Maternal mouthbrooder; the female carries a small brood for over 4 weeks before releasing free-swimming fry.
Keep a group of 15 to 20 of one colour variant so aggression spreads out. Adults live alone in the wild, not as a shoal.
300+ L rockwork tank with caves, hard alkaline water (pH 8-9), moderate flow and very clean water; do not mix variants or other species.
Stable water, large weekly water changes, a vegetable-based diet and a large colony; females hold when they feel secure.
5-15 eggs per brood, held for over 4 weeks.
The female releases 5-12 large fry after about 4 weeks. Feed crushed spirulina flake and newly hatched brine shrimp; remove the female to a quiet tank if she is harassed.
One breeding tank for the duboisi cichlid, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 24–27 °C · pH 8–9 · hard water
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 12 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A 135 cm rack for breeding the duboisi cichlid in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 1,500 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
Hard to sex: the genital papilla is pointed in males and rounded in females. Juveniles are black with white or light-blue spots; adults turn blue-black with a yellow or white vertical bar.
Typical for mouthbrooders
Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.
The female takes the eggs into her mouth and stops eating.
After about 3 weeks the female releases fully formed fry. Many breeders move her to a quiet tank first.
Fry eat crushed flake and baby brine shrimp straight away.
Fry are a few centimetres long after about 3 months.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.