Laetacara curviceps

[Daigle107]

My original plan was to get 1 male and 3 female apistogramma agassizi, but I have changed my mind as I do not have the money to get those fish. I have found Laetacara curviceps, or dwarf flag cichlids are much more common and much cheaper and still quite beautiful fish. I still want to go with 1 male and 3 female, will they be ok with my current stock of fish, I have 5 serpae tetras, 12 neon tetras and 4 oto cats, this is all in a 29 gallon planted tank. Once I get the Dwarf flag cichlids my stock will be complete for the tank and I will not be looking for anything else until I can afford a bigger tank... I'm definitely a victim to the "ever increasing desire for a larger tank" syndrome..

Thanks everyone for checking out my thread and helping me get my new tank completed. Once I complete the stock I will be working on the aquascaping aspect.

 

[andyjs]

From what I've read, these guys form pairs, not harems, so for a 29 I would probably just get 1 male and 1 female.

 

[Daigle107]

I kinda wanted to give the male a choice. I know how picky I am with my women... And I know that it's not good to have more than 1 male because they become very aggressive once the eggs are laid.

 

[andyjs]

It shouldn't be a problem to get a group of them originally, but once a pair forms, if they breed, they could pick on any others

 

[Sab_Fan]

yeah, I'm pretty sure they are pair breeders . . . and they do best in planted tanks with soft water . . . and have a reputation as being nitrate-sensitive, so be aware of that . . .

 

[Daigle107]

I keep very good tabs on my nitrate and my water is naturally soft, that's why I've been sticking to the SA cichlids as they all like soft water.

 

[ryansmith83]

I have dorsigera, which are probably pretty similar to curviceps. They definitely aren't harem spawners, so a male and female will probably wreak havoc on conspecifics once a pair forms.

You have to also be careful with pairs turning on each other. This has happened in three of my dorsigera pairs -- I came home to find my females had been mutilated. The presence of the tetras and other dithers may help the pair focus their aggression on something besides one another.

 

[bigfishrcool1193]

I had two male and two female laetacara dorsigera in a 20g Long together, once a pair formed, the other two were nearly killed by the pair, so I moved the non pair into my 125. The pair that formed spawned twice, then the female went on an "I hate you" spree against the male, now they are all in my 125 and don't fight at all.