is caused by a mutation in an autosomal gene and is recessively inherited

Range and habitat

A female convict cichlid caught on a hook and line in the heated outflow of a coal power plant in Victoria, Australia.

Convict cichlids are endemic to the lakes and streams of Central America. In particular, the species occurs along the eastern coast of Central America from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and on the western coast from Honduras to Panama. Convict cichlids prefer moving water nd are most frequently found in habitats with cover in the form of rocks or sunken branches. Convict cichlids are relatively tolerant of cool water, an ability which has allowed the species to colonies volcanic lakes at elevations of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft). At four natural habitats of the convict cichlid in Costa Rica, the pH was found to range from 6.6–7.8, while GH ranged from 63 to 77 ppm CaCO3. The daily water temperature ranged from 26–29 °C (79–84 °F).

Feral populations

The species also occurs outside its natural range in Australia: in the warm effluent of power stations in Victoria, and in tropical Queensland.[21] In addition to Australia, the species has been introduced to Réunion, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and the USA.

Feeding

Close up of a male convict cichlid showing teeth

In natural habitats, the species feeds on crustaceans, small fish, insects, various worms, plants and algae. Social status and associated stress can affect digestive function in convict cichlids.

Reproduction

The species can reach sexual maturity at as young as 16 weeks, though sexual maturity more commonly occurs at 6 months. Sexually mature convicts form monogamous pairs and spawn in caves or crevices. In the wild, the fish excavate caves by moving earth from underneath large stones. Females lay the eggs on the upper or side surfaces of the cave to which they adhere.

Breeding

Like most cichlids, convicts brood (exhibit parental care of) both eggs and free-swimming fry.

After fertilization the eggs hatch after approximately 72 hours. During that time, the parents expel intruders and potential egg predators from around the nest. They also fan the eggs, moving water with their fins over the clutch to bring oxygen to the eggs. They fan the eggs both day and night, using their sense of smell to recognize the presence of the eggs in the dark, and keeping their pelvic fins in contact with the eggs to remain at the right distance for fanning. The parents also recognize each other via their sense of smell, and sniff out and react to the presence of potential predators.

Wild Caught Female Convict Cichlid w/Fry

After hatching, a further 72 hours is required for the larvae to absorb their yolk sacs and develop their fins prior to becoming free-swimming fry. While in this free swimming stage, fry forage during daylight in a dense school and return to the cave or crevice for the night. Like other cichlids, the parents also retrieve their young just before dark, sucking up three or four fry at a time into their mouth, swimming back to the nest, and spitting the young into it. The parents do this in anticipation of night arrival, using an internal time sense to know that night is approaching, as shown by laboratory experiments in which convict cichlids continued to retrieve even before nights that were not preceded by any signal such as dim light. During the night, the fry bunch up at the bottom of the cave or nest, where the parents fan them.

Both parents remain involved in guarding the fry from brood predators and engage in behaviors to assist feeding such as moving leaves or fin digging. Brood care of eggs, larvae and free-swimming juveniles in the wild can last 4–6 weeks and occurs only once per season for the majority of females. In contrast, females in aquariums are known to breed many times per year with short intervals of 12–13 days between broods, as long as suitable rocks or similar surfaces are available for them to lay their eggs on,

In captivity, breeding pairs of convict cichlids have been demonstrated to adopt similarly aged fry from other parents. In other cichlids it has been suggested this behavior may reduce predation on the fry belonging to the adoptive parents, through a dilution effect.

Aquarium care

Convict cichlids are easily maintained and bred in aquaria. Decorate the aquarium to mimic the natural environment and include rocks and artificial caves for breeding. The species is an unfussy omnivore and most types of prepared fish foods are readily accepted. The species also consumes aquatic plants. Convict cichlids are aggressively territorial during breeding and pairs are best kept alone. Brood care is reduced in aquarium strains. Due to the species' tendency to dig, external filtration is superior to undergravel filter systems. Its relatively small size, along with ease of keeping and breeding, make the convict an ideal cichlid for beginners and advanced aquarists alike interested in observing pair bonds and brood care.

References

^ "Convict and Jack Dempsey placed in new genera". Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-06-27.

^ "Archocentrus - Fish Base". Retrieved 2008-10-07.

^ Schmitter-Soto, J. (2007). Zootaxa: A systematic revision of the genus Archocentrus (Perciformes:Cichlidae), with a description of two new Genera and six new species. Magnolia Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-86977-160-7.

^ Heijns, W. (July 2009). "Central American heroine cichlids, a phylogenetic approach". Cichlid News. pp. 14–22.

^ "Archocentrus centrarchus - Fish Base". Retrieved 2008-10-07.

^ "Archocentrus multispinosus - Fish Base". Retrieved 2008-10-07.

^ "Archocentrus spinosissimus - Fish Base". Retrieved 2008-10-07.

^ a b c d e f g h Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Archocentrus nigrofasciatus" in FishBase. April 2006 version.

^ ITIS Report. "Archocentrus nigrofasciatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2007-03-30.

^ Robins CR, Bailey RM, Bond CE, Brooker JR, Lachner EA, Lea RN, Scott WB (1991) World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 21: p. 243.

^ Günther A (1866) On the fishes of the states of Central America, founded upon specimens collected in fresh and marine waters of various parts of that country by Messrs. Salvin and Godman and Capt. J. M. Dow. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 600–604.

