Geophagus sp.

[fishguy1978]

New redheads look to be holding. They keep their mouths tite shut but are chewing.

 

[lloyd378]

they aren’t mouth brooders are they?

 

[sir_keith]

they aren’t mouth brooders are they?

They aren't mouthbrooders per se, but after hatching either or both parents may take the fry into their mouths. Very interesting behaviours.

 

[fishguy1978]

5 redheads,

 

[sir_keith]

I love redheads!!!

 

[fishguy1978]

I thought that I had removed all the G. Brasiliensis juvie's from the pond but I found 3 dead. They must have expired recently as they are just starting to grow the death slime. The free floating algae has died off too.

 

[fishguy1978]

 

[lloyd378]

View attachment 10542

Beautiful! It looks to be 5-6” from this perspective …. Is that close?

 

[fishguy1978]

Beautiful! It looks to be 5-6” from this perspective …. Is that close?

Over 8in I think

 

[cjag]

Beautiful! It looks to be 5-6” from this perspective …. Is that close?

Saw him in person yesterday. He's a big boy. Pushing 9"

 

[fishguy1978]

Beautiful! It looks to be 5-6” from this perspective …. Is that close?

Saw him in person yesterday. He's a big boy. Pushing 9"

Now I'm going to have to catch him and measure

 

[fishguy1978]

I was able to measure both the male(8in) and the female(5.75in).

 

[fishguy1978]

Moved all the redheads to the 120g. I have enough levamisole coming from select aquatics that I can dose the entire fish room if necessary. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the little parasite bubble on the O. eigenmanni until after moving the M. Hypsauchen into the 220g. I figure I'm already cross contaminated so I will medicate both tanks.

 

[fishguy1978]

This fellow was cleaning a rock. Hope he has a Mrs.

 

[fishguy1978]

 

[sir_keith]

Caught in the act! Nice!

 

[fishguy1978]

Day 1

Day 2

 

[fishguy1978]

Day 3 update: Eggs are gone and the parents are still defending the area. I'm assessing that the pair are holding the wigglers.

 

[fishguy1978]

Day 11: as of yesterday evening both were still holding. I may try to move them to my planted 55g.

 

[sir_keith]

Day 11: as of yesterday evening both were still holding. I may try to move them to my planted 55g.

I've always found this breeding strategy to be fascinating: it starts out as if they were typical substrate spawners, then transitions to buccal care of the young just like bona fide mouthbrooders. As it's clear that mouthbrooding is the more advanced breeding strategy, this probably represents an intermediate stage during the evolutionary transition from substrate spawning to mouthbrooding. It's also interesting that the brood size is small for a typical substrate spawner, but large for a typical mouthbrooder; again supporting the idea of an intermediate stage. It's not often in biology that we get to see these kinds of 'missing links.'

Back to more practical matters; why do you want to move them? It's always risky to move fishes that are mouthbrooding, especially if that are not experienced. I see you've got rainbow juvies as dithers (of course); why not move them, even if it's just a few at a time? And/or install a tank divider? Good luck; these are gorgeous and interesting fishes.