Location code: Mamfe

Water conditions: Neutral, 24-27^oC

Spawning Method: Long term (fry appear with adults)

Breeding difficulty: Easy

Success: Very successful

Other Comments: I had two pairs set up in a 2ft tank with a external power filter giving a good current and clean water. The tank had najas, a couple mops and the cork bark spawning sites floating on the surface. I was about to go on holiday for two weeks when I got them , so I fed them well on white worms and expected them to merely survive until my return. I found eggs deposited in the cracks of the floating cork bark, as I expected, but obviously was unable to raise them until I was back in the UK. On my return I was very surprised to find a shoal of 30 fry near the surface. The adults were not interested (staying right on the bottom) and the fry were doing well despite several days of non-feeding by me. They are now doing well at 1cm - no losses so far, and their shoal seems to be slowly moving downward in the tank as they age. Incidently the smallest fry seem to have the strength to swim in the filter current (or eddies around it at least).

Breeder: jules, UK (1 years experience with this species)

Water conditions: Moderately hard and alkaline, 20-23^oC

Spawning Method: Spawning Mops

Sex ratio: Roughly equal

Breeding difficulty: Difficult

Success: Fairly unsuccessful

Other Comments: I spawn them in mops. Most eggs appear in the top. The adults do not appear to bother the eggs, but will eat fry. I generally leave the mop in the tank for about two weeks with a few pairs in a 40 L tank. Feed well (they really like fruit flies) and there will typically be about 30 eggs with different degrees of development. The eggs are removed to a small dish kept around 23C. As the eggs hatch the fry are put into a small (~8L) tank with a sponge filter. They have small mouths so require small foods at first. They hang around the top so very fine dry food and green water is used at first followed by micro worms and baby brine shrimp as they grow. Because they have small mouths you can keep fry that differ by a month or so in age in the same tank. Frequent water changes are important with this species.

Breeder: Gary Sutcliffe, Wisconsin, USA (5 years experience with this species)