^ a b c d "Convict and Jack Dempsey placed in new genera". Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-27.

^ Heijns, W. (July 2009). "Central American heroine cichlids, a phylogenetic approach". Cichlid News. pp. 14–22.

^ Heijns W (2001) A convict from the Volcano Cichlid Room Companion Ed. Juan Miguel Artigas Azas.

^ Azas JMA (2002) Cryptoheros, The Small Central American Cichlids Cichlid Room Companion Ed. Juan Miguel Artigas Azas.

^ Wessel R (2006) The Honduran Red Point: A beautiful blue convict-type species from Honduras Tropical Fish Hobbyist 54: 104–106.

^ Borstein R (2005) Archocentrus sp. "Honduran Red Point" Greater Chicago Cichlid Association

^ Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.. "Archocentrus nigrofasciatus, synonyms". FishBase. Retrieved 2007-03-30.

^ a b Juan Miguel Artigas Azas. "Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus (Günther, 1867)". The Cichlid Room Companion. Retrieved 2007-03-30.

^ Innes, William (1966). Exotic Aquarium Fishes. p. 395.

^ a b c d e f g Wisenden BD (1995) Reproductive behavior of free-ranging convict cichlids, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum Environmental Biology of Fishes 43: 121–134.

^ a b c d e f Riehl, Rüdiger. Editor.; Baensch, HA (1996. 5th Edn.). Aquarium Atlas. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 3-88244-050-3.

^ a b c d e Sands D (1994) A fishkeepers guide to Central American cichlids. Tetra Press. Belgium pg 59–60.

^ Kullander, S.O., 2003. Cichlidae (Cichlids). p. 605-654. In: R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.

^ Itzkovich J, Rothbard S, Hulata G (1981) Inheritance of pink body colouration in cichlasoma nigrofasciatum Günther (Pisces, Cichlidae). Genetica 55: 15–16.

^ Conkel, D (1993) Cichlids of North and Central America T.F.H. Publications, Inc., USA.

^ a b c d Loiselle, Paul V. (1995). The Cichlid Aquarium. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 1-56465-146-0.

^ Koehn JD, MacKenzie RF (2004) Priority management actions for alien freshwater fish species in Australia. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 38: 457–472.

^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named http:.2F.2Ftw.news.yahoo.com.2F.25E4.25B9.259D.25E9.2596.2593.25E9.25AD.259A.25E5.25A3.2593.25E5.25A2.2583-.25E6.2581.2590.25E6.2588.2590.25E6.2597.25A5.25E6.259C.2588.25E6.25BD.25AD.25E6.259C.2580.25E5.25BC.25B7.25E5.258B.25A2.25E5.25A4.2596.25E4.25BE.2586.25E7.25A8.25AE-203525543.html; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text

^ Yamamoto MN, Tagawa AW (2000) Hawai'i's native and exotic freshwater animals. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii. p. 200

^ Page LM, Burr BM (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. p. 432

^ Earley RL, Blumer LS, Grober MS (2004) The gall of subordination: changes in gall bladder function associated with social stress Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 271: 7–13.

^ Keenleyside MHA (1991) Parental Care. In: Cichlid Fishes: behavior, ecology and evolution Chapman and Hall, London. p. 191-208.

^ Reebs, S.G., and Colgan, P.W., 1991, Nocturnal care of eggs and circadian rhythms of fanning activity in two normally diurnal cichlid fishes, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum and Herotilapia multispinosa, Animal Behavior 41: 303–311

^ Reebs, S.G., and Colgan, P.W., 1992, Proximal cues for nocturnal egg care in convict cichlids, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, Animal Behavior 43: 209–214.

^ Reebs, S.G., 1994, Nocturnal mate recognition and nest guarding by female convict cichlids (Pisces, Cichlidae: Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum), Ethology 96: 303–312

^ Noakes DLG (1991) Ontogeny of behavior in cichlids. In: Cichlid Fishes: behavior, ecology and evolution Chapman and Hall, London. p. 209-224.

^ Wisenden BD (1994) Factors affecting male mate desertion in the bi parental cichlid fish (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) in Costa Rica. Behavioral Ecology 5: 439–447.

^ Reebs, S.G., 1994, The anticipation of night by fry-retrieving convict cichlids, Animal Behavior 48: 89–95.

^ Lavery, R.J., and Reebs, S.G., 1994, Effect of mate removal on current and subsequent parental care in the convict cichlid (Pisces: Cichlidae), Ethology 97: 265–277.

^ Wisenden DB (1993) Female convict cichlids adjust gonadal investment in current reproduction in response to relative risk of brood predation. Canadian Journal of Zoology 71: 252–256.

^ Espmark Y, Knudsen T (2001) Intraspecific brood adoption in the convict cichlid with respect to fry of two color morphs Journal of Fish Biology 59: 504–514.

^ Nelson CTJ, Elwood RW (1997) Parental state and offspring recognition in the bi parental cichlid fish Pelvicachromis pulcher. Animal Behavior 54: 803–809.

