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Hi all,

A few months ago I picked up 1 male & 1 female l066.I have recently placed them into their own tank L 600 W 450 H 450...temp is always around 27 C & ph is around 7.4..The tank has 4 caves in it plus several other hides between slate & driftwood with some sand substrate.The filtration is 800lph external filter with the outlet above the water level & there is also an air stone in the tank.I feed them zucchini every other day (thinly sliced) as they seem to only like the skin as well as carnivore pellets,dried bloodworms & frozen brine shimp on alternating days.

So my questions for increasing the chance of them spawning are.
1)Is this an adequate tank size for the pair to breed?
2)Do they usually spawn as a pair or would a trio or colony have more success?
3)Does anyone have a method to trigger spawning in this species? eg cold water change?

Or any other advice with tank setup,water parameters,feeding ect...Thank you

Hey there,

first up: You sure it is a pair?

L66 get pretty big, if your dimensions are in mm, I'd say it could be a little small, but probably sufficient for a single pair.

To trigger a spawn: Feed them well, if the female gets nicely round and the male get's lots of odontodes (spikes) on his pectorals, raise temperature by 2 degrees to 29°C. Wait a week, keep the good feeding up, then do a 40% Waterchange with colder Water. Watertemp should drop to around 23°C, but do it slowly. Don't shock them. The water will heat up to 29°C again afterwards. Do two more waterchanges like that for the next two days. After the third Waterchange, stop messing around with their tank, stay away as much as you can and wait for 1-2 weeks without any waterchanges. If they are mature and a pair you should get a spawn soon. If it didn't work, repeat. You can try to use softer water for these waterchanges to increase your chances. Best of luck.

Others might have more suggestions.

Thank you for your prompt & detailed reply.I am pretty certain they are a pair so I will try this method.Thanks again! ....if anyone else has additional advice please post.Thank you.

Hello, Have you had the opportunity to apply the method? and give information about the results?

Hi there,Yes I tried this method a few times to no avail.No change in behavior from the fish,the male sits in his cave all day & the female hangs around outside normally.I stay away from the tank as much as possible for now.I'm still feeding them well & do a 30-40% water change about every 10 days.I will update the thread if they do spawn but seems unlikely at this stage unfortunately.

Dano, what size are your fish? Can you get any pictures, especially of the female?

Hi Jobro,I caught the fish I suspected was a female on a water change.The fish is 13cm... the odontodes are more noticeable than when I purchased the fish but still about 1/3rd of what the definate male has.So from the pic what do you think? Is this a female or a lesser male? Unfortunately I couldn't get the big boy out of his cave for comparison.

Phew, well it should be a female. But she does not look like she is in the mood to lay some eggs. Might just be the angle of the picture.


Here is a pair of mine, might help you to get a better idea:

Thanks for all your help & advice,yes looking at your pair & pics online I am certain I have a pair...do you have a preferred food for conditioning?..I will let them be for a while before trying your method again.Cheers

Or. If you are using r.o let the ph come down to around 5.9 over about a week. Then increase it instantly to around 7. They well be trapping within minutes.