Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Breeding Guide

How to breed the long-nose featherfin Ophthalmotilapia nasuta: large sand bowers up to 90 cm, pelvic-fin egg dummies and maternal mouthbrooding.

Overview

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta is a Lake Tanganyika featherfin reaching up to about 20 cm and is a maternal mouthbrooder. Males excavate large sand craters or build nests on flat rock and display to attract females. Like its congeners, the male carries egg-dummy structures on the tips of his elongated pelvic fins.

Sexing

Males are larger and more colourful with longer fins than females, particularly the ventral (pelvic) fins; the extended 'nose' is also more prominent in males. Females are plainer and smaller.

Conditioning

Condition the group on quality foods and keep several females with a single male so the male's attention is shared and aggression toward individual females is reduced.

Breeding Setup

A large tank with extensive open sand is essential, as the male's crater can be up to about 90 cm in diameter; flat rock can be used if the male prefers to build there. Maintain pH around 7.5-9.0, hardness 8-25 dH and a temperature of roughly 23-27 C (73-81 F).

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The male displays over his nest, and the egg-shaped structures at the ends of his long pelvic fins attract the female. When she snaps at them to add them to the brood in her mouth she takes up the male's sperm, fertilising the eggs orally.

Egg & Fry Care

The female may carry the eggs for about three to four weeks before releasing the free-swimming fry. The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii and crushed spirulina flake from the day they are released.

Common Challenges

The very large bower requires a generous open sand footprint, so undersized or rock-heavy tanks suppress breeding. Several females per male are needed to manage male aggression, and stable warm, hard, alkaline water must be maintained through brooding.