^ Mills D, Vevers G (1989) The Tetra encyclopedia of freshwater tropical aquarium fishes. Tetra Press, New Jersey.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Wolf cichlid -parachromis, dovii, guapote, rainbow bass,


Wolf Cichlid- parachromis, dovii

Wolf Cichlid a fish by any other name this fish is called parachromis dovii, Dovii, Parachromis, Guapote, Leopard Cichlid or sport fishermen refer to this cichlid as Rainbow Bass or the Gold Bass. The name Dovii is paradoxical regarding this fish as it name implies means peace dove the Wolf Cichlid is not peaceful fish. The Wolf is playful, curious, and intelligent; this is one of the few cichlids that can be trained to be hand fed. In the areas where this cichlid is naturally occurring they are usually referred to as guapote (guapote blanco) or lagunero in Spanish and as rainbow or gold bass in English speaking regions all these names are describing just one fish and that is the wolf cichlid or in the US they are usually refereed to as dovii.

The wolf cichlid is one of the largest growing of the cichlidae family; The dovii is somewhat similar in appearance to the jaguar cichlid (Parachromis managuensis), however the dovii is larger and stockier, and a dark, solid, unbroken band runs horizontally thought the flank of the fish; in contrast jaguar cichlid possesses a series of large spots along the flank. Base color of the Wolf cichlid is gold, and well-kept specimens will take on a beautiful lavender color. They have random black spots all over their body and the young juveniles are gold with a black horizontal stripe.

Big and mean best describes this wolf cichlid. Dovii are known for their aggression, so tank mates need to compete with their temperament and size. It is recommended that these fish are kept in a large species tank with no tank mates to avoid issues. They will eat anything small enough to fit in their mouth, and will not hesitate to beat or kill more docile tank mates.

Feed pellets, frozen foods like silversides and krill, and earthworms on occasion. This fish is a substrate spawners. Wolf Cichlids are widely regarded as one of the most vicious cichlids available to aquarists; though many specimens may not live up to this reputation they are still considered wolf cichlid as extremely, strong and powerful cichlid with winning personality.

Breeding can be achieved with very little effort and no specific requirements are needed for breeding purposes. As long as water conditions are maintained at a desirable high quality, I use nitrates denitrator freshwater filtering systems in my opinion this type of filter is worth every penny what we as hobbyists fail to mention is the nitrate filter will greatly reduce the need for water changes in your fish tanks, saving you time, money, and reducing the stress on your Wolf Cichlids a breeding pair of such fish will readily spawn. The aquarium must be large 250 minimum to 500 gallon for a breeding pair of wolf cichlids. As with all members of its genus, these fish are large and heavily built cichlids that produce large amounts of body waste.

dovii Breeding/Reproduction

The Wolf Cichlid or Dovii Cichlid has been bred in captivity. They are substrate spawners and both parents will care for the young. When a pair is formed out of a group, the male should not be too hard on the female. Often times a male will excessively beat up on the female. In this case a divider with the bottom open just large enough to let the eggs be fertilized would be needed.

The female will lay over 1,000 of eggs that hatch in 5 days. The fry are free swimming in a few more days. The young can eat baby brine and other meaty preparations, and offer larger sized foods as they grow. Sort the fry by size as they grow as well, or the larger siblings will eat the smaller ones. The Wolf Cichlid is sexually mature at 10 to 14 months and will spawn about every 4 weeks.

To enhance the likelihood of acquiring a breeding pair, purchase several healthy very young and active juveniles at a young age (between 1” -2”) and grow these specimens until sexual maturity. Generally, you should have at least two breeding pairs. These fish will noticeably become more aggressive and territorial, Remove all other fish at this point and keep the newly formed breeding pair separate.

When a breeding pair had been successfully established, the male will begin to court the female by displaying his erect finnage to the female as he tries to impress her in an attempt for her to accept his mating invitation. The pair will begin to clean a flat surface if the female is responsive of the male's previous courting behavior. The female will then lay approximately 1000 - 2000 orange colored eggs which will then be fertilized by the male wolf cichlid.

The eggs will be vigorously guarded by both Dovii, parents and the amount of parental care is always shown to the eggs as well as the fry. When the eggs 'hatch' after approximately 5 -7 days as you can see in the video, both parents fan the eggs, the eggs should hatch after about 4 days into what we call "wrigglers"; the offspring (known as wrigglers in this stage in development) wrigglers cannot swim, consequently the name, and the wigglers do not need to be fed, because each wriggler has a yolk sac attached to their stomach and the wigglers feed off their yolk sack.

The wriggler stage lasts approximately 5 days, after which the fry become free swimming. Further it is not uncommon for one or both wolf parents will often transport the young into pre dug pits and are guarded the pit and again dig another pit and move the young again. Once the fry only become free swimming you will need to start feeding the fry; the best thing to feed the fry is frozen baby brine shrimp and quality high protein pellets ground to fine powder.

The fry will begin to swim in approximately 7 days and should be fed with baby brine shrimp or alike. If you would like to rear these fry, they should be removed at this point as they will later be consumed by both parents as the female becomes due to spawn once more. Feed the fry baby brine shrimp until the stage where they are large enough to consume white worm, daphnia and other live foods.

