The Chalinochroims species, as well as many other "thick-lipped cave-dwelling"
species spawn on the roof of their caves. The Chalinochroims is a monogamous fish. Once they
pair off with their mate, they mate for life. Sometimes, the pair bond isn't as strong in
some couples as in others and a "divorce" could occur. The chance of this happening
could be lessened by having another fish in the tank with the pair. This unites the couple
against a common enemy. Chalinochromis species will breed in caves formed by rocks or in
flowerpots. A suitable environment should be established if you want them to spawn. Mine bred
on the underside of a lava rock where the female dug out a small cave between the rock and the
substrate. The substrate is a mixture of sand and gravel.
Here you see eggs laid on the ceiling of the cave the female has claimed for her territory.
With Chalinochromis and other similair species: Julidochromis, Telmatachromis, etc., once
a pair have established territories, the rockwork should be left as is in the tank. Only one
pair of Chalinochromis should be housed in the same tank, although they can be housed with
a pair of Julidochromis or other suitable tankmates provided the tank is large enough and pairs are watched
closely to avoid any hybridization. The eggs are deposited on the ceiling
of the cave where they are fertilized by the male.
The female will guard, tend and fan her eggs once laid. Within twenty four hours, the eggs
will have tails. These wrigglers will remain attached to the roof of the cave. Eyes will
appear shortly there after. I counted approximately fifty eggs nestled up under the lava rock.
In future spawns, that number may increase. While the female watches over her eggs, the male
guards the territory around the cave. After three days, the fry will detach from the ceiling
of the cave. Once they reach about 1cm in length, they will leave the cave with their parents.
The hovering fry will feed while protected by both the male and female. Once they fry reach
about 2cm in length, the parents will abandon them. The fry should be removed from the tank at
or just before this time and placed into a grow out tank. This will help ensure a good fry
survival rate. In the wild, the cloud of free swimming fry would feed on plankton. In the
aquarium, a suitable fry food should be provided. Cylops or daphnia can be provided or a
quality flake food crushed for easier consumption. My pair bred in a 55 gallon tank with a pair of
Julidochromis regani as their only other tankmates. After taking pictures and slightly stressing out the
female, she moved the fry to a safer location, away from my prying eyes.
