Checkerboard Cichlids

Checkerboard cichlids or Dicrossus filamentosus are South American Dwarf Cichlids that have a reputation as unbreedable and very difficult to keep.

Well, a few months ago, a wholesaler here in Cape Town imported some but when they arrived, they were tiny, so Henk Hugo kindly took them on. He raised them so that they grew out very nicely and then passed some on to me in the hope that I might be able to breed them. Well, initially I also murdered a couple by not concentrating on water conditions, and they want perfect strong filtration, soft water and a low pH, but I am now having success at breeding them in a fairly large tank (60 cm long, 50 cm deep, 50 cm wide, essentially a discus breeding tank). The tank has no gravel, some wood and some Anubias which are attached to the logs and which go all the way up to the water surface. The tank is poorly lit as I think it must be in nature where they live under a heavy tree canopy in small streams. Here are some pics:

This is a group of fishes showing the checkerboard pattern nicely

A very pretty male:


A pair spawning on the Anubias leaves, it took about 5 minutes, talk about a quickie.


A female with fry, note how the checkerboard pattern has now become a line:



Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Beautiful fish Dirk! And congratulations, from what I'v hered these are extremly sensitive fish just to keep alive, let alone breed!

Im curious whats the aggression like with these little guys, Its just Im noticing afew pairs in the same tank, which wouldn't fly with my dwarfs!

Regards,
Phil

 

Congrats Dirk! I can't say that I am overly surprised that you managed to get them to breed successfully though - if anyone could get it right you could!

 

Thanks for the compliments, Vee and Eskimo.

Eskimo, when I kept a group of about ten of them (see top pic), the aggression was limited, males just sort of displayed and sparred a little, nothing to damage them, Henk keeps a whole group in a tank and there are no problems.

When I reduced the number to two pairs in that tank, with the space and the hiding places in it, I thought that it would be enough space for two pairs, but this was certainly not the case. The one male dominated the other to the point that I had to remove him. Then male one surprised me in that he just simply spawned with both females! As a result, I do not actually think these are monogamous cichlids but that a male has a large territory with a number of females. What I have also noticed is that he tries to steal babies. He stole all of those of the first spawns and then he either eats of loses them, they dissappear. Now the females have a second round of fry, and again the fry are getting less, but the females do not even let him get too close this time around, they chase him away, but the numbers in the spawn are again dropping so I think I will remove the male with the next spawn.

I syphoned off the very first spawn because there were too many fish in the tank at that stage. Of these I have 5 young which are not about 1.5 cm long and covered in their little checkerboard suites.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

ag! pappa se kinders! so glad they are doing well

 

Beautiful pictures prof! Those are such beautiful little fish! I've wanted them for ages!

Thanks for sharing.

 

well done

 

Interesting about being able 2 dilute the aggression, makes sense.

With my dwarfs the female will come close 2 killing the much larger male after a spawn, now I understand why! Also I'v found the females are not the bets parents their first few rounds, but survival rates go up with every spawn so Im holding thumbs for your second batch!

Also you mentioned getting your agassizi's 2 spawn have you had any luck raising their fry?

 

congrats prof!

 

Congrats ...

 

Eskimo,

Yes, dwarf cichlids, just like discus, have to learn how to raise their young, there is no doubt about that.

The A aggasizzi spawned many times before they have now managed to get some fry going. In A aggasizzi the father helps in looking after the fry, he picks them up and spits them out, and he definitely is not interested in eating them. As far as that is concerned they certainly are much easier. The present spawn is about a week from free swimming now and they are managing quite well with even a batch of other tetras and rainbows in the tank, but dwarfs often do much better if they have other dither fish on which they can focus instead of on each other.

So, so far, so good with these fry, will keep you posted.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Dirk i have to tell you about something i saw today.... a whole tank full of Checker board cichlids. man they are stunning. pity i no longer have a South American tank to put them in... maybe next time

 

Where Henk?? I've been after these fishees for quite some time!

Cheers
G!

 

sorry already sent a few folks out there - will go see if they still have tomorrow and then post

 

Oh Poo!!
Sorry but they are beautifull fish.(Thinking how can i get hold of some.)