# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Anabantoids >  Breeding Sphaerichthys vaillanti!!!

## greenD

Hey guys, 

i just discovered when i came home tonight that my pair of vaillanti is breeding!! Im so excited, it's my first time mouthbrooding! :Shocked:  :Surprised:  :Smug:  :Cool:  :Jump for joy: 
It seems like the male (the dull coloured one of the pair) is keeping them in his mouth. He dropped some when i came close to the tank, but he picked them up again a minute later. :Shocked: 

Does anyone have any experience in breeding them?
How long does the mating last? How long will he keep the eggs? What to feed the fry? Should i lower the water level? Should i leave everything as is? Should i turn of the filter once the fry are out?

I would be thankful for any tips or advice on how to ensure that all goes well!!

I don't want to take any photographs of the male because im afraid i might disturb him, but if all goes well i will post some later!

thanks all!

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## ranmasatome

Wow!! congrats!!!

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## greenD

Thanks  :Razz: 

I couldnt resist and took some pictures of the male.. very bad quality but you can just about see his mouth  :Grin:

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## planted86

> Hey guys, 
> 
> i just discovered when i came home tonight that my pair of vaillanti is breeding!! Im so excited, *it's my first time mouthbrooding*!


be careful don't swallow the fries!! :Laughing:  :Laughing: 

kidding... :Grin: 

nice fish... how long does it take for them to hatch??

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## greenD

hehe, feel like its me breeding them

i only found one report on the net that said that the breeding period takes between 10- 15/20 days, so its a bit vague.

Anyone with experience in breeding vaillanti please share your knowledge! I'm still quite clueless on how to make sure it all goes smoothly

cheers!

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## mickthefish

hi greenD
a friend off mine bred this fish earlier this year he did a very short article for our club magazine, so i'll give you the bits relevant to you bud.

i kept ph 5-5.5 with a dh around 3-4, temp was 80f.
the fish were fed white worm, bloodworm and brine shrimp, he did'nt witness the spawning but saw the bulge in the males jaw and the female was removed.
he then lowered the water level slowly over the next few days, at 20 days the male started to release the fry, for the first few days he fed infusoria the bbs when the fry had grown a bit bigger he fed grindal worms.
he's said the adults take no notice of the fry.

hope this helps

cheers
mick

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## johannes

congrats bro... sorry a bit late haha :Grin: 

just let the male stay in the tank peacefully and if possible, like mentioned, remove the female and off the filter...

then, wait and see...hehe :Grin:

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## leeruisheng

Congrats. Any chance of showing the female?

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## greenD

here are some pictures of the couple i took two days ago..







i havent actually seen them since yesterday... they have been hiding in the moss, so im not too sure how the male is doing with the eggs. im a bit reluctant to take out the female, since i dont want to disturb them too much...

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## leeruisheng

Female is very beautifully coloured red. Is this the pair you've gotten from me?

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## greenD

Yes they are! I was actually quite surprised when one of the two turned out to be a female, at first i thought both were males. How are your pairs doing?

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## leeruisheng

I did mention to you that they could be a pair. Cause one of them was exhibiting very faint stripes. Maybe since there are 2 females together in my tank, only one will be dominant and exhibit it's true colouration. Great to see her colouring up and breeding man. 

As for mine, only noticed that the male throat is red and swelling a little like a pelican. Didn't notice any fries though.

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## greenD

> As for mine, only noticed that the male throat is red and swelling a little like a pelican. Didn't notice any fries though.


You might be lucky then, because that's exactly what mine looks like. The throat is swollen, should mean that there are eggs inside. I also didnt see them mating, just was lucky to see the male drop three eggs and scooping them up again. You might well have a breeding male too! If you look at the white band on his throat you may well be able to see the eggs through!

I found what mickthefish said earlier in the thread confirmed on other websites. I will wait for another few days before i take out the female, so that it is about 10 days after i first saw the male with the eggs. Then i'll probably off the filter so the fry don't get sucked up, and when they are released i will take out the male too so i can concentrate on the fry (if all goes well  :Smile: )

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## greenD

hey, an update to everyone. i think the male must have swallowed the eggs, since he started eating again... the throat still looks swollen, but he eats together with the female, so their first try didnt work out probably... hope they start again soon!

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## leeruisheng

So to say, if the male is mouthbrooding, I should avoid feeding?

I discovered something else. My vaillanti is helping me to clear hydra.

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## greenD

Thats interesting! I havent heard of them eating hydra before.

I think its probably better to avoid feeding, so the male is not tempted to go near the food.. maybe u can take out the female and feed her separately..

By the way, i havent updated this post for a while..

The male tried twice to brood, but i think he swallowed the eggs both times..
Then, about two weeks ago, the female died!! Am not too sure why, am suspecting it was bad water quality so no excuses  :Opps:  am really sad about the loss..

So now the male is all by himself..

If anyone knows where I can get a replacement, please post in this thread here, http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=34685

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## greenD

Watch this space! I managed to get a few pairs of vaillantis! Im just conditioning them at the moment but hoping that i will be able soon to witness a new breeding!! The male seems happy not to be alone anymore  :Wink:

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