Breeding / Mouthbrooders

Mouthbrooders · Moderate

Breeding the tropheus moorii

Maternal mouthbrooder; the female carries a small brood for over 4 weeks before releasing free-swimming fry.

Step by step

Pairing

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.

Breeding tank

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.

What starts it

Stable water, large weekly water changes, a vegetable-based diet and a large colony; females hold when they feel secure.

Eggs and young

5-15 eggs per brood, held for over 4 weeks.

Raising the fry

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.

Common mistakes

Keeping too few fish so aggression focuses on one
Feeding high-protein foods that cause bloat
Mixing different colour variants and creating hybrids

Setup blueprint

Home setup

One breeding tank for the tropheus moorii, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.

Breeding tank: 300 L · about 100 × 50 × 60 cm, 300 L from the breeding guide
Sponge filter and air pump · gentle and safe for eggs and fry
Heater, 24–27 °C · this species' normal range
Cave · named in the guide

Water: 24–27 °C · pH 8–9 · hard water

A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 14.5 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.

Setup blueprint

Business setup

A 135 cm rack for breeding the tropheus moorii in numbers.

1 breeding tank, 300 L · about 100 × 50 × 60 cm, set up like the home tank
2 grow-out tanks, 600 L each · about 125 × 65 × 75 cm; twice the breeding tank, never smaller than this species' smallest tank
Shared air pump and air line · one line along each shelf feeds a sponge filter in every tank
Heat the room or each tank · 24–27 °C

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.

Male or female

Sexes look alike; venting is the only reliable method: the genital papilla is pointed in males and rounded in females.

Can I breed it in my tank?

Your tank (litres of water)

Takes some experience.

Day-by-day plan

Typical for mouthbrooders

Spawning date

21 days beforeGroup and condition
Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.
Day 0Spawning
The female takes the eggs into her mouth and stops eating.
Day 21Release
After about 3 weeks the female releases fully formed fry. Many breeders move her to a quiet tank first.
Day 21First food
Fry eat crushed flake and baby brine shrimp straight away.
Day 90Grow-out
Fry are a few centimetres long after about 3 months.

A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.

Simulator: guided

Stage 1 of 5Group and condition

Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.

Simulator: try it yourself

Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.

Temperature: 26 °C

Condition with live or frozen foodBig, cool water changePlants, mops or a breeding boxRemove the parents after spawning

No spawning

Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.

An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.