Mbuna Cichlid Salousi Breeding

What is the smallest tank I can move one or two female SalousI that are holding? I have a 20 gallon long and three 10 gallon tanks currently empty and cycled. Planned on using the 20 gallon as a QT for 3 yoyo's and three queen dario botia loaches to beef up those schools in my 120 gallon (yes, bad case of MTS).

I just witnessed one of the new fry getting gobbled up by one of the acei. I knew it was happening because I have only two survivors out of two batches so far with a third just released. I tried putting a breeding cube and small deco with holes too small for big fish, but the fry just don't realize they are their safety zone.

I finally figured out how to tell which ones are holding. Now the AceI are holding as well, but I want to concentrate on the SalousI to get a fry raising system down.

Thanks for your advice!

I am also looking at breeding my angels so I think I have probably lost my mind, lol.

 

I usually put my holding females in 10 gallons. I just recently had 7 6" female Aceis in a 29 while waiting for them to spit, and 3 5" Rustys in a 10. If you are going to have more then one female in the tank, I would try to put in some form of cover for the fry just to be safe. I like plastic plants personally.

I also wouldn't mix adults in a holding tank. Easier to maintain fry once they are spit.

 

I usually put my holding females in 10 gallons. I just recently had 7 6" female Aceis in a 29 while waiting for them to spit, and 3 5" Rustys in a 10. If you are going to have more then one female in the tank, I would try to put in some form of cover for the fry just to be safe. I like plastic plants personally.

Ok, great! I have three 10 gallons cycled and ready. I could use a couple of them. I have some plastic plants and caves in both.

Do you just use sponge filters or are they big enough for hob with maybe a sponge over the intake?

Just talked to guy at lfs. If I can raise them to about an inch, he will take them.

I also wouldn't mix adults in a holding tank. Easier to maintain fry once they are spit.

By mix adults, do you mean SalousI and AceI together?

 

Ok, great! I have three 10 gallons cycled and ready. I could use a couple of them. I have some plastic plants and caves in both.

Do you just use sponge filters or are they big enough for hob with maybe a sponge over the intake?

Just talked to guy at lfs. If I can raise them to about an inch, he will take them.

I only use sponge filters in my tanks. Hang on filters would have way to much current for fry I would say.

By mix adults, do you mean SalousI and AceI together?

Yes, I would put AceI in one tank and SalousI in another.

 

Thanks!

 

I only use sponge filters in my tanks. Hang on filters would have way to much current for fry I would say.



Yes, I would put AceI in one tank and SalousI in another.

Ok, so I am going to move some sponge filters around to get the two bare bottom 10 gallon tanks ready to move a couple holding momma's. Will that be sufficient size to grow out to about an inch? My 20 gallon is about to have loaches in a 40 day min QT. Not sure how fast they grow. Do I need to be thinking about grow out space?

Also, how long do you leave the momma in the fry tank after she spits them out? I have read that it is good to leave her for a few days to eat and regain strength. At what point would she or other females in the tank start eating the babies?

 

hnownr or LeoDiaz

I pulled one of my SalousI holding females out to a ten gallon fry tank. It was harder than I thought to catch her. She spit two babies out in the net. They are free swimming in the fry tank now.
How long would you leave her in the fry tank after spitting out the rest?

Also, should I feed her? It's my understanding she won't eat while holding.

 

hnownr or LeoDiaz

I pulled one of my SalousI holding females out to a ten gallon fry tank. It was harder than I thought to catch her. She spit two babies out in the net. They are free swimming in the fry tank now.
How long would you leave her in the fry tank after spitting out the rest?

Also, should I feed her? It's my understanding she won't eat while holding.

I keep them in the tank till they spit all the fry. Feed her once after she spit them and then put her back right away to the main tank.

 

I keep them in the tank till they spit all the fry. Feed her once after she spit them and then put her back right away to the main tank.

Thanks!

 

I have another question. I cannot find the two babies that she had spit out during the move last night. Would she find them and suck them back into her mouth?

 

I have another question. I cannot find the two babies that she had spit out during the move last night. Would she find them and suck them back into her mouth?

If she feels they are not ready to be out or feels there's a danger to them she will put them back in her mouth, or they are hiding really well which they tend to do.

 

If she feels they are not ready to be out or feels there's a danger to them she will put them back in her mouth, or they are hiding really well which they tend to do.

Ok, I moved everything around using the turkey baster to suction the floor of the tank and was perplexed that I could not find them. I think I will see how things go with this first batch to get the hang of things before I start pulling multiple fish or the acei's into a different fry tank.