When you purchase your young wolf fish in an attempt to acquire a breeding pair, try to buy fish from different sources. There is a high probability that when buying fish from the same source, fish will be from the same parents (siblings). Breeding fish in this manner may form offspring with genetic disorders usually associated with interbreeding; always buy your young wolf fish are of a similar size.

dovii Aquarium

The aquarium should be large (250 gallons or 947.35295 liters or 500 gallons or 1892.7059 liters) for a breeding pair of wolf cichlids. As with all members of this genus, these fish are large and heavily built cichlids that are aggressive and highly territorial. Decor could be kept to a minimum in such an aquarium and sand or fine gravel should be used as the main substrate. If you desire some landscaping either glue rock together or use a very large flower pots placed on it side if you want to include caves for female Dovii; for the substrate use many pieces of flat slate or rock should also be included for the female to lay her eggs upon; remember this fish is a digger and prefers to rearrange their habit. Include large moss balls or ping pond balls this is highly intelligent fish and suffer from extreme curiosity and boredom always leads to aggression.

wolf cichlid Care and Feeding

The wolf cichlid or dovii is a carnivore, a predator that feeds on primarily other smaller fish, along with crustaceans and insects in the wild. In the aquarium they can have a pellet base foods but must be supplemented with fish, shrimp, earthworms, and other meaty foods; they prefer floating foods according to one fish keeper. Consider only feeding them frozen, since live fish can carry disease, unless you are willing to grow a ton of feeders on your own.

Keep in mind that giving them live foods makes them much more aggressive naturally. Fed them no more than 3 times a day and feed them only enough food they can eat in 5 minutes. Then do not feed them for 1.5 to 2 days once every other week this is the same as in the wild. Further this will keep the water quality higher over a longer time. All fish require vitamins and supplements added to their foods.

Remember this is a big cichlid that requires a lot of free swimming space, a tank of over 120 gallons is suggested for their long term care. Ideally 150 gallons for a female and 200 gallons for a male should be provided and over 300 gallons if you attempt to breed them. They need good water movement along with strong and efficient filtration. The female wolf cichlid requires and needs many hiding places to protect herself from the male wolf cichlid.

Provide lots of rocks, bog wood and tunnels to dig under with sandy or fine gravel substrate. Put large heavy rocks on the glass, not on the substrate because they dig under everything and falling rocks can crack your glass aquarium and scratch your acrylic tank. Glue desired rock formations together or your Wolf Cichlid will have other plans for your perfectly placed rock tower, just leave some rocks and stuff for them to move that where the large moss ball and ping pong balls come in; Decorating with tough plants is also possible, though strong light levels can cause algae growth. Do water changes of Water changes of 20 - 40% up to twice a week, give or take depending on your water quality.

dovii Diet

The Parachromis are not fussy eaters and will readily accept most food substances offered. Cichlid pellets are a good daily food. Diet should be varied however. Offer a variety of insect, including white worms, crickets (for larger specimens). Chopped meat can also be offered along with frozen finely chopped chicken no bones, frozen halibut, frozen salmon, frozen krill, small/medium silkworms are for medium and large aquarium fish of all types of cichlids excellent for Oscars, Cichlids, Large Angelfish, Barbs and many more; according to many animal experts, Silkworms are one of the healthiest insects you can feed your fish and other pets. Silkworms are low in fat content, are a high source of Calcium, Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Sodium and Vitamins B1, B2, and B3. Silkworms; do provide the essential variety required to maintain healthy cichlids. but never beef heart (due to its high fat content) along with prawn, wheat germ, Hikari Tropical Food Sticks and high quality pellet carnivore food.

Supplement your meat-eating fish's diet with this complete nutritional package. Carnivore diets generally lack a lot of necessary elements. Food Sticks fill in the remaining gaps by providing a full assortment of essential vitamins and minerals to promote health and enhance coloration and (/frozen) Silversides frozen fish. Frozen fish is a much preferred method of feeding fish as many "feeder fish" carry the risk of the introducing disease into your aquarium, possibly harming your breeding wolf cichlid. I can speak to this I feed my Moray Ells and my Ribbon Ells feeder fish and approximately year they would die when I stopped feeding (feeder fish) to my ells and only frozen fish I’m happy to say they are doing fine and are now approximately eight year old.

Sexing

Females tend to be smaller than males but in some cases can grow just as big or as bigger than their spawn mates. The gold/yellow coloration is more prominent in the females, especially during courtship, breeding and raising fry. The male's dorsal and ventral fins are also much more elongated than the female's. Males tend to have more spots and will take on a beautiful lavender color comport varies on individual females or males and situations but aggression is usually to be expected during courtship and spawning periods.

Water chemistry

pH of 7.0 - 8.0 preferably;

Temperature of 23.9-27.8°C (75 -82 °F)

Water Hardness 15-20 °d

Stocking Ratio

1:1 M:F

Size of Wolf Cichlid

65-72 cm (25.6-30.") This fish grows to a length of 30" (72 cm).

Diet

Carnivore

Pellet Foods

Flake Foods

Live Food

Life Span Wolf Cichlid

8-12 years

Wild Wolf Cichlid Habitat

Central America

Family

Cichlidae

Parachromis dovii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parachromis dovii

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Cichlidae

Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae

Genus: Parachromis

Species: P. dovii

Binomial name

Parachromis dovii

(Günther, 1864)

Infection/Diseases

The dovii cichlids are subject to infections as well as other diseases that ail all freshwater fish. One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturer’s suggestions. A copper test can be used to keep the proper levels. You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication treatment. Intestinal disease can be treated with metronidazol.

