# Pelvicachromis Taeniatus 'Moliwe' First Spawn



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

Hi all,
A couple of months ago I purchased some of my favorite West African Chichlids from Ted Judy @ Teds Fish Room...I got 7 juvinile Pelvicachromis Taeniatus 'Moliwe' and some pencilfish for my 29gal tank...well the largest male and one of the dominant females paired off and have been guarding a burrito cave for about a week....this morning I got my first glimpse of the free swimming fry!! They are being great partners & parents especially for first timers  enjoy the pictures!!
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/[email protected]/page3


----------



## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Great Pictures! I will be stocking a 29 gallon in the near future and I am considering some Pelvicachromis. Are the breeding pair overly aggressive to the other fish in the tank? I hear they can be quite nippy. I was thinking about stocking some African butterfly cichlids as tankmates.


----------



## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Oh my gosh - that second picture down, with the cute little fry heads all sticking out of the cave - soooo adorable!!!


----------



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

Mike,
They are pretty docile for the most part, they only defend the area the fry are in and only when someone comes too close. They will chase them off, these guys have been together since I set up the tank. I would recommend getting juveniles and allowing them to pair up naturally. This strengthens the pair bonds and there seems to be less squabbles. They have a hierarchy and territories established. I have given them lots of cover with rocks, plants, and driftwood. There are 2 breeding sites with a blocked line of site on opposite ends of the aquarium. I will be selling some of these older juveniles ones I have 2 established pairs. I love these little fish!! They are colorful, comical, and easy to feed and spawn. They are great parents and share in the parental care of the fry....it's really neat to watch them!! If you do buy a pair make sure you give them some dithers and other fish in the tank. This helps to dissipate any potential agression over many targets instead of them focusing on one fish!!
Kathy


----------



## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Kim said:


> Oh my gosh - that second picture down, with the cute little fry heads all sticking out of the cave - soooo adorable!!!


That was my favorite too 

Great pics!


----------



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

I did upload some new pics on Flickr tonight of the pair sheparding the fry around the tank  looks to be around 20+ babies....not bad for a first spawn!!
Here's one of the pics of the proud papa 
Kathy


----------



## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Thanks for the info Kathy! My LFS gets them in every few weeks I'm currently using my 20 long as a quarantine tank but I picked up a 29 at my LFSs dollar per gallon sale and will be converting it over as soon as my Black Phantoms are ready to go into the main tank.

I love these pictures! I wanna see these guys grow up so please keep us updated.


----------



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

You're welcome Mike!! Ted Judy (tedsfishroom.com) is probably one of the best authorities on Westies....his apistogramma.com forum and his direct website mentioned above has some terrific info on these fish. If you do buy a wild caught adult pair from your LFS....he recommends putting a female p.pulcher aka common krib in the tank to help encourage the pair to bond and pair up along with some dither fish....like danios, pencilfish, peaceful smaller tetras...they are super fun to have and I will definitely keep posting pics of these little guys as they grow up


----------



## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Thanks for the heads up on apistogramma.com, looks right up my alley. Plenty of info on my beloved Bolivian rams, I may have to join


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I love the apistogramma.com forum. I am not a member but a lurker and it has given me a new-found appreciation for these sorts of fish. 

How long does the female/pair look after their fry for?


----------



## CustardCatfish (Apr 27, 2015)

I worship Ted Judy. His YT channel is fantastic and his website even more so. Lucky you!


----------



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

From what I understand they will care for fry until they are large enough to not need protection. Have heard of situations where they even continued to guard fry while hatching another batch of fry.
They really are terrific parents....my pair works together moving the fry around the tank to feed, they guard the fry from any potential threats, and at night momma picks them up in her mouth collecting all fry and puts them back in the breeding cave right before the lights click off for the night  
It's been fun to watch...and these guys have been great first time parents, they still have almost all the fry they hatched last week. I will be taking new pics tomorrow of the week old fry...can't believe how quickly they've grown in one week!!
Kathy


----------



## Luv2lopeqhs (May 3, 2015)

Yes...Ted is a FishGod IMHO lol and he's been a great source for advice, even after I got my fish from him...he's always answered any questions I have
Kathy


----------

