Hongi + Red Zebra = ?

[Matt Gleadow]

Hey...

My Hongi has mated with one of my Red Zebra's (Metriaclima Estherae). Is that normal for them to breed with each other?

What will that produce if she succesfully holds them?

All I did was move a few rocks around to make a bit of a cave and 2 mins after I had taken my hand out of the tank they were in there getting jiggy

If they are going to start breeding then I think I will have to invest in another tank...

 

[ASD]

Maybe consider seperating them, hybrids are often frowned upon by Cichlid enthusiasts. Hybridisation 'dirtys' the gene pool.

 

[FroggFrogg]

I have many hybrids in my tank. I do nothing to encourage the breeding nor do i cull any fry. Currently i think i have about 30 or more babies ranging from 0.5 mm to 3cm. Some are hybrids, some aren't and some are too small to tell yet. I don't see the problem with hybrids, it's not like i'm passing them onto a fish shop or anything.
If you don't want any babies or any hybrids then invest in a fish that will hoover up any babies. I would suggest Crabro if your tank is large or aggresive enough to support such a mean fish!

 

[adambrum]

The hybrids are frowned upon because of careless people selling them or giving then to pet shops that dont know any better with the yellow lab been the worst fish that has been cross bred and over bred.

If you want to keep them fine just dont let them out of your tanks.

 

[Matt Gleadow]

So am I going to end up with some sort of weird cross bred fish then?

Wanted the Zebra's to breed with each other if anything, not with the Hongi.

 

[ASD]

So am I going to end up with some sort of weird cross bred fish then?

Wanted the Zebra's to breed with each other if anything, not with the Hongi.

Yes you will get hybrids, a touchy subject on public forums. I have seen loads of discussions on this matter that often escalate into full blown arguments.

Its up to you how you deal with this, i can only give you advice on what i would do. Which is to seperate the pair and cull any fry that is produced. (I will probably get flamed for saying that)