Hi there,

I recently got a group of WC O. ventralis Orange Cap (3M/3F) and they bred for the first time yesterday. Oh boy, did the male color turned on ever! Interestingly he didn't build a sand pit Hmmmm . I thought they do that before they breed?

Anyway, the female was not holding anymore in the morning :Sad: . She's still on the small side (about 3") so I'm guessing this is probably one of her first tries.

Just want to ask others here to share their experiences on breeding these fish.

I am not able to help you here Casey since I never kept these fish. However, I am sure there are some members here that will be able to share their experiences with these fish. Sorry....... idunno idunno

unfortunately I don't have any experience with this species either, but ill try to help you as much as I can.

sometimes they do, sometimes they don't....not sure about this species specifically, but almost all the fish I have ever bread have at one point (usually quite a few times) just found any random spot on the sand or on a rock and just started spawning...sometimes its just the fish...for example, I have a group of 5 venustus, one of them always just finds a spot and spawns wherever, his brother digs out a cave and usually spawns there.....so it's not really anything to worry about....

and sorry to hear about your female not holding full term....I'm not sure of the maturity age of theres fish, but it's possible it's her first time spawning and she has to have a practice run to figure out what she has to do.....or maybe she just decided she didnt want to hold, and spit them out...I have had females who have spawned and held eggs successfully more then 15 times and every now and then after a few days she just spits them out for no reason.

hth.... hope you have good luck breeding them Good Job

Thanks guys for trying to help.

It's always interesting to start keeping a new type of fish. I just find it hard to get info on featherfins on the web.

Should have stick with Tropheus so I know I can get some answers from Klaus On the Floor Laughing

I kept O. Ventralis cape mpwimbe. The male never did use a deep pit to spawn. Anywhere on the substrate within the males territory was good enough, and sometimes a very shallow pit. More important to the male was having an elevated platform to dance on and attract a female.

Very little effort in building anything, unlike my C. Sibwesa which dug huge pits. I never got the Sibwesa to spawn but even before they were sexaully mature, the male dug pits that were about 18" in circumference.

May be that's the difference between Foai/Furcifer and Ventralis!


I do have a couple of slate rocks on the bottom and may be that what the Ventrlis used. Lazy fish ? idunno

i know all the WC colonies of Foai ive seen in a few guys tanks have huge bowers, 18-24" but almost 12" high. Pretty awsome. But i have never kept these....

I don't think they're lazy, I just don't think they build bowers like the foai do.