julidochromis transcriptus help

[TheBlackSloth]

Just purchased 5 julidochromis transcriptus in hopes to get a breeding pair then I will have 2. They are in a 20L with a few caves some manzanita branches and plants. I will get some more flower pots soon/ caves. I have 3cory cats.
I know very little about them and my research churns up little. If anyone could provide info on them that would be great.

 

[Cichildlife]

My mom had these nd they were agressive but thats all i know sorry

 

[TheBlackSloth]

Hmm. At my LFS we had them in with white and black skirt tetras. Also I have 3 platies in there. Idk why. They will be given away.

 

[Cichildlife]

Then again you have a bigger tank, she had them in a 10 gallon gess there wasnt big enough territory for 'em

 

[alLexX]

common name please lol

 

[Cichildlife]

Jewelies they are visious to eachother...

 

[TheBlackSloth]

Masked Julie. Max size is 2.8in I think.

 

[toddnbecka]

Are they J. transcriptus Pemba, Kissi, or Gombe? The name depends on the collection point, but the Gombe have been reclassified. They're quite a bit more aggressive than the other 2, more likely to kill each other than pair off in a 20L IME.

 

[TheBlackSloth]

Would a pic help.?

 

[toddnbecka]

Color/pattern is the main difference, the Gombe have a yellow background color, the smaller (and less aggressive) ones are more black and white. I can't quite tell for certain from that pic, but the heavier body does look like a Gombe. I tried growing out 2 different groups of them, months apart, in a 29. Each time I ended up with a single fish that had killed off the others. Ironically, they were opposite sexes, and when the younger male was eventually moved into a 55 with the female they did pair off and spawn. Females are actually larger (and meaner) than the males.

 

[TheBlackSloth]

Hmm. Looks like a 40 breeder is in order. So far so good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Since you spawned them can you give me any information as to how they spawn any triggers parental care food ect...

 

[toddnbecka]

IME just feed them, clean the tank and change the water regularly, and have a bit of patience. The Gombe pair were housed with yellow Lab's, some blue Hap's (I think fryeri, been some years ago now) and Synodontis multi's. Also had a few others in the tank. Only reason I knew they'd spawned, when I stripped down the tank to clean it I found a single fry hiding under a rock. I moved the wee bugger into a floating plastic "breeder" box to grow out. It lived in there for about a month, then went over the side and back into the tank, where it grew out just fine on its own. (Told you they were tough buggers... LOL.)
I sold the 3 of them around the time the young one was getting to be impossible to tell apart from the adults. I presume they spawned more than once, but the fry were simply picked off by the other fish, and at that time I didn't have another tank to move them into.

 

[TheBlackSloth]

Haha cool. Well thanks man sound like the best thing to do is give them the 20L for now until I can upgrade.