One other SalousI and three acei's are holding in the main tank. I have some babies already hiding out between the rocks.

Bigger one hanging in there from first batch



One of the two new babies surviving so far from most recent batch. One batch in between does not have any survivors I can find.

 

Daddy and one of the momma's

 

Success! Momma spit out about 15 babies that are doing well and eating on some bbs. She is back in the main tank now.

 

Congrats I have a bunch of fry in my fry tanks lol.

 

Congrats I have a bunch of fry in my fry tanks lol.

Thanks! I will stick with this one batch for now to get a system down for hatching bbs, feeding, pwc's, etc. and work on grow out tank space for not only Salousi, but aceI and angelfish fry as well.

What do you use other than bbs? I know the constant hatching got tiresome when I had cory fry. It would be nice to have something to alternate with. Maybe microworms? I will work in finely crushed flakes as well.

 

Thanks! I will stick with this one batch for now to get a system down for hatching bbs, feeding, pwc's, etc. and work on grow out tank space for not only Salousi, but aceI and angelfish fry as well.

What do you use other than bbs? I know the constant hatching got tiresome when I had cory fry. It would be nice to have something to alternate with. Maybe microworms? I will work in finely crushed flakes as well.

Sorry what does BBS stand for?

 

Baby brine shrimp

 

Baby brine shrimp

I use fine crushed flakes and that's all I use.

 

I use fine crushed flakes and that's all I use.

Makes sense. They are further along and more grown when mom spits out than cories or Angels hatching from an egg. They have to graduate to finely crushed flakes.

 

How in the world do you catch the momma's out of the main tank?

It took me a while with the Salousi, but finally got her. I tried forever tonight to catch a holding aceI and finally gave up. I just have too much rock work and caves for her to go through and she is really fast.

 

I drain my tank like 90% remove the rockwork and then catch them and is still not easy in a 6ft tank lol.

 

To do that would sacrifice the babies surviving in the tank......

I could drain down and just leave the rock work the babies are hiding in and block that side off somehow maybe. Hmmmmmm..... This is definitely harder than I thought. The sad thing is I have not detected any aceI baby survivors in the tank so if I want any to survive, I need to pull holding momma's out.

 

To do that would sacrifice the babies surviving in the tank......

I could drain down and just leave the rock work the babies are hiding in and block that side off somehow maybe. Hmmmmmm..... This is definitely harder than I thought. The sad thing is I have not detected any aceI baby survivors in the tank so if I want any to survive, I need to pull holding momma's out.

Is hard having fry survive in th main tank, unless ur feeding flakes. But even then many die because they venture to far to get the flakes.

 

Is hard having fry survive in th main tank, unless ur feeding flakes. But even then many die because they venture to far to get the flakes.

Yes, but I have a couple from the first batch that have survived in between the rocks that are getting some size on them. I have been feeding flakes as well as squirting baby brine shrimp into those areas.

I have a canopy lid that I may use to block off that side from the adults and remove rock work from other side and middle, drain down some and see if I can get at least one of the two that are holding. I may also try to catch up babies if I can do so without chasing them into danger.

 

Success! The canopy lid was a perfect divider to coral the adults to one side, drain the water down, remove the rock work and get the momma aceI with the biggest chin bulge. I had to be careful to put caves in tank water as the synodontis cling to them. Two wound up in the bucket. I also managed to remove 2 aceI and three SalousI babies that were surviving in the tank (including the two bigger ones, yay!) and put in their species specific fry tank.

Whew! That was a job since I cleaned the substrate and canister filter too. I can see why you pull several. This is not something I will do every time I spot a holding female for sure. They are breeding like crazy so I guess they just have a built in food source......

 

Mbuna Ps. SalousI Cichlid Fry

UPDATE: My SalousI babies, all 23 of them, are growing and have graduated to a 20 gallon long growout tank. I was concerned about the big boy/girl filtration which consists of a penguin 200 with a sponge over the intake and a Cascade 455 internal turned down to the lowest current. They seem to be loving it! This is my first attempt to post a video so I hope it works. I just copied and pasted the youtube link below. (ignore the ugly castle, just needed something for them to hide in for security).

The AceI babies are still a little small so I added a small aqual clear 10 filter with the intake covered and keeping them in the fry tank just a little longer.

 

My baby SalousI enjoying some baby brine shrimp.

 

This is from June 8th. They have grown a lot!