Afican Cichlid Breeding

[ds7714]

I have 7 afircan cichlids in a 85 gallon tank and i want them to breed.
they are all malawi and don't seem to show any signs of breeding. any help would be great and is extremely appreciated.

thanks,
ds7714

 

[Abyss]

What species, how big are they?

Cold water changes always get mine going. Pots or PVC pipes might also help, or a piece of flat slate.

 

[HappyGeorge]

I have a 100g tank that has been running since 17th September with several species of Mbuna, most in groups of 5 but was unable to get more than 3 Cynotolapia Red Top Afra. Ironically these were the ones that bred within weeks of the tank being set up. The tank has loads and loads of rockwork. also in the tank are 6 Synos, a blue Moori and a Venusti but the buggers still want to breed.
I recently had to remove almost all my rock work and purchase a new tank just to house some of the 30 juvenile afras I now have, the female afra is currently holding another batch, as are 2 of my Perlmutt and a yellow Lab.

I never wanted them to breed, and since having juves I have never fed them anything they have just scavenged what sunk to the bottom and hid in cracks between rocks until big enough to get away with snatching pieces from the middle of the tank, and despite the presence of predators in the tank they still thrive.

So maybe if you actually want them to breed, firstly be careful what you wish for unless you like spending hours up to your elbows in the tank. As for conditions.

My tank was fully cycled before fish added and my water is pH 8.4, Temp is 26 degrees, water is 20 ppm of Nitrate from tap, Ammonia and Nitrite are 0.

I have an FX5 canister and an internal U4 giving about 12 times cycling.

The tank gets very little natural light. I use one light bar with 2 bulbs one powerglo, one marineglo, 40w T8 on for 5 hours a day.

I feed a mixture of Nutrafin Max flakes, Tetra Prima and Tetra Pro Vegetable and Algae wafers.

I think the secret is probably lots and lots of rock with lots and lots of nooks, crannies and caves.

So these would appear to be the ideal conditions despite my sincerest wish that they weren't

 

[wildechild_01]

Ok so this may be the right place to ask this Question. I have in my 80G an Electric Blue male and Female pair.. oddly enough the fish store only sold them and m/f combos... anyway about a week ago both male and female seemed to become a good deal more Territorial and the last few days the females behavior has been a little odd. Her THROAT for lack of a better term seems a little bulged just below her mouth, as well she occasionaly looks like she is breathing hard except that her mouth stays closed and she has taken to hiding in the rock shelf most of the time. I know very little about Cichlids and will admit the pair was a bit of an impulse buy but they seem to be doing well other than this recent development.. first thought was breeding but figured i would check here and see if anyone has any insight. Thanks in advance

 

[Realtree]

Ok so this may be the right place to ask this Question. I have in my 80G an Electric Blue male and Female pair.. oddly enough the fish store only sold them and m/f combos... anyway about a week ago both male and female seemed to become a good deal more Territorial and the last few days the females behavior has been a little odd. Her THROAT for lack of a better term seems a little bulged just below her mouth, as well she occasionaly looks like she is breathing hard except that her mouth stays closed and she has taken to hiding in the rock shelf most of the time. I know very little about Cichlids and will admit the pair was a bit of an impulse buy but they seem to be doing well other than this recent development.. first thought was breeding but figured i would check here and see if anyone has any insight. Thanks in advance

Sounds very much like your female is holding (carrying fertilised eggs or hatched fry in her mouth}
After a period of time (could be 21 days) she will spit the fry - if you want to keep the young it is a good idea just before this to seperate her into a holding tank which will give the young a better chance of survival and not get eaten by your other cichlids in the tank. When your female has spat her young return her to the main tank as she will be ravernous as she will not eat whilst holding.
If you leave her to spit in your main tank there may be a possibility some fry will survive by hiding and taking their chance.
Hope this helps

 

[wildechild_01]

Thanks,

as for keeping them, this is rather unexpected, and im not terribly well equiped to separate them, so i may just let it go and see what happens, the tank has a lot of hiding places, rock shelf, driftwood, more driftwood... ha ha.. will be interesting to see how they do.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Further to my previous post on here about activity in my tank, if you check out this link, there are photos of some fish holding which will confirm to you that your fish are in the same state.
holding females and their environment.

 

[wildechild_01]

That is definitely what she looks like... also.. .that is a beautiful tank.