Wolf Cichlid Water Region: Top, Middle or Bottom: These fish will swim in the middle areas of the aquarium.

Social Behaviors: This is not a community fish, it is a predator that is territorial and aggressive and even more aggressive when spawning. The Wolf Cichlid can be kept alone, or as a mated pair. Other Wolf Cichlids in the tank will be killed by the dominant male.

This fish can only be kept with larger fish that have the same temperament and cannot be swallowed. The Wolf Cichlid will even try to consume a larger fish that is mellower than it by ripping it to pieces if it cannot swallow it whole. The mixed aquarium must be hundreds of gallons with rocks used to form natural territory borders and lots of hiding places for the other fish. It is not suggested to house them with any other fish and they are best served in a species specific tank. If you live in a warm area, they can be kept in a pond.

Sexual Differences: Males are larger, and the females are mostly yellow.

Availability: The Wolf Cichlid or Dovii Cichlid are sometimes available online and sometimes in fish stores. They will run about $10.00 USD for 2” very young dovii juveniles and if you raise dovii you too should sell at 1.5" to 2".

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Nitrate Balancing Act

Nitrates are a by-product of nitrite from the temporary bacteria and fungus i.e. algae union of two bacterial cells during which one cell transfers part or all of its genome to the other during the latter stages of the nitrogen cycle, and will be present to some degree in all aquariums.

Debris created from decaying plant material or food, dirty filters, over-feeding, fish over-stocking the aquarium, water tempter the hotter the water temperature the lower the oxygen level in the water; lights help produce algae all these things contribute to increased production of nitrates.

Filters will prevent the nitrogen cycle from getting out of balance.

Nitrates and Algae

Elevated nitrates are a significant contributor to undesirable algae growth. Nitrate levels as low as 10 ppm will promote algae growth. Algae blooms in newly setup tanks are usually due to elevated nitrate levels. Plants utilize nitrates, if nitrates rise faster than the plants can use them, the plants can become overgrown with algae, ultimately leading to the plants failure.

Nitrates and Water

Before adding water to your aquarium test your tap water for nitrates so you know if your tap water nitrates levels are unusually high in your water source. Unfortunately water used to fill the aquarium often has nitrates in it; in the United States, your drinking water may have nitrates as high as 40 ppm. If nitrates are above 10 ppm, you must use other water sources that are free of nitrates.

Desired Level

In nature nitrates remain very low, generally well below 5 ppm. In freshwater aquariums nitrates should be kept below 40 pm at all times, preferably below 25 ppm. If you are breeding fish or you are battling algae growth, keep nitrates below 10 ppm.

How to Reduce Nitrates

Unlike ammonia and nitrites, the bacteria that remove nitrates do not like oxygen rich environments. Therefore, conventional filters do not harbor the bacteria that remove nitrates. Although special filters do exist and they will remove nitrates, such devices are usually expensive compared to other filtration units; nitrates denitrator freshwater filtering systems in my opinion this type of filter is worth every penny what we fail to mention is nitrate filter will greatly reduce the need for water changes in your fish tanks, saving you time, money, and reducing the stress on your aquarium fish. However, there are steps you can take immediately to keep nitrates at lower levels.

Keep your aquarium clean – Waste, algae ultimately produces nitrates; the cleaner your aquarium the fewer nitrates are produced.

Overfeeding your fish – Feed your fish only enough food that the fish can consume in 5 minutes after five minutes use your net to fish out any food that has not been eaten. Overfeeding is a significant contributor to excess nitrates and other undesirable wastes; such as phosphates.

Water changes – Performing weekly 20% regular water changes with water that has little or no nitrates will lower the overall nitrate level in the tank. RO/DI water system is another choice for keeping nitrate levels low.

Always keep live plants – Live plants utilize nitrates, and will help keep nitrates in check.

Use nitrogen removing filter media – Instead of denitrator or special filter, use special media in the filter you have. Although they will not lower nitrates dramatically, if used together with other methods the net result will be beneficial

The significance of nitrates in the aquarium is arguably less understood by fish keepers than the effect of ammonia and nitrites. Although nitrates are not directly lethal in the way ammonia or nitrites are, over time high levels of nitrate have a negative effect on fish, plants and the aquarium environment in general.

Effect on Fish

Fish will feel the impact of nitrates by the time the levels reach 100 ppm, particularly if levels remain there. The resulting stress leaves the fish more susceptible to disease and inhibits their ability to reproduce; if you are trying to breed your fish you absolutely have to keep the nitrate levels low.

High nitrate levels are in particular harmful to fry and young immature fish; further it will affect their growth. Furthermore, conditions that cause elevated nitrates always cause decreased oxygen levels in the water which further stress the fish or kills them.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Iranocichla hormuzensis Iran, Asian Cichlid

Iranocichla hormuzensis Iran Cichlid

In pursuit of rare fish scarcity does not necessarily translate into a species being difficult or interesting to maintain; if you are fortunate to possess a group of the uncommon and fascinating cichlid like Iranocichla hormuzensis.

Your first challenge will undoubtedly be locating Iranocichla hormuzensis and once you have found Iranocichla hormuzensis take a picture or post to you tube as cichlid picture or pictures tropical fish; breeding-Iranocichla hormuzensis will be discouraging;Iranocichla hormuzensis.

