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Dicrossus Filamentosus and Maculatus


DanWri90
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Hello, I was wondering if anyone here had experience breeding either of these species. I have two groups, 4 per species. The Filamentosus had a clear male and female and the female has laid once but eggs were white from the start. The Maculatus group has 2 male and 2 female I believe. pH from the tap is around 7 however water is very soft so it stabilizes around 6-6.5 in my tanks. Temps are low 80‘s. Looking for any tips as they approach breeding age and size. 
 

Also looking for good tank mate ideas for the Maculatus in a 20L? Was thinking possibly Neon Green Rasboras for the Filamentosus. Thanks I’m advance for any assistance. 

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2 hours ago, DanWri90 said:

Hello, I was wondering if anyone here had experience breeding either of these species. I have two groups, 4 per species. The Filamentosus had a clear male and female and the female has laid once but eggs were white from the start. The Maculatus group has 2 male and 2 female I believe. pH from the tap is around 7 however water is very soft so it stabilizes around 6-6.5 in my tanks. Temps are low 80‘s. Looking for any tips as they approach breeding age and size. 
 

Also looking for good tank mate ideas for the Maculatus in a 20L? Was thinking possibly Neon Green Rasboras for the Filamentosus. Thanks I’m advance for any assistance. 

Very, very cool fish! Really wish you the best of luck.

These species can be a trick to get good water parameters to breed. You may need to provide Rainwater to trigger spawning.

We have not bred them yet, but here are some thoughts . . .

(1) These fish appear to thrive on low pH, high tannin, very soft water. Consider adding a catappa leaf if you haven't already.

(2) Your tanks sound very small (20-liters). While they may work, you might find that setting up a carefully designed 20-gallon long aquarium might keep parameters more stable for you. Maybe not essential, but we've seen 5.5 gal tanks really crash badly in the past.

(3) Raise the overall temperature of the tank to the low 80s if not there already. When changing water, use cool (but not freezing cold) water to imitate rain. If you perform you water changes in coordination with changes in barometric pressure in your area -- like when a front is moving through -- that may help them too.

(4) Feed your cichlids healthy live foods. Baby brine shrimp are essential. But if you can learn how to keep healthy black worms, you're up a level. With fish as small as these, you'll not need more than a 1/4 lb of black worms. They are a trick to learn how to keep, but they really trigger fish to spawn.

(5) Many dwarf cichlid keepers use leaf litter and alder cones -- we've use a lot of off-road (no salts or chemicals) dried Oak leaves. Alder cones grow wild where we live by the edge of marshes and swamps.

Here is a video about using ground water (rain water after it's drained through the soil) to trigger spawning . . .

Here is a video about feeding live black worms to fish . . .

Here is a video about laboriously caring for dwarf cichlid eggs by pulling the stone on which eggs were laid . . .

 

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Pencilfish might make good "dither fish" tank mates without posing a serious threat to your fry. They are not very fast, and their mouths are so small, they do not go after fry too often. I'd avoid Neon Tetras and the like. They can snipe off fry like you would not believe . . . lost a bunch of Apistos that way to Neons. 

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@Fish Folk I imagine by 20L they mean 20 long, not 20 liters. I know, confusing nomenclature, and I made that mistake several times before figuring it out. Otherwise, great suggestions!

A colorful lyretail dwarf cichlid that does well in groups and community tanks? How did I not know about this fish already! Sounds like a great fish for a 33 long.

Here are two articles I found that may be useful @DanWri90, if you haven't read them yet: 

https://cichlidae.com/article.php?id=439

https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/the-checkerboard-dwarf-cichlid-dicrossus-filamentosus

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