Congrats! What kind of cichlids?
My cichlids bred!
I have a few cichlids in my little low-tech 15gal, and noticed a new arrival! I only see one baby, it is already over half an inch long. I am so surprised they bred!
The Alpha has gotten more aggressive lately, but Baby fits in many nooks and crannies Alpha can't.
I've had this particular setup for almost 10 years. So nice to see some happy stock.
The Alpha has gotten more aggressive lately, but Baby fits in many nooks and crannies Alpha can't.
I've had this particular setup for almost 10 years. So nice to see some happy stock.
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African, but I don't know the species. They are my first cichlids, and I got them from a tank labeled "assorted cichlids". The male has grown about 3x his size in as many months, is bright orange with three little egg spots. He had been busy moving gravel out of the cave he commandeered. I never see him with either of the girls, so am totally shocked to find Junior.
Junior seems to have decided a certain area at the base of my largest driftwood is his, and it is kind of funny when he tries to bully one of the two grown corys out of his space.
Junior seems to have decided a certain area at the base of my largest driftwood is his, and it is kind of funny when he tries to bully one of the two grown corys out of his space.
The male is probably a Red Zebra, Metriaclima estherae. What color are the other 2 cichlids? and you are going to need a bigger tank, Lake Malawian Cichlids will easily reach 5 inches in length:grin2::grin2::grin2:
The other two are about a third the size of the alpha, (though when I got them, they were the same size) and are a bright yellow with very, very subtle striping. Baby is very pale, without much color yet.
The perils of no LFS. The "assorted cichlids" info had their max size at 3". ?
I'll have to start looking at garage sales, all my tanks are tiny!
The perils of no LFS. The "assorted cichlids" info had their max size at 3". ?
I'll have to start looking at garage sales, all my tanks are tiny!
Can you post a pic of the Yellow one's?
You make learn to love the African cichlids as they are very hardy and also easy to breed. However saying "African cichlid" is somewhat like saying "New Yorker", in that there is still a vast difference in who that might be. African cichlids come in almost as wide a variety as the "New Yorker". But there tends to be a general rule on the assorted cichlid tanks at the big box stores. They are often hybrids of some sort that nobody can really ID.
So I would guess the question of ID on your fish is never going to be very accurate. Almost as impossible to ID as the ten generation of "New York"?
Not picking on New York, just an easy reference that most do know!
Bright yellow fish with dark vertical stripes? Perhaps a yellow lab/ Hongi hybrid?
So I would guess the question of ID on your fish is never going to be very accurate. Almost as impossible to ID as the ten generation of "New York"?
Not picking on New York, just an easy reference that most do know!
Bright yellow fish with dark vertical stripes? Perhaps a yellow lab/ Hongi hybrid?
You make learn to love the African cichlids as they are very hardy and also easy to breed. However saying "African cichlid" is somewhat like saying "New Yorker", in that there is still a vast difference in who that might be. African cichlids come in almost as wide a variety as the "New Yorker". But there tends to be a general rule on the assorted cichlid tanks at the big box stores. They are often hybrids of some sort that nobody can really ID.
So I would guess the question of ID on your fish is never going to be very accurate. Almost as impossible to ID as the ten generation of "New York"?
Not picking on New York, just an easy reference that most do know!
Bright yellow fish with dark vertical stripes? Perhaps a yellow lab/ Hongi hybrid?
Exactly, that's why I was hoping for a picture, and African Cichlids can get addictive, especially if they are not hybrids, which also leads to MTS in the bigger tank sizes eg 55 and up:grin2:, I got hooked on Lake Victorian Cichlids from reputable breeders, lead to 1 - 75 gallon, 2 - 55 gallon tanks, 1 - 30 gallon tank and 1 - 20 gallon tank. Wife threatened random acts of violence if I brought home another tank>
Thanks for the great info! I took a couple of pics of the yellow ones. Let's see if I can remember how to post pics. . .
The wee stripes are even more subtle than I thought. Big Boy was hiding in his cave, so I could not get a pic of him.
The wee stripes are even more subtle than I thought. Big Boy was hiding in his cave, so I could not get a pic of him.
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can't really tell from those pictures, need one close up and clearer
Lighting and digital photos can do strange things so we are often left to guess a bit. sometime watching the action may tell us more as things go along. Kind of like the New York guy i mentioned? You have a hard time sorting out the heritage until you get a lot more info?
But for my quess, I would say yellow lab is a large part. But then there are things that say not. No black dorsal stripe at breeding age and then eggspots are not right either. Maybe it is a true zebra and I'm just not seeing true color due to picture and monitor settings? Breeding inside a cave out of sight sounds right and might be either, depending on the tank.
One guess that I am pretty sure of is that you will have missed one of the really interesting points of these fish. Thinking it is almost sure to be one of the mouthbrooders, you may have missed a female was not eating normally as she held the fry in her mouth for at least a couple weeks!
Assuming they will be well fed so the female is ready again soon, don't panic if you do notice one female going through the food but not actually eating. If you see that and she is healthy otherwise, wait a couple weeks and then you can catch her to move to a tank by herself to release the fry. That's assuming you really want to go into the fish raising business!
WARNING! Fun process but it can become addictive!
But for my quess, I would say yellow lab is a large part. But then there are things that say not. No black dorsal stripe at breeding age and then eggspots are not right either. Maybe it is a true zebra and I'm just not seeing true color due to picture and monitor settings? Breeding inside a cave out of sight sounds right and might be either, depending on the tank.
One guess that I am pretty sure of is that you will have missed one of the really interesting points of these fish. Thinking it is almost sure to be one of the mouthbrooders, you may have missed a female was not eating normally as she held the fry in her mouth for at least a couple weeks!
Assuming they will be well fed so the female is ready again soon, don't panic if you do notice one female going through the food but not actually eating. If you see that and she is healthy otherwise, wait a couple weeks and then you can catch her to move to a tank by herself to release the fry. That's assuming you really want to go into the fish raising business!
WARNING! Fun process but it can become addictive!
Definitely looks like an mbuna cichlid from Lake Malawi of some sort. Probably a Red Zebra or a hybrid like others have mentioned.
A couple things to point out.
First of all, you really should avoid distributing fry that are the product of two unknown or hybrid species (aka fish you got from the mixed tank). Either keep them in your tank, or cull them. This has to do with keeping bloodlines healthy, but I don't know the exact details.
Next, a 15 gallon tank is way too small for mbuna cichlids. Most people would recommend a 4ft, 55 gallon tank minimum for these fish. If what you're doing is working, then do whatever you'd like, but your current setup is not the best for your fish. Mbuna are voracious breeders; I don't think they need ideal conditions to breed.
Finally, mbuna (most of them) are herbivores that will usually eat up plants. First this reason, the number of people keeping them on this forum is likely pretty low. Your cichlid related questions would likely reach a larger audience on a forum specific to this type of fish.
A couple things to point out.
First of all, you really should avoid distributing fry that are the product of two unknown or hybrid species (aka fish you got from the mixed tank). Either keep them in your tank, or cull them. This has to do with keeping bloodlines healthy, but I don't know the exact details.
Next, a 15 gallon tank is way too small for mbuna cichlids. Most people would recommend a 4ft, 55 gallon tank minimum for these fish. If what you're doing is working, then do whatever you'd like, but your current setup is not the best for your fish. Mbuna are voracious breeders; I don't think they need ideal conditions to breed.
Finally, mbuna (most of them) are herbivores that will usually eat up plants. First this reason, the number of people keeping them on this forum is likely pretty low. Your cichlid related questions would likely reach a larger audience on a forum specific to this type of fish.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
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