Mouth Brooding Fish: with an emphasis on cichlids

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Mouth Brooding Fish with an emphasis on cichlids

• Dr. Craig Kasper
• HCC Aquaculture Program

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Introduction

• Mouth brooders--fish that hold their eggs in
  their mouth until their young are free-swimming.
• Main advantage larger, self sufficient young.
• Reproductive strategy common in cichlids
• Sexing Difficult. Methods vary greatly.

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Example Lake Malawi Peacock Cichlids

• Peacock cichlids sexing easy
• -males, bright yellows, reds and blues
• -females steel colored.
• Other methods Dorsal fin morphology.
• Males typically pointed while females,
• rounded.

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Mouth Brooders

• Melanochromis spp. are easy if
• properly fed and conditioned.
• Note Male is literally the opposite
• of the female in this photo.
• Some species of cichlids fighta lot!!
• How do we fix it?

Melanochromis auratus
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Cichlid stocking techniques

• Remedy large tank, lots of hiding spaces.
• A ratio of 3 females to every 1 male doesnt hurt
  either.
• -however, even with a 11 ratio, they will
  still spawn.

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More

• When breeding mouth-brooders, it is important to
  keep a careful watch over your fish.
• When a fish spits its fry, they fry will most
  likely be ravenously consumed by the fish in the
  tank.
• To avoid this, you can "spit, or milk" their
  females before they release the fry.
• This should be done with great care so as to not
  injure the fish.

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Discus

• Discus are also mouth brooding fish.
• They are also difficult to sex. It may be best
  to let them sort it out.
• A density of breeding adults (5-6) is a good
  starting point if you arent sure (and you most
  likely wont be.)
• Discus eggs need soft water and low pH to hatch.
• Be sure to provide sufficient substrate for the
  fish as well.
• Fry hatch in 50-60hrs!! Fry will also feed off
  the parental slime coat for the first time.
  Later they can be weaned onto live or dry diets.

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Discus

• Expect 50-70 fry per batch when rearing discus.
• Transfer of fry from spawning tank to growout
  must be done carefully as the fry tend to be very
  temperature sensative!

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Jawfish Opistognathus spp.

• Jawfish, a marine spp. also engage in
  mouth-brooding.
• Jawfish exhibit interesting nesting behavior.
• Spend most of the day cleaning house.
• Territorial defense is
• offen aggressive.

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Marine Mouthbrooders

• Captive breeding possible, but difficult.
• Paternal egg care.
• Fry hatch in 7 days.
• Fry need there own space.
• Larval fish need clean water and rotifers
• Once large enough brine shrimp are used.
• Tank Conditions 72-82F sg 1.021-1.023 dKH
  8-12

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Mouth Brooding Part 2

• Mating strategies, family units and brood care

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Still more mouth brooding fish facts

• We began discussing mouth brooders last time and
  observed some cool examples.
• But are all mouth brooding fish the same? Not
  entirely!
• Like most other fish weve observed,
  classification seems to be the rule, or curse.
• Two groups of mouth brooding fish classification
  exists. Its based on the stage of development
  when the fish occupy the mouth cavity of the
  parent.

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Egg or Larval

• Mouth brooders can be broken up into ovophiles
  and larvophiles.
• Ovophile, or egg-loving mouth-brooders, lay their
  eggs in a pit, which are sucked up into the mouth
  of the female.
• The small number of large eggs hatch in the
  mothers mouth, and the fry remain there for a
  period of time.

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Egg or Larval

• Fertilization often occurs with the help of
  egg-spots, dummy eggs, egg dummies, or false egg
  spots, which are colorful spots on the anal fin
  of the male.
• When the female sees these spots, she tries to
  pick up the egg-spots (eggs), but instead gets
  a mouthful of sperm fertilizing the eggs in her
  mouth!
• Examples of Ovophile mouthbrooders
• include Aulonocara, Haplochromis,
• and Pseudotropheus as well as several
• species of Thai Bettas.

Haplochromis spp., Rock Krib
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Mouth Brooding Bettas

• Unlike their bubble-nesting cousins, mouth
  brooding bettas evolved in an environment which
  wasnt favorable to bubble nests (moving water).
• They require slightly acidic pH and warm temps.
• Rem Female bettas tend to have a
• smaller head and build, drab
• coloration, and short fins.

Betta pugnax
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Larva-loving mouthbrooders

• Larvophile, or larvae-loving mouth-brooders, lay
  their eggs on a substrate and guard them until
  the eggs hatch. This is also known as delayed
  mouth brooding.
• After hatching, the female picks up the fry and
• keeps them in her mouth.
• When the fry can fend for themselves,
• they are released.
• Examples of Larvophile mouth-brooders are
• Geophagus (eartheaters) and Sarotherodon
• (tilapia) spp.
• Some eartheaters in between behaviors.

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Brood Care
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Brood Care

• Cichlids take care of their young in six
  different ways. 
• Nuclear or Parental Family Both parents care for
  young.
• Nuclear families are usually formed by
  monogamous, open-water brooders, although
  exceptions are common (Pterophyllum angelfish,
  Symphysodon discus, Cichlasoma convicts!)
• It is generally very difficult to
• distinguish between the sexes. 
• Why might this be so??

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Paring Strategies Brood Care

• Matriarch/Patriarch Family The female watches
  over the brood, while the male defends the
  territory. 
• When the fry become free-swimming, the parents
  bear the tasks of parenthood equally.
• This family form is usually
• formed by monogamous,
• open-water brooders.
• Sexual dimorphism and
• dichromatism is common.

Cichlasoma regani
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Paring Strategies Brood Care

• Patriarch/Matriarch or Male-with-Harem
  Family The male defends a large territory, which
  includes multiple spawning sites of several
  females.
• Each female assumes the responsibility of her own
  brood.
• The male is polygamous, and clear sexual
  dimorphism is present.
• This form takes place among cavity
• brooders Apistogramma, Julidochromis,
• Neolamprologus, and Pelvicachromis .

Apistogramma cacatuoides
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Paring Strategies Brood Care

• Matriarch Family No bond is formed between the
  pair.
• The female cares and guards the eggs and the
  fry. 
• In this family pattern, the fish are agamous, and
  usually the female is an ovophile mouthbrooder
  Aulonocara, Haplochromis, and
• Pseudotropheus.

Aulonocara baenschi, Rubin Red Peacock Cichlid
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Paring Strategies Brood Care

• Patriarch Family As with the Matriarch Family,
  no bond is formed between the parents.  
• The male carries the eggs and the fry. 
• No sexual dimorphism or dichromatism can be
  found. 
• Only one mouthbrooder forms
• a true patriarch family,
• Sarotherodon melanotherow,
• the Blackchin tilapia

Sarotherodon melanotherow, Blackchin tilapia
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Paring Strategies Brood Care

• Extended Family The parents as well as the
  offspring of previous spawning care for the
  young. 
• Extended Families are formed by cavity brooders
  of Lake Tanganyika, including the fish belonging
  to the genera Julidochromis and Neolamprologus. 

Julidochromis ragani, striped Julie
Neolamprologus brichardi