Parachromis motaguensis Breeding Guide

How to breed Parachromis motaguensis, an aggressive Central American predator and biparental substrate spawner with large orange-egg broods.

Overview

Parachromis motaguensis is an aggressive Central American predator from the Motagua River basin on the Atlantic slope of Guatemala and Honduras, plus the Pacific slope from Guatemala to Honduras (FishBase), and is also reported from El Salvador (Wikipedia). It reaches about 30 cm in length and is an oviparous, biparental substrate spawner that moves its young to pre-dug pits.

Sexing

Females are smaller than males, but their red pigment is more prominent, especially on the gill plates, with deep red and orange shades more pronounced than in males (Wikipedia). The male's dorsal and ventral fins are much more extended and elongated. Bright red dots run along the flanks to the base of the caudal fin.

Breeding Setup

A spacious tank with sand and flat surfaces suits this predator. FishBase gives a temperature range of 25-30 °C, pH 7.0-8.0 and hardness 9-20 dH for the species; Wikipedia notes spawning observed around 27 °C with a pH of 7.0-8.0 preferred. Sexual maturity is reached at about 11 cm (FishBase).

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The pair spawns on a cleaned surface and transports the offspring to pre-dug pits, guarding them closely (Wikipedia). A high degree of parental care is shown to both eggs and fry. As with the genus, a compatible pair is best obtained by growing several juveniles together.

Egg & Fry Care

The female lays approximately 1000-2000 orange-coloured eggs, which are ferociously guarded by both parents (Wikipedia). Eggs hatch after about 5-7 days and the fry begin to swim in roughly 7 days. As with related species, parents may consume fry when the female prepares to spawn again, so older fry should be moved on.

Common Challenges

The species' aggression makes pairing risky, and the very protective parents become especially hostile during spawning, so maintenance access must be managed. Timely separation of older fry before the next spawn prevents cannibalism.