Dogtooth Cichlid (Cynotilapia afra) Breeding Guide

Breeding Cynotilapia afra: sexing the blue male, harem setup, mouthbrooding of 15-30 eggs, fry care and keeping morphs separate to avoid hybrids.

Overview

Cynotilapia afra is a slender mbuna of Lake Malawi that feeds on plankton and aufwuchs in open water just above the rocks, reaching about 10 cm. It exists in many regional colour morphs and is a maternal mouthbrooder.

Sexing

Males are far more colourful than females, displaying the vivid blue and dark bars typical of the species, while females are drabber. The male carries egg-shaped spots on the anal fin that play a role in fertilisation.

Conditioning

Condition the group well and hold the water alkaline and stable, with a temperature of about 25-27 degrees Celsius (77-81 degrees Fahrenheit) and a pH of 8.0-8.5. A diet that reflects the species' planktivorous and aufwuchs-grazing habits brings the females into condition, and strong condition in the females underlies successful spawning.

Breeding Setup

Use a breeding tank of around 120 cm (48 inches) furnished with rocky caves and a sandy substrate. A breeding group of one male and three to six females is recommended, and stocking the tank fairly heavily helps dissipate the male's courtship aggression by preventing him from singling out one fish.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The male can be quite aggressive during courtship. The female is attracted to the egg spots on his anal fin and, in attempting to collect them after depositing her eggs, the clutch is fertilised inside her mouth.

Egg & Fry Care

The female may carry a brood of 15 to 30 eggs for up to three weeks, about 21 days, before releasing the free-swimming fry. The fry can take brine shrimp nauplii from birth.

Common Challenges

The many natural colour morphs of this species, such as the Cobue and Jalo Reef forms, must not be mixed in aquaria, as they will spawn with one another and produce unwanted hybrid fry; keep a single morph to maintain pure stock. A stressed holding female may abort her brood, so she should be left undisturbed, and because the female stops feeding for the full holding period she should be in firm condition before spawning to withstand the weight loss.