Paratilapia lay grapelike clusters of pink eggs that they hang on roots and the like, JDs are substrate spawners, they lay plaques of eggs on flat surfaces/QUOTE]
Again... excellent video, and many thanks. Your information provided is spot-on with the vast majority of what I've read about them. But I also noticed some claims about their choice of spawning sites, in that they greatly prefer the exposed root structures of plants, but in the absence of these, will lay their eggs to a minor extent on smooth horizontal rocks and moreso on smooth diagonal rocks.
Since the Dempsey prefers dug out gravel basins primarily, and will accept smooth diagonal surfaces also, I presumed (If they are willing to crossbreed first and foremost) that 1" to 1.5" wide diagonal stands of slate might appeal enough to both of them. The crossbreed if ever to happen would most likely require EBJD male x Paratilapia female. He'll fertilize wherever she lays the eggs... lonely male x eggbound female desperate to get rid of them might just work.
Then the next big hurdles if the first one can even be crossed is are the progeny sterile or fertile and can the electric blue be retained as the original paratilapia form is recovered with unknown numbers of "back-crossing" to pure paratilapia.
Lots of hurdles
