Try Anything!
by Jeff Vander Berg
Reprint GVAC Newsletter Jan/Feb 2005
Earlier in this newsletter was an article on breeding Neolamprologus
caudopunctatus which I was going to write about this month as well. However,
Kevin beat me to it and he writes about similar experiences with the fish to
what I had. However, it brought up a point that I would like to make about fish
keeping in general. Kevin stated that some of the books or websites showed and
spoke of these fish being shell dwellers and I concur that I too have heard the
same info before but most often had read of them being cave spawners. I kept my
fish in a 30 gallon long with Lamprologus calvus and Bolivian Rams (I
know it is a strange combo, but they get along great and all species have
spawned in this tank!) . I also have a school of checkerboard barbs in there as
a dither. What I didn't have in my aquarium was shells, and I couldn't get the
caudos to breed, yet there were plenty of caves, flowerpots and rocks. The
Calvus were not quite big enough at the time to breed so there was really no use
in having any shells in there. Eventually as the calvus grew I put some of the
larger shells in there along with one small, shell-dweller type shell in there
as well. Within a couple days the larger pair of caudos had taken over the shell
and proceeded to spawn. I now have had several spawns from that pair and only
with the same particular shell.
My point of this is to tell you just because you hear something or read it
doesn't make it an absolute, but more a rule of thumb. Fish have there own
personalities and likes/dislikes just like we do. If you take a person for
example, your grandparents (as I do not want to think about mine in this
context) may get "in the mood" over some Lawrence Welk music and some prune
juice. Yet, in the same atmosphere the rest of us may have trouble not vomiting
as our triggers for "the mood" hopefully would be much different. I am sure that
when Ben speaks in February he will have similar info on what he may have read
on breeding marine fish and what really worked for him. Talk to any cichlid or
killi breeder and they will also differ in what worked for them for a certain
type of fish. The issue is that after you try what you think is the "norm" and
if that doesn't work, do not hesitate to try something else as it may surprise
you!