Considering some apistos...

[gingerbeer01]

Rule of thumb is 1 square foot per female and another 1/2 a foot for male. This means in a two foot you can only really have a pair. And if you breed in a smaller tank as Rod said you gotta get that female out quickly. Some fish will never breed in anything smaller than a two foot.

If you want a harem you are talking a 3-4 foot tank.

I would suggest always leaving the female in - they very rarely eat the eggs/young. Consider removing the male.

HTH
Steve

[Barracuda]

Thanks, so if i remove the eggs/fry, will the female still fight the male if i keep the parents in there?

[gingerbeer01]

when you remove eggs it can go either way - but pretty sure to go one way or the other.

[Barracuda]

Alright thanks
So any breeders or reputable sellers in Sydney so i can perhaps think about/decide on a particular species that are available?

[BigDaddyAdo]

I would go for a pair in a 2 or 3 footer. Leaving the parents in makes it a lot more fun to watch.

It all depends on what you want to keep. I was really keen on a pair of Trifasciata and had to get them shipped down from Qld.

I will pm where i got them from.

[Barracuda]

Just reading a few different websites, some people reckon that by removing the fry, you are taking away the inherited instincts of the parents not to eat their fry, so when these fry grow up and breed themselves they will likely eat their babies? Is that true - any experiences?

[Noddy65]

Just reading a few different websites, some people reckon that by removing the fry, you are taking away the inherited instincts of the parents not to eat their fry, so when these fry grow up and breed themselves they will likely eat their babies? Is that true - any experiences?

Ive heard that too...never made any sense to me and not my experience

I dont see how you can change an inherited instinct in one generation by removing fry....just doesnt make any sense. If it was a learnt behaviour then maybe yes...but these guys dont have a colony type breeding system.

Mike

[Barracuda]

Yea thats what i thought too - I was quite concerned when I heard that!
Well thats good to know that it doesnt happen, well at least not 100%

[gingerbeer01]

Egg eating behaviour is IMO more related to how comfortable and secure the fish feel.

With Rams I found 1st generation bad parents 2nd generation good parents. I put it down to the fact that the fish are comfortable and know there surroundings - and to an extent me.

[Robdog]

...some people reckon that by removing the fry, you are taking away the inherited instincts of the parents not to eat their fry, so when these fry grow up and breed themselves they will likely eat their babies? Is that true - any experiences?

Was flicking through Romer Cichlid Atlas today and found this:

...a portion of the behaviour of cichlids has proved to be learned. This may possibly include parts of brood care, and this learned process is obviously lacking in artificially reared specimens."

This was directly in reference to M. ramirezi but sounds pretty broadly aimed at all cichlids.
I don't necessarily agree with it but it is an interesting note in a pretty well respected "bible" of dwarf cichlids.

HTH