Collecting Iranocichla hormuzensis Iran Cichlid

Iranocichla hormuzensis is the only cichlid found in Iran and is the lone member of the genus (monotypic). It is a maternal mouthbrooder with an extremely limited range along the southern coast of Iran being restricted to rivers draining into the Strait of Hormuz.

The word "river" can be misleading as you have seen in pictures of this species being collected in ankle deep water flowing at a snail's pace. Every waterway seems to be slightly different, ranging in width from 1-50 meters. Often the streams will experience diminished flow rates and will settle into pools.

Some years the pools may have fish and others they do not. The parameters of the water of its habitat vary wildly in regards to both salinity and temperature. This is a large portion of the challenge in keeping this fish.

Normally when you learn a fish comes from a system of fluctuating measurements and associate it with a species that is easy to keep and a little bit more tolerant of the water when what we put into their tanks isn't perfect.

The challenge is not in the daily maintenance of Iranocichla hormuzensis but in matching those conditions when trying to induce spawning. These waterways have not been studied as extensively as most leaving many gaps in regards to addressing their water quality needs.

A large portion of the terrain in close proximity to these rivers, consist of salt domes. This can cause to the water to be highly saline. Consequently, any influx of freshwater into the system will cause the salinity level to fluctuate. These are mostly small bodies of water and I would consider the conditions to be anything but stable. In addition, the water found in several oases where this fish is found, consists of pure fresh water.

Notice I. hormuzensis teeth

If challenging water conditions were not enough, the area is exposed to extreme temperature changes. Winter temperatures range from 12-30 C while in summer this environment can swell up to 44+ C. Unlike many of the waterways associated with other cichlids, there is very little vegetation along the banks to provide any shade. This combined with the reduced water levels in the summer make for tough living.

When discussions concerning the state of the fish in its native waterways with several people, including several prominent ichthyologists. Some think the fish is in serious peril because farmers are using the water for irrigation and industrialization of the region.

Iranocichla hormuzensis Fin Coloring

The other camp maintains that the fish is not at any greater risk than they previously faced based on limited distribution and tough environmental conditions. The thought process is that the region is so undesirable and desolate that it has escaped the industrialization found elsewhere. Without treatment, the water is too salty to be used for farming. We have not heard much middle ground and the opinions seem to be far apart.

Iranocichla hormuzensis is an absolutely stunning fish when it matures. Iranocichla hormuzensis is relatively small at a maximum length of about 4". While somewhat undersized, it possesses a very stout body.

Juveniles are slightly elongated and one can clearly see the convex shape of the head developing early on. At this point, any hints of future coloration are non-existent. The young maintain a silver-green coloration with no pigmentation in the fins. Iranocichla hormuzensis their body exhibits 7- 11 vertical bars that become less obvious as the fish matures.

Iranocichla hormuzensis dorsal fin contains an easily recognizable tilapia spot. In the description of the species, it is stated that males can be differentiated from females by a greater head length, larger pelvic fins, and greater interorbital width, but frankly I was unable to accurately sex these fish until they began to display certain behavior and color changes and when looking closely, you will begin to notice white spots on the silver fish.

Slowly the male begins to exhibit darkening shades of gray until it appears as a light black. When in breeding dress, the male is intensely black with white and turquoise iridescent spots scattered throughout the body and caudal fin and there are no spots on either the anal or pelvic fins; further the dorsal contains some spots, and has white banding that occurs in the otherwise black fin.

Speckling on the body begins behind the gill plate while the cranial region is black. If you look at other images and read through some of the limited source material available, you will find that males also appear with a black body and a brick-red lower side along with the bottom portion of the jaw.

The species description mentions both of these variants without further elaboration on potential reasons for the differences. It could be diet, water condition, or locale variants, but all of this is simply non validated speculation. As additional taxonomic work is done with this cichlid you can fill some of the gaps in your knowledge base.

The females maintain the silver coloration and vertical barring and seem to darken a little bit but it is just very light gray without all the spotting. Unlike the males, the tilapia spot is easily seen in the females. The differentiation in hues of the females to a swaggering male makes could make a stunning display.

Iranocichla

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iranocichla

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Cichlidae

Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae

Tribe: Tilapiini

Genus: Iranocichla

Coad, 1982

Species: Iranocichla hormuzensis (Coad, 1982)

Iranocichla hormuzensis is a species of mouthbrooding fish from the cichlid family. It is the only member of its genus, and reaches a length of about 10 centimetres (3.9 in).[1] It is restricted to freshwater and brackish habitats in southern Iran. It is the only species of cichlid native to this country, and among the few cichlids native to Asia. Although it has not been rated by the IUCN, some authorities believe it is highly threatened.

^ a b Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006); Species of Iranocichla- in FishBase; April 2006 version.

Stub icon: This tilapiine cichlid-related article is a stub. Iranocichla hormuzensis (Coad, 1982)

By Dave Hansen

I acquired my "group" of fish in November 2007. I say group, but it was only four individuals. This is a species I had been chasing for a number of years and was always near the top of my "must have" list.

I was appreciative to obtain Iranocichla hormuzensis, but will admit only having four individuals made me feel a little nervous. I was unsure of how to maintain them so this really didn't give me very much room for error.

