For CM

[Mogo]

Hey there CM,

Or for anyone else who has a lot of experience with cichlids. What is the most egg spots you've seen on a male Malawian?

Mogo

 

[cichlidmaster]

Tough question Mogo,

IMO, egg spots are relative to the size of the fish. I have had red zebra males with up to 8 egg spots. I currently have 3 pair of wild Stigmatochromis modestus. The largest male is 9". While I have never really counted the egg spots on this male, I am sure there are many!!

CM

 

[Mogo]

Thanks for answering CM,

I was just curious, as from reading the posts over the last few days, I assumed your were the person to ask. It's just that I've had many males, and have never seen more than five. A couple months ago, my Zebra Chilumba started showing number seven, and today I noticed he's developing one more, and he is still quite young, only 2 years old. But he is a handsome one, I'll have to post a pic for you. Could be fish of the month for the next year

Mogo

 

[Mogo]

CM

Well, here he is. But don't be fooled by his charm and good looks. If this fish was a cat, I would sleep with one eye open.

Mogo

 

[cichlidmaster]

Mogo,

VERY nice looking fish!!

CM

 

[Jamnog]

sweet fish looks pretty tough

 

[semper fi]

have a male cobalt blue with no egg spots. egg spots are not a definite way of sexing fish if that is what you are doing. venting is the only way to find the sex of a fish.

semper fi

 

[Mogo]

For sure semper, and sometimes the females develop a couple egg spots.

I vented him at the store before I brought him home, as he was a wee one, only about and inch and a half. At that age, the males and females all look pretty much the same, however as adults, there is quite a difference in the colour morphology in these guys. The females are a bland brownish purplish blueish colour, and only show their stripes when they're pissed off, usually at one of the other females. Also there are distinct differences in the finnage.

Unfortunately, he has a real attitude problem and can't be kept with anything but females of his kind. Although he's only gone after my hand a couple of times, he attacks the hose everytime I'm in there doing a water change. He's a bad boy, but I still love him.

Mogo

 

[semper fi]

just wanted to make sure that you were not counting on egg spots to sex the fish. an inch and half seems a mite small to be venting. would not know, count on cm to do that for me.

more of the africans will have different color morphs in the females and the males. alot of people do not realize this as the females are not as desirable as the males. the johanni is a perfect example. the johannis in the lfs that you see with the black and blue colors are males. the females of the species are gold or dull brown.

bad boy?! got a red devil that i would not trade for any amount of money. he is my pride and joy but was seriously considering what i would serve him with when i was sitting in the emergency room waiting for stitches after he bit my pinkie. was only trying to get him out of his tank after he broke it! got three stitches. still the heck out of him though!

semper fi

 

[Mogo]

Ouch Semper!

My bad boy has never taken a chunk out of me, but has left me with plenty of nasty cuts from his razor sharp dorsal, while he's zipping around trying to get the hose. Must have been funny at the hospital, you should have told them it was a goldfish.

Mogo

 

[Nik]

Eeer sorry to butt in. I have a tank of African Cichlids and have no idea of their sex.

You mentioned "venting" - what's that??

 

[cichlidmaster]

It's the process of checking the genital opening.

Venting

CM