Suprise - Nannacara adoketa spawn!

[dogofwar]

...so I got a pair of these guys from Julie (thanks to Tony for bringing them back for me!)...

Mine are a lot smaller than this but you get the idea:
http://www.cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?s=1214

I dropped them in a divided 2'x2'x1' tank with some PVC pieces, a little sand and a couple plastic plants (the oblongum pair are on the other side)... There's a sponge and a box filter. I do weekly 30% water changes.

I've been feeding them NLS and Kensfish flakes. They've been doing well: swimming around, hanging out together...but (maybe because it's a tank on the floor) I didn't think anything special was going on.

Lo and behold, I'm feeding them this evening and what do I see: oodles of free swimming babies! They're actually decent size so I'm feeding them golden pearls (use an airline to push it down to them). I also added a couple of water lettuce to the tank to provide some cover and micro food to the tank.

When I saw some fry, I figured that they were chanchito babies that had wandered to the other side of the tank...but little mama and daddy are taking care of them.

I'll try to get some pictures but a couple of factors are working against me: the tank is on the floor in a dark spot, my wife has the camera and I'm a horrible photographer.

I'm probably jinxing myself but I was really suprised and excited to see these guys breed. I've bred N. anomala before but just started keeping these guys. There supposed to be blackwater, hard-to-keep-alive-let-alone-breed kinda fish. I guess not

I'll keep everyone posted on the progress...

Matt

 

[cmcpart0422]

Awesome!!! Thats a really cool looking fish.

 

[jonclark96]

That's sweet. Hopefully you can grow the fry up. I know there would be plenty of folks willing to take them off you hands. Congrats!

 

[Andrewtfw]

That's exciting news Matt! Maybe I need to pay less attention to my fish to get them to spawn.

 

[dogofwar]

I've found that technique really effective for tangs (julies, lamps, etc.).

I guess Nannacara too...

They're still bunches of babies today...

Matt

 

[rsretep]

congrats on the fry matt

 

[mscichlid]

**** there goes my chance at first bred in the club! Congrats Matt!

 

[F8LBITE]

awesome dude!

 

[Cichlidfever]

Wow!! Congradulations I really like the way they look, are they african cichlids. I don't have any african cichlids, but looking at those, It may encourage me to start and african tank, especially if I can get me one or a pair of those

 

[jonclark96]

They are not africans. They are from south america. Not sure how big they get, but would guess around 4-5 inches.

 

[dogofwar]

I've heard that big males get to 4"... these guys are about 2"...

Don't worry Francine, by posting this, I'm sure I've jinxed myself to some kind of mishap that dooms the whole lot...plust I don't do BAP :0

Matt

 

[mscichlid]

Hope not! (jinxed, I mean) But hot ****, I have a chance!

 

[dogofwar]

As of this AM...they were still guarding babies...at least (I think) the female is. I think they're like apistos in that the female's get intolerant of the males after the eggs hatch...

Matt

 

[Spine]

Way to go Matt. Let me know if you need pictures.

 

[dogofwar]

...so I went to check on them when I got home from work...everything looked good: one of them (the female?) is full on colored up; the other is not.

I pause to go watch the Red Humps in the 150g spawning (the male was picking up eggs)...and I see the colored up adoteka in a puddle on the floor!!!. I scooped her back in the tank and everything seems fine...but WOW...

She seems OK and there are still babies but that kinda freaked me out... Now the tank has a lid that covers the whole tank.

Matt

 

[jonclark96]

Pretty good luck on being there when she jumped. Would have been a shame to lose her so soon. Good save.

 

[dogofwar]

I figure I spooked her standing there...Yes - very lucky...and lucky that I did water changes last night and my drain line leaked right where she jumped. She looks to have settled down OK...

Matt

 

[Julie]

Oh, my is right!! Good save on that, glad she settled right on down.

And totally awesome on the spawn! After being shipped twice in one week, guess they figured they'd best get to it!! But they were pretty friendly in the tank...

 

[dogofwar]

Well the good news is that I know that I have a fertile pair...and that the female made it after her forray onto the floor.

The bad news is that the babies are gone. They did great for about a week of being free swimming...then I saw fewer...and then gone.

I might need to give them some smaller foods next time - maybe decapsulated BS...

I've gotta believe that the location of the tank (on the floor) also isn't conducive to the fish feeling secure in their parenting. No matter how hard they try they can't scare the giant foot monster away...

Not too shabby for first time parents!

Matt

 

[Avatar]

Well the good news is that I know that I have a fertile pair...and that the female made it after her forray onto the floor.

The bad news is that the babies are gone. They did great for about a week of being free swimming...then I saw fewer...and then gone.

I might need to give them some smaller foods next time - maybe decapsulated BS...

I've gotta believe that the location of the tank (on the floor) also isn't conducive to the fish feeling secure in their parenting. No matter how hard they try they can't scare the giant foot monster away...

Not too shabby for first time parents!

Matt

Might want to keep an eye on Dad, not uncommon for a parent to simply munch them, seen it a couple of times where a cloud of 200 free swimming fry just get snarfed.