Update on Nic's

[Mogo]

Thanks Semper for helping me in trying to find info on breeding the Nic's. I think the main problem in finding the info was in the fact that this species had undergone a taxonomic catastrophe, too many genus'. But I finally managed to find two different articles done by folks who had managed to get them to mate. Apparently the trick is to drop the pH down to 7.0, do a large 40-50% WC weekly, and keep the lights on for 14 hours a day. Also the males take a long time (compared to other SA or CA cichlids) to reach sexually maturity, although I think my male is ready, being at nine inches and about 3 years old. The ladies have to be at least five or six inches before they are ready to spawn, so my young ones need to grow about another inch. Kind of makes sense now, as the male shows quite a bit of interest in that big old lady, and not all that much to the young ones.

I was finally able to get to the LFS and grab some rocks, however, the manager (also a good friend) told me that silicone doesn't adhere all that well to pagoda stone and gave me some epoxy putty (the stuff used to attach corals). I'll probably clean the rocks today, let them soak overnight, and start building my caves tomorrow. I can't wait, it will be so much fun! My friends think I'm crazy, how could I possibly find glueing rocks together fun? I guess one of the things only a fellow fish keeper can understand!

Mogo

 

[semper fi]

well i am glad that i could help you in some way. good luck on the nics! want to see those baby pics soon!

did not know that silicone would not adhere to cetain kinds of rocks. something else to add to the data bank. i have used it with slate and it works great. not tried it out with other rocks though.

semper fi

 

[Jamnog]

i noted it did not stay stuck to some types of sand stone for verry long as the stone came away from itself.

 

[Mogo]

I'm hoping to see some little ones soon. I'll keep you updated on it all, and let you know how it's going. Thanks again for all the help, much appreciated. I posted a picture of the "grumpy old man face" in the other thread, don't know if you saw it or not. Wish I knew how to put a link! Maybe someone could tell me how?

I'll let you know how well the epoxy works. Probably wont get around to cleaning the pagoda tonight A friend of mine is having a bon fire party at his home in the country tonight. Should be fun.

Mogo

 

[Mogo]

The story continues...

So I soak the rocks for a couple of days after scrubbing them really well with a wire bristle brush. I follow the instructions on the package of the Aquastick epoxy putty exactly, as I have never used it before. Do the rocks stick, NOOOOOOO! So of course, I think I've done something wrong. So I scrub again, read again, and give it another shot. Wait 24 hours for the full curing process. I guess you know where this is going. No adhesion whatsoever!!! So, I try it again and again until I almost finish the whole tube and give up. Sitting there a little confused as the package said it has no foul odour, and should harden within 20 minutes. Well, the entire house smelt like a bad perm , and the stuff was still kind of soft, even after a couple days. I guess I'm not that brilliant because I never clued in that the stuff may have gone bad.

Yesterday, I take the remaining putty back to the store and they give me a new tube. Within 20 minutes, my rocks were stuck together! Only a slight smell initially but now today, there is no odour. Great, my caves are now built and going in the tank in a few minutes, but the ladies just finished being in season, now I'm gonna have to wait three weeks for them to get in the mood again And no, I'm not bitter...well, maybe just a bit I want babies!

 

[Tanked]

Mogo,

first off congrats on getting them in that feelin fishy mood and secondly for getting your cave built. Now I only have one request. lets see some pics of the cave!!!

 

[Mogo]

Thanks Tanked!

Ughhh!!! One of the caves collapsed when I was putting it in the tank! This cave was heavier than the other one, and I don't think I used enough epoxy on it. Heading out to the LFS again to pick some more up, after I have my coffee. It's funny though, cause I left the cave in for a while to see what would happen with the fishies. Within a few minutes, each of the young females claimed her cave

I don't have the tank to exactly where I want it, in terms of interior design, but I will get some photos of the caves tonight and post them for you!

 

[Mogo]

The Nic saga continues. So, I fix the broken cave and get it into the aquarium. All things good. A few days ago, Thursday to be exact, one of the females didn't come out to eat in the morning feeding. Didn't think much of it, figured she just wasn't hungry. So it's now dinner time, and once again Lola doesn't come out. So I take a peek in her pit by looking through the glass under the tank, don't see nothing. A couple hours later, I notice she is not moving and just sitting by this huge rock I have in there. Start to think somethings wrong with her. Take another look from underneath, and notice there are eggs trapped way underneath the rock, were she can't reach them! I guess in moving the sand around the rock shifted and trapped the eggs. So I move the rock and siphon the eggs out, and then fix the rock so she can fit under it, put the eggs back. Well, I threw off the whole dynamic of the tank and within a few hours the rest of the family had feasted on the eggs. Perhaps the eggs had sat stagnant for too long and were not good anymore. I don't know. But, the brighter side is, I got them to mate. Let's me know what I am doing is right, and hopefully in a few more weeks, they'll be ready to do it again

Oh, by the way, the other cave structure collapsed in this whole fiascle, but I got it siliconed now (decided to try silicone instead) here is it, guess I'll be putting it back in the tank sometime in the next couple days:

 

[Mogo]

Heres the other cave in the tank

 

[val]

Wow. Sounds like a whole lot of work. But it's all worth it to see those little babies swimming around.

good luck with the babies,
Valerie

 

[missyintx_99]

Very pretty caves! You got the rocks your LFS? What kind of stone is it?

 

[Mogo]

Missy,

Yep, picked up the rock at the LFS. It's called pagoda, it has a very interesting texture along with interesting shapes to it. It's kind of on the expensive side, costing $2.99 CDN per pound. The only downfall is it has to be scrubbed really well with a wire bristle brush or the colour will leach into the aquarium.