Xenotilapia spilopterus (Kilipi) has a mouthful

[Zulaab]

Well I dont have pictures yet, took some but they didnt come out well.
I will have to wait for day light. As the tank has more inhabitants than there should be incase I am going to attempt to raise these little guys I doubt even they come to term that they will make it in the tank.

So those of you who understand. This is a Bi-parental Mouthbrooder, so in about 10-12 days from now she is going to transfer the fry from her to daddy.
For a fish that never ever seems at all interested in chasing anyone else, well they have for sure done what the books say. Taken up a small 10x10 inch territory and they defend it again any conspecific who enters their little area. They only become a pair during mating. Once the young have been sent on their way mom and dad split...

One last thing. In the wild breeding is only seen in a short period of time twice a year. I am wondering if in an aquarium this is true too..

Keep smiling :) and wait for the pictures.. give me a day or two please
Jesper

[newb]

sweet...I know you were waiting on this! congrats

[Navarro]

Awesome Jesper!

[J-WS6]

congrats!

[Zulaab]

Well a second pair has formed and she has a mouthful, so now I have two pairs holding. It will be interesting to see in the near future what it brings.

[Complexity]

I just looked up pictures of that fish, and they are gorgeous! I would love to watch them raising their young.

Please get some pictures to show us when you can. I would really enjoy seeing them!

[Zulaab]

There is a picture of one of them in my signature.
I am still 3 weeks away from the first pair from releasing their young, and because I will be nearly impossible for me to save any of them I do not believe they will survive in the tank.. but down the road maybe ??? (The hard part, is the only way to work it out, is almost you have to remove everyone else and leave the parents in the tank.. because the female needs dad to help with the raising. When she has held the young for about 10-12 days, she spits them out and he picks them up and continues the "brewing" for another 10-12 days when he releases them and they both take turns to hold them for a few more days (at least from what I have read)

I will take more pictures when I can :)
Jesper

[Complexity]

They must be incredible to watch! Too bad the fry most likely won't make it. But let's hope anyway. You might get lucky.

[cichlid1409]

good luck with this jesper. with the two pairs holding there must be hardly any room for the rest of the fish to coexist peacfully in that tank?

[Zulaab]

They only take up about a 10x10 in space or less.. for the most part they dont care others are around.. then suddenly you will see one of the two partners push everyone out... then they come back and 10 minutes later they repeat... endless cycle it seems. They are not very pushy about it either.. chase for a few seconds and then back to where their partner is at. Both Mom and Dad pushes...

[Zulaab]

They did their first transfer.. Daddy is holding and Mommy is holding some now.
Problem is that AS SOON AS they started, there where 30+ other xeno's jumping in for some free food... time to give them a feeding so that they will leave Mommy and Daddy alone.

[Complexity]

Yup, feed the others in the tank to help a little with the hunger aspect. You may not end up with enough fry to quit your day job and start up a new business, but you might get the pleasure of a couple surviving.

That's why I did with my kribs when I was a teenager. I never tried to protect the fry so they got picked off, but a few survived, grew up, and then bred in the tank. It was enough to make me love the fish forever.

I hope you get lucky! Keep us updated.

[bethesdaboy]

Interesting.
Are they hanging out at the bottom or top of the water column primarily by any chance?

[Zulaab]

All of them hang in the middle to the bottom of the water column. If they are scared they will all dart for the floor. There is always someone who is sifting the sand... The only time you see them come to the top, is when you walk by and they all cry out in fish speak "feed me...feed me"...
When mommy and Daddy are holding.. they stick to the bottom.. They will NOT rise into the colony which will hang 6" over the bottom... Mommy and Daddy stick to 1-2" above the substrate.