# Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania" (Liuli) Babie



## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

I bought 6 juvinile Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania" (Liuli) last April. I now have a Trio 1M:2F.

I just stripped one of the girls after she was holding 24 days (her first successful spawn).

31 little babies. Enjoy.

Fresh out of the oven.








In their new 10 gallon home (note to self - clean glass...).








Up close of some '5 minute old' fish.








Mom no worse for wear.








Proud Dad this morning.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

Aww they look so sweet. Congrats :thumb:


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

wow beautiful male man!


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I am growing up 5 juvies in my 180 gallon tank. They are approximately 8 weeks old +2-3 inches, when did your male start showing color? I am not sure, but when they are young are the males more copper colored, while the females remain silver? Lastly, did you have problems with multiple males in one tank? Sorry to hi0jack this thread and ask so many questions. 
Thanks 
Mike


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## bartho14 (Feb 26, 2009)

Very nice!! congrats, im still waiting on my male to get busy


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> They are approximately 8 weeks old +2-3 inches, when did your male start showing color?


About 3.5in the dominate male started to get a little blue on the cheek. I got them in April, between 2 and 3 in, It wasn't until the middle of July that I saw any color at all.



> I am not sure, but when they are young are the males more copper colored, while the females remain silver?


The female that had the babies has always been very dark/coppery relative to the others. The other female has always stayed pretty light. The dominate male remained silver and black until he started coloring up.



> Lastly, did you have problems with multiple males in one tank?


None. Actually the female that had the babies is/was the most aggressive fish in the tank after the dominate male. And aggressive is a relative term as they aren't bad at all.

The male will get going at times, I just make sure there is no large open patch of sand when he gets really amorous. He can get annoying, so I move a few rocks off the pile and place them in the middle of his nest area and things calm down.

Here is a better picture of the male showing off.









Good Luck.


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

very nice :thumb:. I count 31, it is so much easier counting them in a photo then it is counting them darting around tank :lol: . Good work dad looks brilliant


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

That male is nice :thumb: . GoofBoy, I have my Spilonotus Tanzania growing up with Pheno Tanzania also.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> very nice. I count 31, it is so much easier counting them in a photo then it is counting them darting around tank Laugh Out Loud . Good work dad looks brilliant


Thanks, Gibbs.



> That male is nice. GoofBoy, I have my Spilonotus Tanzania growing up with Pheno Tanzania also.


Thanks, I really like the blue and yellow together. I wonder how Otopharynx lithobates (Zimbawe) and Aulonocara stuartgranti (Usisya) would look with these guys, hmmmm. Also, I'm hoping to get a couple more labs soon.

A couple more pictures from this week - the Liuli seems to thinning out a little and getting longer since the shot about 2 months ago. The Pheno is about 9 months older but is now the second biggest fish in the tank.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

This is very funny, we must have very similar taste in fish. My tank consists of 4 phenos, 5 spinolatus, 2 Z-Rock Lithobates, 2 Fireline Mloto and some oddballs that survived. I had some peacocks and labs, but they were growing to fast compared to my others and were becoming mildly aggressive so I sold them to a friend. The lithobates are working out fine so far, actually the I have one coloring male lithobates who doesnt bother anyone. The lithobates, mloto, and spinolatus all school together in the tank and are very calm. Hopefully once they all color and mature they will still be nice to one another. I have a 180, so I got a little more room in my tank. I will post some pics here of my guys so you can give me your opinion on my juvie spinolatus. Nice pheno, mine are starting to speckle up slowly but surely. What do you feed? My phenos and spinolatus destroy any type of food I put in front of them. I have to fast them at least once sometimes twice a week since they stuff themselves so much, even when I am trying to put food on separate sides of the tank to allow everyone to get some food.


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

beautiful fish, congrats on the fry.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> What do you feed? My phenos and spinolatus destroy any type of food I put in front of them.


1.0mm NLS pellets, Chichlid Crisps (TetraMin I think), and I have some Dainichi 3.0mm pellets.

I think they get too much food with the 3.0mm pellets, so they only get those once a week or so.

Would love to see pictures opcorn:.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

(GoofBoy) I have been trying to snap some shots of my guys for the past 3-4 days and they are being very uncooperative. Hopefully, I can get some pics this weekend for you to look at. Got any tips on shooting them? I have a basic digital camera, they are just really active so all the shots have been very blurry.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> I have been trying to snap some shots of my guys for the past 3-4 days and they are being very uncooperative. Hopefully, I can get some pics this weekend for you to look at. Got any tips on shooting them? I have a basic digital camera, they are just really active so all the shots have been very blurry.


Get/borrow a better camera? :lol: Seriously, I have a Fiji FinePix F10 point and click, about 1 out of 100 shots comes out okay. I borrow my neighbor's Nikon D40 with the standard 18-55 Lens and the results are what you see - way better than anything I ever took with the FinePix. All the difference in the world. Ken Rockwell talks about the D40 here.

I have a real hard time with the Nikon taking pictures of my new Tang Community tank (with young fish) - I think a Macro Lens might be in order there (note to self...must get neighbor to buy one somehow :wink, but for the large Malawi Haps, the regular lens seems to work plenty well for me.



> Got any tips on shooting them?


Do it in the evening with all the lights out in the room and no one else around, sit in front of the fish for a while with the camera so they calm down, don't chase the fish trying to get a shot, let them come to an area/spot you picked out, take many, many pictures - offload them take many more. A few may be something you are proud of.

Good Luck, I look forward to seeing the shots.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

Pheno








Lithobates Z-rock starting to color








Clown Loaches








I'll try to post some more of my juvie spinolatus this weekend.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

:drooling:


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

Great pictures. How old is the O. Lithobates?

I can't let the wife see the Line 'O Loaches, she would love them.

Keep 'em coming!!!


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

(goofboy) The lithobates I have had longer then my spinolatus. They are probably 15-18 weeks old, but not sure. I took and chance and bought 4 juvie lithobates guppy size, but I had an Ahli who ate 2 of them. The one male is really getting blue, but I have heard that it takes some time for the blaze to show. Here are the best I could get of some of the spinolatus. I am unsure about sex, but really think I have a male beginning to color as we speak. The last pic is of my smallest fancy pleco. It is a mango/magnum pleco, I have five distinct species of pleco that are all doing well with my cichlids. Enjoy and thanks for the comments.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I really took your advice about not chasing and letting the fish come to the camera, it worked out well.
:thumb:


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

Glad the letting the fish come to you worked.

Love the pleco, I tried a few smaller ones, my Pheno went nuts over them, had to pull the surviviors out. Those are some fat Liuili :lol:.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

Yeah they are fat in that pic. I feed them a shrimp/ veggie homemade frozen mix X2 a week. If they are looking large I usually faste them a couple days. To prevent bloat issues.


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## Bryan B (Dec 4, 2006)

I have to say there some nice pics of your fish in here !
I hope to get pics some day that good !


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