Difficulty level of breeding panduro

[M0oN]

This question is for those of you who have experience in breeding other delicate fish.

I'm just wondering how long I should expect to wait until my panduro pair off in the tank and how hard they truely are to spawn, are there any fish comparable to their difficulty level?

I'm hoping it's not nearly as tough as discus are, or I'm in for a long long wait.

Also, what are ideal breeding conditions for this specific species? gH, kH, pH, temperature etc.? Are there any noticeable differences in how large of a clutch you'll get and what the majority of the sexes of the fish are based around any water parameters?

What are the parental behaviors of this fish after a successful spawn? Do both the male and female care for the young, are they pretty much left to fend for themselves, about how long does it take for the parents to start their second spawn and begin eating their old fry on average?

All other information is appreciated as well, I just made a purchase for 6 of these guys, 2 males and 4 females...we'll see how it goes in a 29 gallon and I'll keep you guys updated.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[farm41]

Hope you have another tank, if they do start breeding, that tank is going to get rough, best to just have 1 pair of panduro per tank.

My spawned in Ph 6, EC <80µS, 77ºF,

I used peat, RO and oak leaves. Spawns were small, 30-40, sex ratio depends on temp.

 

[M0oN]

Well I breed discus, currently don't have any pairs so I've got two 30 gallons, 2 10's, a 20 tall and 5 7 gallon tanks at my disposal, should be plenty for rearing the fry and giving parents a new home.

Any idea what the temperature differences are that determine sex ratios?

These guys are harem breeders right? Are the females just as aggressive as the males? I've heard the males will intervene between the females they are mated with to keep them from killing eachother...

 

[farm41]

In a larger tank, they may get along as a trio, I never had much luck in a 20L with a trio, one female always jumped or got beat up. I always kept them in pairs.

 

[fishboy20]

keep the temp around 75-76 to get approx. an equal amount of males:females.

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Jason,

A 29 gallon might be OK for a trio depending on your set-up and the temperment of the individual fish. But a 30 gallon would be much better. There is much less stress in a 30 gallon so I feel that the apistos display more natural behavior. I think in smaller tanks they feel too confined to relax and act natural. But of course with the right set-up, some species can probably be comfortable in a small tank.

Also 6 apistos would be too many once fry are produced, but I like to start with 6 fish myself. I try for 3m & 3f and let them choose their own mates(or select the more colorful male). Once I get a trio established I move the remaining fish to another tank where I try to get another pair. This leaves me with a breeding trio, a spare(backup) male for the community tank, and a breeding pair to auction off at my local fish club for someone else to raise (try to cultivate another apisto addict :wink: ).

Michael