Iranocichla hormuzensis had just been released from the mother about 7 days previous to them coming into my possession and were extremely tiny. When I first gazed into the bag I couldn't even see the fry at all. I poured the contents of the bag into a coffee cup hoping it would be easier to see them. I made out 4 sets of tiny black eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

I am not a scientist and the idea of playing chemist with water parameters had me a bit anxious. The key factor I was trying to determine was the salt content of the water. I had a couple of weeks to prep and enrolled the help of my fellow fish geek, Nick Andreola, to figure out how I was going to set the tank up.

The actual physical setup was easy; I prepared a 113 liter long as I would for any other cichlid I had maintained. I used a slightly oversized hang on the back filter and because I knew the fish were small I used a sponge over the intake tube to keep from siphoning them up into it.

Further I employed pool filter sand as the substrate and dotted it with several medium size pieces of holey rock and tied in some artificial silk plants. These fish are accustomed to warm water, so I submerged a heater into the tank and set the thermostat for 23C.

I filled the tank with water and looked at the volume of water and said to myself, "now what?" I had done as much research as possible on the specific waterways where these fish were found and as I mentioned earlier it varies wildly.

Even if I had exact readings, I had no idea how that would actually be executed in the tank. Nick was on the case though. I had total confidence he would figure this out for me. He called me to discuss and after listening to him explain in great detail; I had no idea what he was talking about. I don't think Stephen Hawking would know what he was talking about!

Nick had a mouthful of equations and numbers and you need this measuring device and oh by the way do you have access to an electron smasher? Maybe I added the last part, but this was giving me a headache. If these fish can't survive in my tank how in the heck will they avoid disappearing in the wild?

I hung up with Nick and told him I would call him later after I absorbed his information. Hopefully he isn't still sitting by the phone. It took a little longer than it should have, but I decided to reach out to the few other hobbyists I knew of who had kept them to uncover their maintenance secrets.

I asked three people and got three different answers. One of them kept them in pure freshwater, another said a large soup spoon of salt per gallon, and the other said a small palm worth per gallon.

Great, what are your local tap water conditions; what size are the soup spoons in Europe, and how big are your hands? After fretting over this for a couple of weeks I decide I will use a soup spoon worth of salt per gallon.

I went to grab a spoon from the drawer and my wife asked what I was doing. I went into great detail to demonstrate how smart I was and I was using this spoon to salt the tank. "You are not using one of my nice spoons for your tanks" was her reply. She handed me a tablespoon from an old cutlery set and said I could have that one. So after weeks of research and discussion I am using a tablespoon of salt per gallon.

I had the tank prepared for a week before I received the fish. Once they were in my hands I slowly acclimated them to their home. I was in my fishroom constantly, checking on, and trying to count the four of them. I was never able to get above three and lost the one very early on and this kicked my stress level up a notch.

The fish has an elongated intestinal tract consistent with an algae based diet (Lamboj, pers comm.). I fed crushed spirulina flake for quite some time. Growth was slow, but they were growing and I considered this was a positive sign and of course during this point it came time to do my first water change.

I drained about 30% of the tank into a bucket and then poured the bucket into a gallon milk jug to precisely measure how much water I had taken out of the tank. I was determined to replace the salt content grain for grain. Half the water ended up on the floor as I was pouring it into the milk jugs.

Iranocichla hormuzensis was my first foray into any type of fishkeeping involving salt and it wasn't going well. I have had prouder moments in the hobby than this disaster in the making.

Water was seeping all over the floor and I had no idea how much salt to replenish. Keep in mind how difficult the conditions are that these fish exist in the wild and this makes all of this obsessing bordering on silly.

I was living in the moment though and determined to do this right. In hindsight I am sure a little less/more salt wouldn't have bothered them much. I now use guesstimation and mix some salt and water into a bucket to fill the tank back up.

I mixed it well and proceeded to siphon the water into the tank from the bucket. The bucket was empty. I looked in the pail and 90% of the salt had stayed in the bottom of the bucket. I walked over and shut the door to the fishroom; I didn't need my family witnessing this spectacle.

I grabbed the hose and went about filling the tank back up. I reached for the spoon, estimated what I needed to get close, and called it good. I attentively watched the fish for the next couple of hours waiting for them to keel over from the shock to their system they must surely have been experiencing.

Amazingly they survived their first water change; subsequent water changes went much smoother and I operated under the motto, "What doesn't kill them only makes them stronger". I drained the water, added dechlor, and slowly filled the water up and added salt as I was filling and it worked fine; as I discovered while tinkering with water parameters, these fish appear to be extremely hardy.

I had no false illusions that this trio would be breeding anytime soon. The dialogue I had developed with the other hobbyists, keeping I. hormuzensis was a wonderful source of information.

It would be around 24 months before I could expect them to breed. I was concentrating on maintaining healthy fish while focused on water changes and feeding. Three fish in a 113 liter tank was not taxing the filtration system at all, but I performed a rigorous schedule of 30% weekly water changes.

In addition to the spirulina flake I introduced algae tabs and the occasional protein flake which were greedily consumed. The fish were putting on size and aggression was not yet an issue.

Despite no dithers or target fish in the aquarium they were not a shy species at all. I enjoyed watching them slowly develop. After a year, one of the individuals began transforming from silver to a light gray. Over a few months the coloration became a darker and darker gray until eventually the body was light black and the speckling became a bit more prominent during this time frame as well.

