# Julidochromis marlieri Breeding



## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

I have a 30 gallon tank with 5 _Julidochromis marlieri_ and a bristlenose catfish. The marlieris were all the same size when i bought them; about a year and a half ago. They are now ranging from about 1 1/2 to 3 inches. I feed them generic flake twice daily with one day off a week and interspersed feedings of veggie flake (i feed one algae pellet every other day for the bristlenose). I do once weekly water changes of ten gallons. The water is kept hard and basic by the addition of crushed coral substrate and sandstone caves.
I have a couple of questions:
1. How big will they get?
2. When might they pair?
3. Might the bristlenose be interfering in their pairing/breeding/eating the eggs?
4. Is there anything i can do to get them to pair?
5. Is there anything I am doing wrong
6. Do i just need to be more patient?
7. Would the addition of plants help?

If i can not get them to breed i am thinking about taking out all but one adding some other small tanganyikan cichlids and calling it a community tank. I will get some recent pictures up soon.

Thanks.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

> I have a 30 gallon tank with 5 _Julidochromis marlieri_ and a bristlenose catfish. The marlieris were all the same size when i bought them; about a year and a half ago. They are now ranging from about 1 1/2 to 3 inches.


 They are now about breeding size, but they sound a bit small for their age. I think we need to talk about their diet. 


> I feed them generic flake twice daily with one day off a week and interspersed feedings of veggie flake (i feed one algae pellet every other day for the bristlenose). I do once weekly water changes of ten gallons.


 Generic flake likely doesn't have enough high quality protein. I suggest switching to a premium cichlid food and supplement with brine, mysis, or other meaty rich foods instead of the veggie flake. The J. marlieri that I've bred were between 2-3 inches, were fed NLS, and had very hard, high pH water.


> The water is kept hard and basic by the addition of crushed coral substrate and sandstone caves


. Your substrate does not dissolve fast enough to make up for water changes; the buffering capacity of crushed coral is virtually nonexistent after the initial spike. Have you measured ph or hardness recently? Unsuitable water condtions can contribute to stunted growth and prevent breeding. While we're talking water quality, what is your nitrate concentration? 


> 1. How big will they get?


I've seen marlieri the size of bratwurst: 7" long, 1" They don't all get that big...


> 2. When might they pair?


 Pretty soon... they are a good size.


> 3. Might the bristlenose be interfering in their pairing/breeding/eating the eggs?


 Eventually. But, you should see pairing behavior before the BNP really causes trouble. Julies are good parents but they don't necessarily recognize plecos as a threat near their nest. 


> 4. Is there anything i can do to get them to pair?


 Improve water quality and diet.

I'm not sure you are doing anything wrong, but there's room for improvement. Give them awhile longer with better food and good water before giving up. :thumb:


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

A.C. if you follow Triscuit's advise you should be breeding your fish in the near future! =D> 
You may have to remove the others after a pair has formed. Keep an eye out for fish hiding in the upper corners of your tank.
Thanks,
Daniel


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## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

Thanks for the great answers, I've gotten them to eat frozen bloodworms. Would that be good as the meaty supplement you are talking about? I have kept only tanks that have not been buffered in the past. How would i buffer the water if it is not at acceptable levels?
Thanks


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

I shy away from bloodworms and stick to the aquatic proteins... perhaps someone else can comment on their usage.

I have zero buffering/hardness in my tap water, so I add baking soda and epsom salts with each water change. They are dirt cheap and do not require careful measurement :thumb: For my water, I dissolve about a tablespoon of each for a 20 gallon water change. Make sure you make changes slowly... if you find your water needs buffering, take a couple weeks to bring it up.

Your local fish store should test your water for free... have them measure pH, GH, KH and nitrates if you don't have non-expired test kits at home.


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## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

Would it be a good idea to use test strips or are liquids the only accurate test?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Liquids are more accurate. I also feed NLS exclusively.


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## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

Excuse my lack of lingo, but what is NLS?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula, a big favorite on this board.


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## felix51 (Jan 30, 2009)

As far as food i feed my Juli pair a mix of spirulina flake and frozen brine shrimp, i agree that you should not feed them bloodworms. They will react very well to brine shrimp!

It depends on what type of Marlieri you have to determine breeding size too, i have the "Burundi" type which i understand to be a dwarf variant, my Male is just over 3" and the female is at about 2.3". I would suggest 2.5" or larger is fine.

Another thing to consider is your decor setup, they prefer a lot of rocks to hide (usually very shy) in along with some smooth surfaces to lay their eggs upon. Make certain those smooth surfaces are well hidden in your tank as again, they are quite timid when it comes to breeding time.

I'd get rid of the catfish too, i've found these guys to really only successfully breed in species only tanks, anytime i've tried to introduce other tangs or even common plecos breeding has ceased, and the attention shifts from breeding to killing whatever else is in the tank. The catfish are most likely a distraction.

It's hard to sex these fish too, but if you have an educated idea of your M/F ratio, you'll be better served to keep just one male, and as soon as a pair forms take all others out. Bystanders will not be tolerated in a tank of that size.

Patience is a virtue, but sometimes that's not the answer and these fish simply won't pair off. You can do everything right, but in the end the fish will do what they want to do, you can't force the equation. I would suggest your fish are still somewhat immature (sounds like you have some on the small end, which are most likely your females) and do give it time, along with some of the recommendations above.

Once they do pair, get your fry tanks ready, these guys put out 20-30 at a time and may breed every 2-3 months!

Good luck!


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## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

I just go back from my LFS and they were out of KH and GH test supplies, but i was able to get PH and nitrates tested; PH=8, Nitrates=0ppm. I was somewhat surprised by the nitrate reading as i missed last week's water change . I am going to do one today,though. I also was able to pick up some frozen mysis shrimp and some small, floating cichlid pellets. They did not have NLS so i bought Omega One, is this as good? I would like to know soon because it is unopened and i will return it if it isn't.


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## daniel4832 (May 8, 2004)

Omega One is an excellent food, the only disadvantage is most Tangs like sinking food and Omega's food floats. I wish they made a sinking food!
Thanks,
Daniel


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## Ambadasdor Cox (Jul 20, 2008)

I may just be over worrying, but, will a pair form if the largest fish in the tank is bullying most of the others? It's not excessive and a couple of the fish stand their ground but i am worried.


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## felix51 (Jan 30, 2009)

It is common for the dominant male to bully all other inhabitants, even though one of the fish may be part of a future pair. As long as you don't have fish up in the corners looking stressed or shredded, just hang in there and be patient.

Good luck!


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