# Are my Paratilapia Going to Spawn?



## KingPiccolo SB (Oct 12, 2012)

I just recently purchased an 8" Paratilapia Polleni "Small Spot" male, i have had a small one presumably a female for about a year now, it's about 4". The smaller one had maybe 15 white spots on it's body and wasn't always the usual black color. The day I added the male they were swimming around with each other all day long and the smaller one now has gorgeous colors and spots cover it's entire body. Now a week later they both are in this large cave and they won't leave it except at feeding time. My question is are they preparing to spawn? And if so what steps should i take to ensure some of the babies survive? It is a community tank with mostly Malawian Males.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

Sure sounds like you have a mated pair, whenever they do a sort of synchronized swimming routine, and a female darkens up it's an indication of spawning.
If you want Paratilapia fry to survive, you should probably remove all the other fish except the Paratilapia pair, or at least divide the tank up with the other fish on the opposite side of the divider.
.


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## KingPiccolo SB (Oct 12, 2012)

They're currently in a 90 gallon tank do you think 45 gallons would be enough for them to spawn if I divide it? I could possibly move them to another tank, but my other tank is already having some territory disputes lately. What are some of the signs you noticed when they're planning to spawn?


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

My guess would be a divided 90 would work, (but I have personally only used a 6' footprint L tank) sometimes the fish on the other side of the divider help to cement the pair bond.
Swimming together and not killing each other, while the female darkened up are good signs to me, but also be ready to remove the divider if the bond fails so the female has room to escape.


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## KingPiccolo SB (Oct 12, 2012)

Once i removed the dominant male in the tank he has now started vibrating around her all the time, i think things are looking good. I may just remove all of them from the tank just to be safe.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

Sounds like best thing to do, removing all, and the shimmying is definitely pre-spawning behavior.
They like to hang the eggs on plant roots, or on the side of rocks, and are not like normal cichlid eggs, in that they look like clusters of tiny berries, and if fertile are usually red in color.


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