Ex-cichlosoma Ornatum
Seven wild caught- Three males, three females and one i'm not sure about yet.
I bought them as three quarter inch fry almost four years ago.
They are currently in a ten foot long 260 gallon tank with two pairs of chocolate cichlids and a female Texas cichlid.
They were VERY slow growing for the first two years, but the three biggest males are in the 12 inch range with the females around 6 inches. The males are amazing in their colour.
In the past year I have tried large cool water changes, all types of foods including live earthworms which they love!! They eat anything and everything I give them. I have tried large amounts of current in the tank and then very little current.
All of my efforts have resulted in the dominant male spawning with the female Texas two times. i removed the Texas and the male Ornatum then kicked the crap out of everyone in the tank. Things have settled down lately, but it just seems the female Ornatums just don't have that loving feeling in them yet for some reason.
When I bought them, I was told the Ornatum were a "long term" fish and could take up to four years or so before they would breed. I am within a couple of months of that four year term, so hopefully something will happen soon. Other than lots of good food, good water and lots of space, I don;t know what else to try. The two pair of Chocolates spawn constantly in the tank and raise their fry to the free swimming stage, but I am thinking that I will move a trio of Ornatum to a hundred gallon tank in a month or so if nothing happens with them in the big tank.
If anyone has any tips, I would really appreciate them.
thanks
Seven wild caught- Three males, three females and one i'm not sure about yet.
I bought them as three quarter inch fry almost four years ago.
They are currently in a ten foot long 260 gallon tank with two pairs of chocolate cichlids and a female Texas cichlid.
They were VERY slow growing for the first two years, but the three biggest males are in the 12 inch range with the females around 6 inches. The males are amazing in their colour.
In the past year I have tried large cool water changes, all types of foods including live earthworms which they love!! They eat anything and everything I give them. I have tried large amounts of current in the tank and then very little current.
All of my efforts have resulted in the dominant male spawning with the female Texas two times. i removed the Texas and the male Ornatum then kicked the crap out of everyone in the tank. Things have settled down lately, but it just seems the female Ornatums just don't have that loving feeling in them yet for some reason.
When I bought them, I was told the Ornatum were a "long term" fish and could take up to four years or so before they would breed. I am within a couple of months of that four year term, so hopefully something will happen soon. Other than lots of good food, good water and lots of space, I don;t know what else to try. The two pair of Chocolates spawn constantly in the tank and raise their fry to the free swimming stage, but I am thinking that I will move a trio of Ornatum to a hundred gallon tank in a month or so if nothing happens with them in the big tank.
If anyone has any tips, I would really appreciate them.
thanks
