We have very little real knowledge on this temperature issue, I am afraid. What you both tell us, Hugues and Patrick, is surely correct. There is quite a lot of information on aquarium practices, but the information on the living conditions of Parosphromenus in nature is rather limited. There are reports on habitats with rather low temperatures, and there is the contrary, especially if the canopy of the wood is open or even missing. We should ask the friends in our Asian-section!! Will one of you do that? That would be fine!!
As the aquarium is concerned, I prefer the low-temperature-variant, with sometimes 21, but mostly 22-24 degrees Celsius. I have never seen a remarkable increase of courtship and egg-laying after a temperature-rise, only after a good water-change or a change of food. The experience of Hugues that the pairs often have long intervals with no courtship and spawning beetween long periods of spawning seems to be quite normal in this genus. We have to make clear that in nature most of these fish live at the longest one year, and that there is only one spawning period for them. What we have in the aquarium – no enemies and always good food and three or even more years of several spawnings – is quite unnatural for them. We certainly should try to get offspring by one of the first spawnings of them, but often that is impossible.
It would be interesting to hear from others how they think about that temperature question.
The
PAROSPHROMENUS PROJECT
