I have a group of 10 Phyllonemus set up in a tank with 5 inverted flowerpots. I am looking for some breeding tips. I believe Sidguppy has sucessfully bred them. They are wonderful little cats!
Mark
Breeding Phyllonemus Typus
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corybreed
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Yann
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Hi!
Yeap Alex has bred them and even have post several topics regarding this... just browse a bit in the African catfish section...lets keep all the info in one topic it is easier to research...
here is a bit of it and the rest isthere
Cheers
Yann
Yeap Alex has bred them and even have post several topics regarding this... just browse a bit in the African catfish section...lets keep all the info in one topic it is easier to research...
here is a bit of it and the rest isthere
Cheers
Yann
Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up!
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sidguppy
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a few tips and questions:
- how big is your tank? P typus is quite social, but 10 is a LARGE group....how is the ratio in your group?
-P typus doesn't like high hiding places. best way to aquire tunnellike hiding places is to soak the flowerpots in water for a day and saw them in 2 pieces from top to bottom. 1 piece laid flat on the sand will make a perfect tunnel.
The substrate should be sand or fine gravel or a mixture of both. P typus is a great digger and it'll use the sand to wall off the entrance.
-check for pale 'scratch' marks on flanks and heads! a sure sign the males are fighting over caves, females or territory. P typus can fight REAL HARD; I've seen them busting up each other....
-if breeding is your aim, you need more tanks. Once a pair has succesfully claimed a cave, you better separate this pair and put them in a tank of their own. with a penlight you can observe them and check for spawns or mated pairs.
-Spawns are visible as extended throats of the parents; this chinless fish suddenly develops a very conspicious 'chin' when carrying a mouthful.
-to get them into spawning mood special care for food is needed. next to the regular bloodworms, crustaceans, flakes and tabs -they really like tab-food- live fish must be fed (!). P typus is a piscivore that is capable of eating fish 1/3 it's own size
, this means an adult 4" typus-male can and does swallow fish up to the size of an adult female guppy or a small female shelldwelling cichlid!
home-bred guppies are perfect for this, of course you shouldn't just buy random fish for this aim; those can contain several transmittable parasites such as gutworms or skindiseases and then you'll lose your fish.
- how big is your tank? P typus is quite social, but 10 is a LARGE group....how is the ratio in your group?
-P typus doesn't like high hiding places. best way to aquire tunnellike hiding places is to soak the flowerpots in water for a day and saw them in 2 pieces from top to bottom. 1 piece laid flat on the sand will make a perfect tunnel.
The substrate should be sand or fine gravel or a mixture of both. P typus is a great digger and it'll use the sand to wall off the entrance.
-check for pale 'scratch' marks on flanks and heads! a sure sign the males are fighting over caves, females or territory. P typus can fight REAL HARD; I've seen them busting up each other....
-if breeding is your aim, you need more tanks. Once a pair has succesfully claimed a cave, you better separate this pair and put them in a tank of their own. with a penlight you can observe them and check for spawns or mated pairs.
-Spawns are visible as extended throats of the parents; this chinless fish suddenly develops a very conspicious 'chin' when carrying a mouthful.
-to get them into spawning mood special care for food is needed. next to the regular bloodworms, crustaceans, flakes and tabs -they really like tab-food- live fish must be fed (!). P typus is a piscivore that is capable of eating fish 1/3 it's own size
, this means an adult 4" typus-male can and does swallow fish up to the size of an adult female guppy or a small female shelldwelling cichlid!home-bred guppies are perfect for this, of course you shouldn't just buy random fish for this aim; those can contain several transmittable parasites such as gutworms or skindiseases and then you'll lose your fish.
Valar Morghulis
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corybreed
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Thanks for your help and information. I have them by themselves in a 30 gallon tank. I will remove the others if I see any breeding activity. I will start sawing flowerpots in half tonight. I have one tank of home bred guppies and will give the typus a treat. I have seen some of the pale scratch marks you describe. I am quessing but it looks like the group has a fairly even sex ratio.
Mark
Mark
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sidguppy
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10 in a 30G is wayyyy overstocked!
it's highly unlikely they'll breed; you need to split that group; or tensions will get very high as well as stresslevels.
I've lost Phyllonemus adults due to excess fighting.....
in a 125G!
parents will defend their turf against intruders and males will fight over territory as well as females.
split that group.
I breed mine in a 50 liters; that's about 12-14G?
but there are only 2 in that tank; a mated pair......
the only other fish in the tank are feederguppies; the cleaning is done by a herd of snails.
it's highly unlikely they'll breed; you need to split that group; or tensions will get very high as well as stresslevels.
I've lost Phyllonemus adults due to excess fighting.....
in a 125G!
parents will defend their turf against intruders and males will fight over territory as well as females.
split that group.
I breed mine in a 50 liters; that's about 12-14G?
but there are only 2 in that tank; a mated pair......
the only other fish in the tank are feederguppies; the cleaning is done by a herd of snails.
Valar Morghulis