How Do U Breed Cichlids And Sex Them?

[ryguy]

ok well i have a 55 gallon african cichlid tank i got in december. my fish are all around4 inches. are they big enough to breed yet. i have 12 cichlids 2 fontosa, 2 yellow labs, 1 ventus, 1 red zebra, 1 flourecent peacock, 2 purple ones forgot name, turquoise jewel, and this striped one forgot name 2. tons of rocks and 2 filters running with 84 degree f water. are they big enough to bred and how do i sex cichlids. im trying to figure out if my labs are female and male. one lab is mostly yellow no dummy spots with just a little black. the other lab has a lot more black on all his fins and has a somehwat muddy face and is a little bigger both aroung 3.5-4 inches. any help would be greatly appreciated thx.

ryan

PS: i was told cichlids breed alot thats why im asking.

 

[ryguy]

im just really curious will putting a flower pot that has a large enough for the fish to swim through encourage breeding?

im just really curious will putting a flower pot that has a large enough for the fish to swim through encourage breeding?

 

[kribensis12]

Your will need aot of really Big ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not african cichlid expert( i know about kribs and brichardi), so i will wait for someone else to help you.

 

[iairj84]

I'm not a cichlid breeding expert either but everything I've read says it's best to get at least 4-5 of each kind you intend to breed (Unless you have a mated pair, like a discus or angelfish or something.) Obviously the breeds you only have one of will not be able to mate, and the labs you would have to be lucky and have gotten a male and female. With most cichlids the only way of sexing them is by a method called venting (which I've never done and don't reccomend if you're still new with fish.) From everything I've read Mbuna will readily breed if given good conditions. I haven't read anywhere about mbuna needing pots.

 

[PoPoV]

Well first off, I dont know if breeding anything in their is a very good idea. IMO two frontosa are about the limit for that 55g tank, Not to mention the other 10 that are in their. As far as breeding goes, Its somthing that needs to be planned IMHO not somthing that just happens in the tank for the most part it is best to buy paired fish, or certain species in groups of 6-10 and wait till they pair up an take the rest back to the store. This way you have a known female/male breeding pair/pairs in the tank. The reason I said I dont think breeding anything in their is a good idea is because once you do, fish get very aggresive. But im no expert either Im shure more people will chime in though

 

[dthoffsett]

ok well i have a 55 gallon african cichlid tank i got in december. my fish are all around4 inches. are they big enough to breed yet.
Not sure about the frontosa, but the others are large enough to breed.

i have 12 cichlids 2 fontosa, 2 yellow labs, 1 ventus, 1 red zebra, 1 flourecent peacock, 2 purple ones forgot name, turquoise jewel, and this striped one forgot name
That's quite an interesting mix of fish you've got there. Unfortunately the frontosa and venustus are going to be too large for your tank. The jewel isn't compatable either, they need different water parameters and have different dietary requirements.

2. tons of rocks and 2 filters running with 84 degree f water.
A lot of rocks will help, but I would suggest slowly lowering the water temperature to around 78-80 degrees. 84 is a little too high for them.

are they big enough to bred and how do i sex cichlids.
As stated above they are large enough to breed. In most cases the only reliable way to sex them is to either observe spawning, seeing a holding female, or venting. Here's an article http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gender.php

im trying to figure out if my labs are female and male. one lab is mostly yellow no dummy spots with just a little black. the other lab has a lot more black on all his fins and has a somehwat muddy face and is a little bigger both aroung 3.5-4 inches. any help would be greatly appreciated thx.
See above on sexing.

If you are wanting to breed, I would suggest removing the frontosas, venustus (they get too big anyways), and jewel. You'll need to raise the numbers of the labs, zebras, and the purple ones (most likely acei, which are also pushing it on size) http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1460. You want to aim for at least 1m to 3-4 females, though with labs and acei mutiple males usually get along. Here are a couple of articles that should help you get started. Oh, adding a plant pot isn't necessary as mbuna are mouth brooders.
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/breeding_list.php

 

[ryguy]

i have 12 cichlids 2 fontosa, 2 yellow labs, 1 ventus, 1 red zebra, 1 flourecent peacock, 2 purple ones forgot name, turquoise jewel, and this striped one forgot name
That's quite an interesting mix of fish you've got there. Unfortunately the frontosa and venustus are going to be too large for your tank. The jewel isn't compatable either, they need different water parameters and have different dietary requirements.

i dont no if the store will take them back and if they do they wont give me my money back but mabye i could swap but i dont no.

 

[ryguy]

o i also looked at the pics of acie fish and its definitely not that but it looks similar to this fish or mabye it is.
they pruple fish are definitely Iodotropheus sprengerae because they have orange on their fins and a little orange on face and they look almost exactly as the picture and thses gus only grow 2.5-3 somtimes 4 inches rarely.
http/www.african-cichlid.com/Sprengerae.htm


what if the stores dont take the fish back or swap them i would lose alot of money as each was 15 dollars and where would i put them?

 

[ryguy]

so i should get rid od frontosas (which i love) and venturas (my favorite) and my turquoise jewel (not so fond of) then i will get 2-3 more labs and 2 more purple ones is that a good idea. and my water is very clean with weekly 30% water change and 2 bio filters both made for 55-70 gallons.

 

[ryguy]

i think i can swapt at local store but not sure.

 

[dthoffsett]

Well, unless you can somehow rehome the venustus and frontosas, you will need to upgrade to at least a 125gal tank, so it would be much cheaper to just swap them.



I.sprengerae are wonderfull little fish and will do well with the labs and zebras. So, if you get rid of the unsuitable fish, you could safely have 4 of each the labs, zebras, and rustys (i.sprengerae).

 

[ryguy]

thats good to know but what about my other one with brown coloring and sorta black stipes .

 

[dthoffsett]

If you can post a couple of pictures of it, it's pretty difficult to id a fish based on description.

 

[mark7616]

Also what you think its tons of rock isnt have a look at the members malawi setup on what they should look like.

 

[dthoffsett]

Also what you think its tons of rock isnt have a look at the members malawi setup on what they should look like.

That's true Mark, I have somewhere around 130 to 160 lbs of rock in my 75gal. Can't have too many in my opinion.