Holding Thoracochromis brauschi

[thedavidzoo]

Just wanted to share my excitement. I picked up a fully grown male T. brauschi at the rare fish auction at Aquamania along with 3 unsexed juvies from Jay.
It is evidently almost impossible to get females of this fish.
My big male started acting out about 1 month ago, chasing everyone around, including the Pundamilia macrocephala in the tank, and nipping some fins. Everyone else was hiding. Had to move the other males to another tank. Big male started shimming for my smallest T. brauschi who I hoped might possibly, please, pretty please, be a female.

Anyway, after weeks of this, I have a female holding. I am so excited!!! Now if I could just get some females out of this batch, but I don't want to jinx it all. Plus I will be out of town for a month soon. I hope my pet sitter can keep everyone alive....

 

[jonclark96]

Awesome news! Congrats.

 

[verbal]

awesome congrats

 

[dogofwar]

Well done, Esther!

That's my male T. brauschi (I donated him to the AquaMania Rare Fish Auction) - so happy to see that he's spawning. Kind of what CARES is all about

Matt

 

[thedavidzoo]

Yeah, Matt. I thought it was your guy.

 

[gravel_digger]

Good Luck.....

 

[Leffler817]

Big congratulations!!! They're beautiful fish! I have four males and cannot find a female anywhere. Anyone who has one won't part with her only the group and I really don't want more males.


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[thedavidzoo]

I'm wondering if I could reintroduce the 2 smaller males I took out back into the tank. Do you think now that the "business" is done, they can all live peacefully again?

 

[Leffler817]

I'm wondering if I could reintroduce the 2 smaller males I took out back into the tank. Do you think now that the "business" is done, they can all live peacefully again?

I bought mine from Dave's Rare Fish. I spoke with Dave and Greg Steeves at ACA2011 about keeping Brauschi, both gentlemen said it worked better for them to have more males than females. The males will beat up each other and leave the females alone. Unfortunately, I never got to experience any Brauschi male/ female interaction as I believe the 7 I bought were all males.


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[dogofwar]

My money's on the extra males getting punked. I'd leave them out...

Matt

 

[Yael]

I had this happen with rustys first time I bought juvies - all but one turned out to be males (out of 8) and the one female I got refuses to breed. I spoke with someone who breeds them and he said that their gender ratios depend on temps they are born and raised in. Maybe that's true for the species being discussed here? Folks with breeding groups might want to play around with raising or lowering temps to see if that alters gender ratios.

 

[thedavidzoo]

I've heard that temp might influence gender of the fry. Greg Steeves also mentioned that higher pH might be producing more males...

 

[Leffler817]

It's either ph or water hardness. The higher of either seems to provide more males. They are a Congo river Cichlid. I once looked up the Fwa river/lake and its in the 'heart of darkness' and the conditions are similar to the Amazon river systems.


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[QuarterMiler]

Great news on the spawn! I hope you get a large batch of females! I had similar luck with a group of 6 from Dave's that turned out to be all males as well. They males are definitely hard on each other. I've sold of all but 2, and needless to say I've had the same luck trying to locate females.

 

[thedavidzoo]

:happy0180: My female spit 18 healthy fry this morning! Please keep your fingers crossed for me:
1. I leave town for a month. Let most fry survive the petsitter!
2. Let them all be females!