There were still no signs of real aggression but this developing male had one side of the tank to himself and the other two tended to keep to the other side. All three would move freely without any aggression issues but the tendency of the group was to stay on their own sides.

The male was really coming into his own in regards to his coloration and was now in full bloom. This did not translate into any courting behavior though. Several months went by and the other two fish were starting to spar somewhat. As time drew on, a full out battle between the two females ensued. The two females spent several weeks rushing at each other and jaw locking. I was observing this closely as I could not afford to lose any of the fish. Despite the battle royal no visible damage was being done to either fish. Eventually this activity subsided and one of the females was now hanging out with the male in his rock pile.

By no means were they exhibiting pairing behavior, but were definitely getting along enough to allow each other in the same area. The other fish stayed in her half of the tank. I have not seen any fighting between those two since that one frenzied period.

The male was now in breeding coloration at all times and could be seen displaying to the female often. He would sashay across the tank and court the other female as well. This went on for several weeks before I actually witnessed a female with buccal cavity full of eggs.

Over several months I had a female holding three times and never more than a week. The next time it happened I decided I would strip the eggs and tumble them. Unfortunately there has not been a next time. While the male has maintained his vibrant hues and occasionally shimmies up to a female, there has been almost zero courting behavior.

More time passes I determine it is time to start tinkering with some water parameters to see if I can trigger a spawning. The nervousness I exhibited a couple of years ago is now gone and I am not too concerned about playing mad scientist.

Many fish will spawn during a rainy season because they have learned that along with the rain come enhanced food sources. The first thing I do is to slowly lower the salt content in the tank.

Once lowered, I would maintain it for at least a month. By the time I have tweaked it down as far as I felt comfortable with; the salt levels were about 25% of the original quantity. This wasn't working.

Next I varied the diet and begin feeding mosquito larvae I was collecting in a bucket outside. I also increased the frequency of the protein flake. With little effect, I tried a different brand of food, again, with no luck.

The next factor to alter was temperature. I began by lowering the temperature of the heater and eventually turned it off. The lowest temperature the water reached was about 18C.

I also proceeded to alter the salt content again as I was experimenting with the temperature. Once this failed to trigger any responses I began to crank the temperature up and had the heater up to 31C before deciding not to go any higher.

I will admit while I was frustrated it was an enjoyable challenge as well. These fish were making me work to entice a spawning and I was having fun trying to outsmart them. After many months of this I still had nothing as far as spawns, but still had 3 healthy fish that appeared no worse for wear.

I reached out to a friend who wasn't having any luck and he was able to pass along 4 females from his group all in the name of getting this species to breed. While there has been increased courting behavior only one spawn has been witnessed and it was aborted several days later.

The shifting of parameters has resumed and different variations are being attempted. I have a friend who has proven he can spawn almost anything. He lives close by and we have moved the fish over to his house so he is working with them as well. It is more important to me to achieve a spawn and be able to share these fish than it is to keep them in my fishroom just for the sake of having them.

The slightly alarming sequel to my story is that most of the other known groups in captivity have stopped spawning and no one is producing any fry.

Iranocichla hormuzensis has been the most challenging fish I have kept to date and I am as enthusiastic today about them as I was when I was lucky enough to obtain them. It is an absolutely stunning fish that would be the highlight of any collection.

I hope the attempts to spawn this fish are successful and more people will get the opportunity to enjoy them. This will only lead to more awareness of a beautiful cichlid and assist in expanding our knowledge base.

http://www.aquapress-bleher.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=400&Itemid=1

Testers

Multi-Parameter | pH | Conductivity | TDS | ORP | Salinity | Temperature

Pocket-sized, hand-held testers give accurate measurements for a variety of applications. Good for

Plating
Water conditioning
Boiler/cooling water
Lakes and rivers
Food processing
much much more!

Multi-Parameter Tester

No need to switch meters every time you switch parameters.
This tester measures pH, Conductivity, TDS, Salinity and Temperature with one versatile pocket-sized meter!

Oakton® Meter, Multi-Parameter
$182.00

pH Testers

pH testers for quick, easy, accurate measurements


pH Pocket Pal Tester $62.99	Oakton« pH TESTR™ 10 $98.05	Oakton« pH Eco Testr™ 2 $68.89	H-Series H138 Elite miniLab ISFET pH Meter with Calibration Buffer Set $299.00	H-Series H135 Professional miniLab ISFET pH Meter with Calibration Buffer Set $249.00	H-Series H130 One-Point miniLab ISFET pH Meter with Calibration Buffer Set $199.00

Conductivity Testers

Quick, Reliable Conductivity Testers


Oakton« Conductivity Testr™ High Range, 0-19.90MS/CM, OAKTON $66.25	Oakton« Conductivity Testr™ Low Range, 0-1990US/CM $66.25	Conductivity Tester, Pocket Pal™ $72.25

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) Testers

Quick, reliable TDS testers for a wide range of applications


Oakton« Total Dissolved Solids Eco Testr™, Low Range, 0-1990 PPM $66.25	Oakton« Total Dissolved Solids Eco Testr™, High Range, 0-10.00 PPT $66.25	Pocket Pal TDS Tester (10-1990 TDS) $72.25