Breeding Twostripe Lyretail (Aphyosemion Bivittatum) In The Aquarium

Location

This species lives on both sides of the border between Cameroon (Ndian River) and Nigeria (Cross River). It lives in coastal reaches of rivers, small streams, puddles, floodplains and wetlands with brackish waters which have a lot of plants.

Body description

Colour of the fish is variable and it depends on their habitat and mood. Species from Cameroon are more colorful compared to species from Nigeria. Colour of the male is orange-yellow from the head to half of the body and blue-violet from half of the body to the tail. There are dark spots on the body. These dots create horizontal stripes. All fins are red-blue with dots. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins have elongated rays. Color of the female is olive-beige. There are 2 dark, horizontal stripes on the sides of the fish. First stripe intersecting the eye, second stripe is placed below the eye. All female’s fins are rounded. Female is also thicker than male in the ventral parts.

Temperament and behavior

This is very active and shy species. You should keep these fish with similar size species e.g. rasboras, dwarf cichlids, corydoras, catfish and small, peaceful species of characidae family. You may keep group of these fish and for every male there should be 2-3 females. If you notice that fish stay just below the water surface all the time then you may have too high water temperature.

Aquarium decoration

This species prefers a spacious tank with a lot of plants, floating plants, dimmed light, dark substrate with layer of peat, dark decorative elements, gentle filtration system. Aquarium must be cover well and a partial water exchange should be done regularly.

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. You should breed these fish in a separate tank. Breeding aquarium should have 2/3 water level, soft water with pH=6,0-6,5, 20-23°C water temperature, small sponge filter with peat, plants with fine and soft leaves or mops and of course aquarium cover. You don’t need light in this tank. A week before spawning you should separate males from females and feed them with plenty of live food. After that you transfer the most colorful male and the thickest females (2-3) to the breeding aquarium. The fish spawn near the water surface or by the substrate. Male chases the female. He move closer to her and holds her with his dorsal and anal fins. The fish bend in the characteristic way. Female lays the eggs on the leaves or mops or in the substrate. The spawn can last for few weeks but usually it takes 1 week. Female lays tens of eggs every day. You don’t have to remove the parents or the roe after spawning when the parents are fed well because if they are not hungry they will not eat the eggs. The roe is very sensitive to light and fungal infections, so you must check and remove rotten eggs every day (bad eggs are white with lints). The eggs hatch after 14-21 days (it depends on the water temperature) and the fry immediately starts to swim and feed. You should do 10% partial water changes every day at the beginning. Later 20-30% partial water changes every 2-3 days should be enough. The fish can also breed in the general aquarium but then the efficiency will be poor.