Hi Travis.
I have managed to get mine breeding, however i am having issues keeping the fry alive.
to get them breeding is actually quite easy, all you need is loads of driftwood of different hardness, some current which a powerhead can provide, mine is 6000 L/H Temp of 28/9C
At least 1 cave per fish, including females so they have a choice, my caves have a diameter of 22MM entrance and are about 5.5 inch deep and also gave them some caves with a bigger entrance for a choice, 32mm.
I have 4 couples in my colony but i reckon you don't need anywhere near that many, 4 females and 2 males is perfect.
I feed mine Courgette, Jmc catfish pellets Tetra algae wafers and mango as a treat , however i've been advised to withhold the JMC pellets if there is fry in the tank, they have 43% protein content and might bloat the fry, that should be used only to condition the females into breeding condition.
Tank Size is ok from 100 L on, mine is a 3 foot 180 L jewel vision.
Try and keep as few individuals in the tank as possible, so the tank doesn't get dirty as much and no other L- numbers mixed in as to not disturb the parents.
Best way to get them breading is drop their food every night and leave them to it, never peek inside the caves and keep up regular water change of 20/30% every week to 2 weeks.
Regarding gravel vacuuming, it is important to keep the tank in top condition but with so much wood in the tank is very hard to do gravel vac, so many people just don't do it, however if you keep up with regular water changes and filter maintenance it should be fine.
If there is anything else you need to know just ask, I have had many kind people from this forum helping me out, Brengum, Bigbird, Yalo5t, Rpp1973 etc and I know how much it helped.
PS: Rpp1973 Makes some nice Oak caves, Drop him a pm if you like, got some of mine from him and made the others.
Good luck
Kind Regards
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