Great job with the mongo, one of my most coveted holy grail species.
Stomatepia mongo
- Thread starter Milingu
- Start date
No more spawning attempts so far but some of the fish still show interest in each other.
I just love it when they show the black dress and red eyes.
I just love it when they show the black dress and red eyes.
I am not so sure about that any more. It's summer now and pretty warm in the tank. The male and female are permanently together now for nearly three weeks. They are both courting and they are defending the potential spawning site together against the rest of the group. Maybe they don't form permanent pairs like many other cichlids but what is going on is definitely more than just trying to spawn. It would not be the first cichlid to only form temporary pairs.
Update: Still not holding eggs but the female had her tube drop several times.
Biggest male in hunting dress
Female portrait
Feeding time
Biggest male in hunting dress
Female portrait
Feeding time
Yesterday I thought the males are going to kill each other. Over the last two weeks the aggression was slowly increasing day by day. I just came home from work today and the first thing I noticed is that the aggression is gone. All fish but one are swimming together totally relaxed.
The female finally carries eggs!
I don't expect too much since its her first time but I am still happy.
The female finally carries eggs!
I don't expect too much since its her first time but I am still happy.
With my pindu, I would allow the female to hold about 12 to 14 days, then net her, and she would spit fry that were developed enough in the net, to be put in and successfully a grow out in rearing tank.
Not a good pic, but you get the drift.
Not a good pic, but you get the drift.
Update: Till now no success. But she holds longer and the breeding intervalls became shorter. Today they spawned again after only 25 days of break.
Surprisingly the female is still growing relativly fast compard to the rest of the group. I expectd she will put all the energie into producing eggs. She iwent from second smallest to third or forth largest in the group.
The only sure way to sex them is the genital papilla shortly before and after the spawning.
Female with big papilla.
Male with pointy and small papilla
Surprisingly the female is still growing relativly fast compard to the rest of the group. I expectd she will put all the energie into producing eggs. She iwent from second smallest to third or forth largest in the group.
The only sure way to sex them is the genital papilla shortly before and after the spawning.
Female with big papilla.
Male with pointy and small papilla
After several failed attempts and some frustration I can at least say now, I managed to get some eggs to an egg tumbler.
One female spit eggs out during a water change and I was lucky enough to catch some. Better always have a net in reach.
I have never used one before.
Is this the right amount of movement in the egg tumbler?
One female spit eggs out during a water change and I was lucky enough to catch some. Better always have a net in reach.
I have never used one before.
Is this the right amount of movement in the egg tumbler?
