Dwarfs and Kigoma's

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 04 Mar 2005, 03:29

All are syno petricolas...

First question.
At what size do dwarfs need to be before they will breed?

Second Question.
I have a 72gallon tank (4 foot) with 1f/3m dwarfs, and other cichlids. I would like to take the female and one of the males and put them in a different tank. That tank currently has 1f/1m WC Kigoma's. I was wondering if I could move the Kigomas in with the 2 male dwarfs in the 72? I am not worried about any inbreeding as I wouldnt keep those fry even if they survived. I have another tank setup for breeding a different pair of Kigomas, the ones I want to move are extras that I plan on switching out with the breeding pair to vary the bloodline, if they decide to breed.

So, would 2 male dwarfs work in a 4' tank with 1f/1m Kigoma's?

Thank you.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 04 Mar 2005, 12:27

don't do it.

they'll mix allright, but will color up; and after a while it is very difficult to see the difference.

and IF your Kigoma's breed and the dwarfs interfere (or dump their semen in as well) it would be a terrible shame to waste a breeding effort!

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 04 Mar 2005, 14:05

thanx sid

I think I am gonna have to do it though. The WC kigomas are around 4" ro 5" and heavily spotted and the dwarfs are only around 2" with very few irregular spots. They will only be in there for a few months until I get another tank setup. Or would it be better to put the one female and three males into a breeding setup, would the males get along? then the 2 kigomas would have the 72 to themselves.

I have tank that is setup for breding the kigomas that I have pair in there right now, just trying to condition the female, but she is not eating well.

I am converting another tank into a breeding setup for a pair of dwarfs.

But, at what size will dwarfs start to breed?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 04 Mar 2005, 14:43

if they are that different, it's OK, but don't be surprised if the big male Kigomas starts to kick the small dwarf males's butt in a fairly fanatic way!

they can have a temper; those WC true petricola's.....

about breeding size; it's more breeding age; regardless what size; most dwarfs begin to make attempts when they pass 3-4 years, but the results get much better with older animals; they breed very well once they're say 5 or 6 or even 12 years old.

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 04 Mar 2005, 15:14

so do you think 1 female and 3 male dwarfs would be alright together in a 20gallon with lots of caves and one marble setup?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 05 Mar 2005, 17:41

20G is small.....

I've been doing that, and they refused to spawn, period!
despite being very very gravid.....
they really like to swim and chase, and need ample room to do so; I should set up at least a 40-50G; then it's much more likely you get spawning.

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 06 Mar 2005, 16:15

sid

I know you said a 20g is to small and that you had no luck using a 20g, but I decidced to try. I put them in their last night and now this morning there are eggs in the breeder net. Now the question is, will they hatch. I will soon find out.

caught1 · Post by **caught1** » 06 Mar 2005, 22:13

Good luck with the eggs,possible to do in a 20 but larger is always better.I have found that getting the eggs is the easy part keepping them alive and reach a good size to be the hard part.Seems many die even after hatching unless everything is just perfect.

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 06 Mar 2005, 22:20

all the eggs are a creamy yellowish white color...

does this mean they are no good?

I read somewhere that they are clear, yet I have seen pictures of off white colored eggs as in the profile for petricols, its hard to tell but they really dont look clear...

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 07 Mar 2005, 10:25

white eggs are bad newws, alas

the next thing you'll notice is them getting hairy.

they should be clear, like glass; even the tiny fry are transparant (wich makes sense, since being transparant is a very good camouflage)

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 07 Mar 2005, 13:54

I guess either they didnt get fertilized or not enough airation...

They werent even in this tank for 12 hours when I found the eggs. How long does it take for the eggs to fungus?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 07 Mar 2005, 23:29

less than 24 hours!

thefishdaddy · Post by **thefishdaddy** » 08 Mar 2005, 08:49

the eggs should look like this, the black line is a piece of hair.

DanL · Post by **DanL** » 08 Mar 2005, 14:02

cool, thanx...

thanx sidguppy for answering all the q's