How do you breed / eartheaters?
Iv got 1m 1f, theyr around 15cm. How big can they start breeding? Can they start breeding @ this size? Is a 3ft tank big enough? What is the best way 2 breed them?
Thanks
Have temp at 28-30 and make sure you have flat stones so she can lay eggs for him to fertilise,as soon as the eggs are fertilised she will scoop them into her mouth as they are mouthbrooders,in about 10 days she will release them but then care for them(pick them up again)for another 8-10 days,about two weeks after this they will eat powdered food.Just make sure the female is not harrassed by the male otherwise she eat the eggs after fertilisation,probably a good idea to remove the male once she has a mouthful.Make sure your water is soft and a ph of no more than 7.
Good Luck.
Your Jurupari shold be at breeding age at 15cm. Mine started breeding at 2yrs old at 12cm. I don't know the best way to breed Jurupari however this is how I do it. I have a colony of 6 Jurupari (Actually Satanoperca Lecosticta) in a 6ft tank with Dicrozoster, Balzanii and Discus. I have 1m, 3f and 2unsexed. When the females egg tube decends I take her and the male out and put them in a 2 1/2ft breeding tank @ 28C & ph6.8. Generally they breed within a day or two at which time I remove the male as he will normally hassle the female. The female leaves the eggs for about 1 1/2 days and them takes the eggs up into her mouth. She will start to let them out after about 10 days and then lets them out more frequently over the comming weeks. As soon as fry are free swimming I feed with powdered food. I generally take the mother out a few weeks after she starts to release them. If the mother if left in to long she may eat them.
Happy Breeding Enjoy
Excellent advice MrFish.
I would be a little worried about 3 foot being too small but it is possible. I keep all my 3 foot tanks end on (ie the small end side of the tank is used for the front). This allows the fish to go down to the back if they need some privacy which gives them the security to breed. If not breeding, they are always up at the front waiting for food so I still see them every bit as much. I only clean the front (small end plate) and let the algae grow on all the sides which again gives them privacy and very natural tank/water conditions. If I have the time, I rob the eggs since I get more numbers artificially hatching and raising the fry but it is a great experience watching both parents tend to fry.
Winston
Thanks for all the advice,
They're in a 4x2x2 with 6 brasiliensis, and I hope they dont eat their eggs. But i was thinking of a 3ft tank by themselves, but I found out that they'r both males! :( so now I need to buy 2 females. The males are around 13cm. Actually theyr "Geophagus altifrons ".
So now im buying 2 large(10cm+) female Geophagus altifrons /Eartheaters