Breeding Cichlids Tankmates

Q&A about cichlids in community tanks

Moderator: Pam Chin

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Grumpy_Old_Daemon
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 5:09 am

Breeding Cichlids Tankmates

Post by Grumpy_Old_Daemon »

I am currently breeding some Apistogramma cactuoides and I have a lot of algae in the tank. I am thinking about getting a small pleco to deal with the algae in the tank, but I am worried that the pleco will eat the eggs of the Apistogrammas. I have been looking for info on wether plecos will eat the eggs of other fish but as of yet have not found any info. Perhaps you can shed some light as to wether my worry is justified. Sorry about this not being exactly a cichlid question.
Pam Chin
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Post by Pam Chin »

Hi Grumpy,

Let me first warn you that I am not a fan of pleco's. Yes it is possible they can eat the eggs, but also they can be enough to cause your pair to eat their own eggs, because they can feel threatened. And typically cichlids would rather eat their own eggs if there is a risk they could be eaten by other tankmates.

Algae is good, especially if it is green, and I would hate to see you waste it on a pleco!!! Especially if you are trying to breed Apsito's, there are all kinds of mirco-organisms that live in and on it. This is great food for your apisto fry and even the adults. If you feel like the algae is taking over, remember you can wipe it off the glass when you do your regular maintenance, otherwise as long as it is green I would let it flourish. Consider cutting back the time your light is on, especially if your not around, ie,. at work, or at school. I usually turn on my lights when it gets dark, and then back off when I go to bed. You can also have increased algae due to overfeeding, and if your tank maintenance is not keeping up with the bioload. So, remember your fish only need a little food, and it is another reason to stay on top of the water changes.

Pleco's suck....

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