Laetacara Dorsigera Spawn! Woot!

[mm12463]

Hi all -
A while back I was asking a few questions about these little guys. I had 4 and ended up with 2 pair. One set seemed not interested so I let it go. The other pair seemed much happier after I moved them to a newer tank but eventually the male died.

On April 28th I was at the LFs and picked up what I thought was a male. Well today after work, I tossed a few pellets in the tank and went about my business. Come back a few hours later saw the fish had spawned!!! Pretty excited about this. I have not had a dwarf cichlid breed since I got out of the hobby 4 or so years ago. And it has to be one of the neatest things I have seen when they raise up the fry.

My only question right now is the egg color. In Linke/Staeck American Cichlids I it says the eggs have a faint reddish brown color. Mine look pretty darn white. Any problems? First batch and who knows how old the fish are. The female I purchased on December 2, 2003. She's only grown a little bit since then so I bet she is close to a year.

I watched them for some time while taking pics and what not. (And I forgot to do a good job with the algae on the front glass last night after the water change!) The dad was over top watching over things. Eventually he moved off and mom did her part. Totally cool!

Anyway here are some terrible photos on my site. I want to clean that glass but I'll just suck it up.


Anyway any help on the egg color and if it is a concern would be great. I'm not worried if it doesn't turn out. It's only been what, 2-3 weeks since I hooked them up and it's the first time for them.

Mike

 

[patrick1]

nice photo's mm

greeting patrick1

 

[Randall]

Laetacara dorsigera

Hello Mike,

From what I understand, egg color can vary depending on diet. From your photos, the eggs have that glassy, hyaline look and appear viable.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[mm12463]

Thanks for the compliments pattrick and for the answer Randall.

When I got home on Thursday from work the eggs where all gone and the purple coloring of the female had faded. So looks like first attempt for them was no good. Which is okay. She is already eating like a pig and showing that coloring again. Sunday is water change day so who knows - maybe later in the week.

Oh here is a question. How long does it take a typical dwarf to become ready to spawn again? I imagine males are almost always ready but females need time.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Randall]

Spawning Laetacara dorsigera

How long does it take a typical dwarf to become ready to spawn again? I imagine males are almost always ready but females need time.

Hello Mike,

Sorry to hear about your eaten eggs; but the good news is that if they spawned once, they'll do it again. Sometimes it can take a false start or two until they get it right.

To answer your question, well, it depends; but generally anywhere from one to three weeks.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[mm12463]

I guessed it would be at least a week. At the very least it will put my mind at ease to know it will take some time and it's not me. It's all fun. Certainly can get a person excited.

 

[laetacara1]

How long does it take a typical dwarf to become ready to spawn again? I imagine males are almost always ready but females need time.

We have dorsigeras that spawn fairly regularly. It seems to take our females about 3 weeks before they are able to lay eggs again--3 weeks counting from when the last set of eggs were laid, rather than when eggs, wrigglers, or fry disappeared.

 

[apistodave]

Oh Randall glassy! Hyaline! I love it when you talk like that!!!! They look just like my fishes eggs and they worked OK.