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Breeding Julies

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  MizOre 
#1 ·
Just looking for some ideas here. I have a pair of WC Julidochromis marlieri (pic of the female is shown below). She is a big fish (5.5") and a killer. They were first put in a 3' tank and she killed her male within a week. So I bought another male (about 4") and put them in a 6' tank with some fronts. She still kept him pinned in the corner, so I separated them. Now I have a spare 6' tank so I prepared it with plenty of thin narrow spaces between the rocks and introduced the pair along with 10 swordtails as dithers. At first they seemed to be getting along, but now she has reverted to man hating and he seems to just hang in the top corner despite the presence of plenty of other hidey holes. Is it just a case of patience and luck (as I suspect) or is there any way of encouraging them to bond? I am 100% sure they are male and female.
 
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#2 ·
The conventional wisdom is to start with 6 or 8 juveniles and allow them to pair naturally. If the female had a mate in the wild and that bond was broken in capture, you may never find her another mate. You can try adding several (both male and female) 4" or so J. marlieri. This will provide a selection process more conducive to pair forming (it will still be tough at that size). If a pair forms, you should be able to relocate them to your 3' tank; or if multiple pairs result, a 6' tank should be able to house a couple breeding pairs, as long as you provide sufficient open space between rock piles. Remove the unpaired fish and resell (re-home) (be prepared, that may include your pictured female).

If you are dead set on trying to get the fish you have paired, try making your water changes emulate springtime (love is in the water) by dropping the tank temperature a couple degrees (don't adjust your temperature controls, use cooler water) each time , if you use salts don't include them in your change water.

Joe
 
#4 ·
The female in my J. marlieri pair is a good 150% the size of the male. From experience and literature, the social structure in Julies does not support harem spawning. When one of the pair is removed (or dies) a selected "helper" F1 assumes the roll and the colony continues.

Joe
 
#6 ·
I had a "transcriptus" and those seemed to follow this: "Julidochomis transcriptus and J. ornatus are considered dwarf Julies, and the male is usually larger. While J. regani and J. marlieri are called giant Julies and the female is typically larger. I have long said that only the Julies themselves need to know who is who!" http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=422 So, different species, different gender differences. My Julies looked more like J. ornatus, by the way.

With most cichlids, personal preference tends to prevail.
 
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