I have posted numerous times about my Julidochromis dickfeldi – breeding them, their behavior, etc. This post is a bit sad, though.
As of last week, I had three breeding pairs. I now have two. In a couple of weeks, I will have one. I am taking them, along with their offspring, to my LFS because it is time to move on to other fish. Parting with them saddens me because all three breeding pairs have been wonderful parents. The one pair that I am keeping have been the best and most prolific. I have written about this pair several times, and they’re in the photo below. They have been amazing parents and the male, as the primary spawning site defender, is a phenomenal protector.
For you lamprologine lovers, specifcially shellie enthusiasts, you know that Neolamprologus multifasciatus are like the rabbits of the shellie world – they will multiply incredibly fast. J. dickfeldi, in my opinion, are the rabbits of the julie world. When provided with the appropriate set-up, these cichlids can be quite prolific. In fact, they can get out of control really quickly. They will continue to spawn when you don’t remove a brood, so that you may end up with several generations. Though their fecundity will decrease with the population pressure, they usually continue to spawn.
Most of my julies are in species only tanks. However, I do have a few community set-ups. As I alluded to earlier, dickfeldi are an easy species to breed, even in community set-ups. In fact, most Julidochromis species will breed in community tanks quite easily.
If you are a fan of these beautiful little torpedoes and are interested in breeding them in a community tank, see the upcoming issue (October) of Cichlid News (unfortunately, it is subscriber only). I have written an article about strategies for breeding these fish in a community tank.