South American Cichlids • Biotodoma Cupido

[everlast]

Just looking for some information regarding stocking and male female ratio.
How many in an 80 gallon and what ratio for a perfect colony setup ??

Thanks in advance guys

[Cichlidman14]

I would do a nice group of 6-8 and add a few schooling fish such as rummy nose tetras or columbian tetras. Of about 5-6. Also a 5 corydoras would be good such as the sterbai.

[notho2000]

Hi, I came across some really good information on the Seriously Fish Site. An aquarist named Joe McElheron (joemc) from Ireland has provided most of the information and he speaks from first hand experience, having bred the fish successfully. Here's the link.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/biotodoma-cupido/

[joemc]

hi, that is me here on this forum!!
I put up a utube channel with the videos I took of the spawning process, not great quality, but they show the process
here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHtQqo5 ... ture=watch
If you have any questions shout away and if I can I will answer them, I agree with the previous poster regarding numbers, they are definitely a fish that should be kept in groups to see the best in them

[joemc]

and here is the link to the thread on this forum
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=250334

[everlast]

Wow.....tons of info...thanku thanku

[notho2000]

Thanks for replying Joe. I've had 'cupido' several times over the years and never had much success with them. They just didn't seem to be able to compete with other species for food and territoriality (is there such a word?). I think it's the numbers that were the problem. Two or three just wasn't working. But with the kind of information you're providing, I think they will be doable. I'll be picking some up at the first opportunity. Can't wait!! Thanks again.
Jim

[everlast]

Ok so Im gonna go with eight then...I currently have 12 columbian tetra , 1 bristlenose and 2 siamese algae eater in the tank.
My ph is around 6.3
I have sand substrate with beechwood branches and my water is clear but tannin stained, I have a load of jungle val growing around edges and some large river rocks...oh and frogbit on top which provides a little shade.
Would maybe like to add some leaf litter ??.....what do you guys reckon
Gonna scrutinise nitrite and ammonia levels also.

[joemc]

good choice on the group of 8, if the option is available I would take young fish over adults, I have seen fish about 1.5 - 2inch body size available in the shops, these are this years fry
on the nitrite and ammonia, these should always be zero, keep the nitrate low with water changes and filter resins, in my experience there is nothing that beats regular water changes!
Re the leaves, I like the look of leaves in my tanks, just watch that they do not end up buried in the substrate from the cupidos sifting the sand, though they do not move it anything like some of the other earth eaters like Santoperca or Geophagus species, they are real earth movers!
Good luck with the fish and please post pictures of them once you have them in your tank
joe

[everlast]

Ah thx joe
I wondered of the 8 what would be best m/f ratio .....was gonna do 3-5 but this might make things a little volatile

[joemc]

I would not be too concerned regarding the ratio of the sexes, if you buy young fish it would be next to impossible to sex them with certainty, bar venting them, my group of 15 consists of 6 males and 9 females, (I had 16 but I lost one fish a month or two back, it got spooked and jumped from the tank)
I have not noted any bullying or bashing in the group, males and females, they all get along fine living as a loose group, you will see the occasional facing off between fish, but never any harm done, having a decent sized group also probably helps disperse any potential for one individual fish to be the whipping post of the others.
When it comes to spawning and two fish pair up they defend their territory firmly, but I have never really noticed another cupido try to invade it, they seem to know the boundaries,... unlike us humans!

[everlast]

Hey Joe....can you give me any pointers about water temp, spawning sites , plants...etc
There aint alot of people that have succesfully spawned these little guys so seems like your the guy with the blueprint

Oh and I was gonna throw in a little male bristlenose alongside my female but could this cause the biotodoma concern??
Am I right in saying you had some angels in with them also??....how did that work??

[everlast]

Infact ignore my further questiong....got all my answers from your youtube videos Joe
Thanks again ...invaluable info and thanks to moderator notho2000 for the heads up

Just finishing a hardwood stand I've been building to house both my 80 gallon and another two additional tanks ..(17 inch cube and 20 gallon long)...all going well shall be used exclusively for breeding , fry etc ^^
Yeah, I am extremely optimistic
This is gonna be an exciting journey

[joemc]

Don't forget to post pictures!!!
on another note, I notice you are in Scotland, not a million miles away from west Cork in Ireland, if by any chance you have difficulty getting good fish and happen to know someone coming this way let me know (e.g. trucker) and I have some young available I will give you a group.
I will take a quick video this evening of the tank as it is now to give you an idea of how the fish look now and what else is in the tank.

[everlast]

Ah that would be awesome Joe:)
Yup I will keep u posted with pictures and videos for sure.
Should be within the next fortnight that I will be up and running