intern1 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hi Just wondering if anyone can give me some tips to breeding afra cobues for nearly 2 months know with no breeding behaviour. They are in a standard 4 foot with 8 females and 3 males 5-8cm as well as 5 juvie tangerine tigers - 6-7cm. The cobues have dug up holes all over the place. But still havent seen any females holding or any dancing happen. I feed them a spirila based flake morning and night and do 1/rd water changes 1 a week sometimes every 5 days. Just what else i could do to cause them to breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPM1976 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Patience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Patience is indeed a virtue here, you can't rush nature to complete its cycle. Also make sure to have enough caves/hiding areas for all fish - this really helps create dominance within many fish species that encourages breeding to occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Priscacara Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hang in there, it will happen. My P. saulosi were the first to spawn, still learning and not seen any fry from 3 spawns that I know of. My P. hongi finally had their first try a few days back (the female is almost 10cm and male about 7cm, looked hilarious for some reason.....the other females are smaller than him). My cobwes might be taking lessons so hopefully yhey will be next. I've had them all since early December so really glad they have they started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenzy Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Patience is indeed a virtue here, you can't rush nature to complete its cycle. Also make sure to have enough caves/hiding areas for all fish - this really helps create dominance within many fish species that encourages breeding to occur. I'm just learning this stuff as well but I have already seen some things in line with your reply. My afra's have been breeding solidly since I got them from CThompson a few months ago (see post on housing fry to get an idea LOL). They aren't big girls either. 5cms tops. However, they live in a mixed mbuna tank which until 3 weeks ago was heavily rocked up. I was having a lot of aggression in the tank though and took some advice and de rocked it. That worked a treat for the aggression. The cobalts especially settled down nicely with nothing in the tank to defend. The A cobs though (and it's not bad thing for now) have stopped the constant breeding since the underwater rockery got the rocket. This afternoon I decided to try for a happy medium and try and provide some cover. I put in one of those breeding caves and a piece of PVC pipe. I actually sat and watched the tank for a bit (as I do) and about 30 minutes after the tank went bananas. Rusties fighting, the male afra shyting himself, the yellows just docile as always and the cobalts gone nutso again. There is dancing and carrying on all over the tank. This looms as an interesting learning weekend LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intern1 Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 Are you saying to de rock the tank or to increase the amount of rocks because you said the afra cobues stopped breeding once you took the rocks out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanbagsx Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I agree with Frenzy, We had our Afra Cobue Colony in a 3ft tank with 3 Males and 10 Females, setup was rocks built up on each end of the tank. Lots of hiding places for the females. Once they start, they wont stop......unless you change their enviroment....then they will need to settle in again. Goodluck, Jaime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Are you saying to de rock the tank or to increase the amount of rocks because you said the afra cobues stopped breeding once you took the rocks out. He is saying that you can't have breeding occur without some level of agression also. By removing rocks you remove lots of aggression from the tank but as no-one has dominance the will to breed is lowered. When you have some territories you will increase the chances of the fish breeding but also agression levels within the tank. The best way to overcome this in my opinion is to load the tank with excess rocks (the more the better) or increase tank size. This way however can mean a real pain when you need to catch the brooding fish if you do not wish to let her spit the fry in the tank. Hope this helps, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenzy Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Are you saying to de rock the tank or to increase the amount of rocks because you said the afra cobues stopped breeding once you took the rocks out. He is saying that you can't have breeding occur without some level of agression also. By removing rocks you remove lots of aggression from the tank but as no-one has dominance the will to breed is lowered. When you have some territories you will increase the chances of the fish breeding but also agression levels within the tank. The best way to overcome this in my opinion is to load the tank with excess rocks (the more the better) or increase tank size. This way however can mean a real pain when you need to catch the brooding fish if you do not wish to let her spit the fry in the tank. Hope this helps, John Yep, thanks John for helping me out there. Interesting that you mention the pain in the neck it can be catching the holding females. One reason I took the rocks out was that I had a lot of fry ending up as meals after they were spat into the tank. As far as I see it the whole thing is trial/error/experience and advice. Combine it all and it eventually comes right I reckon. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangers Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Hi, I would think about feeding them some frozen foods too - I feed mine brine shrimp, daphnia and mysis about 3 times a week, and dry foods the rest of the time. The frozen foods will help with getting them into breeding condition. I've hade my Cobues breeding from about 5cm with this diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenzy Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Hi, I would think about feeding them some frozen foods too - I feed mine brine shrimp, daphnia and mysis about 3 times a week, and dry foods the rest of the time. The frozen foods will help with getting them into breeding condition. I've hade my Cobues breeding from about 5cm with this diet. Well after some tank tinkering I've got them back into the swing of it. The tank now has 2 rusties and 2 cobues holding. A third cobue has her ovipositor down and ready to rock and roll. Only the cobalts and yellows haven't responded. The yellow colony is male heavy which doesn't help and will be rectified this week. Haven't worked out what's slowed to cobalts down. Anyway, I've ending up with 1 piece os dead coral, looks like a cone. It's upside down and the male afra nabbed it as home. No others go near it and he rarely leaves. I put in one of those logs that people use for bristlenose and an 8 inch long piece of black PVC pipe which is the popular haunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Lets hope all goes well with the yellow's Matt, as for the cobalts I've always had trouble getting a good combination of males and females which thankfully is now resolved as I bought a large female that had already spawned, and has now left me with about 40ish fry and another good 30 on the way I presume. Hi, I would think about feeding them some frozen foods too - I feed mine brine shrimp, daphnia and mysis about 3 times a week, and dry foods the rest of the time. The frozen foods will help with getting them into breeding condition. I've hade my Cobues breeding from about 5cm with this diet. Well after some tank tinkering I've got them back into the swing of it. The tank now has 2 rusties and 2 cobues holding. A third cobue has her ovipositor down and ready to rock and roll. Only the cobalts and yellows haven't responded. The yellow colony is male heavy which doesn't help and will be rectified this week. Haven't worked out what's slowed to cobalts down. Anyway, I've ending up with 1 piece os dead coral, looks like a cone. It's upside down and the male afra nabbed it as home. No others go near it and he rarely leaves. I put in one of those logs that people use for bristlenose and an 8 inch long piece of black PVC pipe which is the popular haunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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