I Think My Fish Are Mating!

[new2yellowfish]

I THINK MY YELLOW ELECTRICS ARE MATING!!


CAN SOMEONE HELP?/

WHICH ONE IS FEMALE AND WHICH ONE IS MALE?

THERE IS A LARGE ONE WITH DARK SPOTTS

THERE IS A SMALL ONE THATS PANTS SOMETIMES??

THEY BOTH DO A DANCE THING THAT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE BEING SHOCKED!!

WHATS HAPPENING??

 

[dthoffsett]

Sounds like they may be mating, or it could be a sign of aggression, sometimes it's hard to tell with mbuna. I'd lean towards mating as there is nest building going on. The funny dance you see is a typical breeding/aggression display, it's pretty shocking the first time you see it.

As for sexing, electric yellows (Labidochromis caeruleus) are one of the harder species to sex. The only reliable ways are to observe them spawning, or to vent them. They are harem breeders, where one male will mate with as many females as possible, so you should be keeping them in larger groups. L.caeruleus is a somewhat shy species and are best kept in groups of 5 or more, fortunately they are one of the few mbuna species that can be kept with multiple males.

What size tank do you have them in, and what are their current tank mates?

Because of their aggression levels and need for territory, mbuna (rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa) should be kept in at least a 4ft tank and only with other mbuna species with the expection of some catfish, notably the Synodontis species of Lake Tanganikya, and bn plecs.

I'd highly recommend reading some of the articles here.

Oh, and before some else says it, in the world of forums, typing in all caps is considered yelling and many people find it rude.

 

[new2yellowfish]

Sounds like they may be mating, or it could be a sign of aggression, sometimes it's hard to tell with mbuna. I'd lean towards mating as there is nest building going on. The funny dance you see is a typical breeding/aggression display, it's pretty shocking the first time you see it.

As for sexing, electric yellows (Labidochromis caeruleus) are one of the harder species to sex. The only reliable ways are to observe them spawning, or to vent them. They are harem breeders, where one male will mate with as many females as possible, so you should be keeping them in larger groups. L.caeruleus is a somewhat shy species and are best kept in groups of 5 or more, fortunately they are one of the few mbuna species that can be kept with multiple males.

What size tank do you have them in, and what are their current tank mates?

Because of their aggression levels and need for territory, mbuna (rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa) should be kept in at least a 4ft tank and only with other mbuna species with the expection of some catfish, notably the Synodontis species of Lake Tanganikya, and bn plecs.

I'd highly recommend reading some of the articles here.

Oh, and before some else says it, in the world of forums, typing in all caps is considered yelling and many people find it rude.

The bigger male keeps following the female which i had found out which was which.

i was watching them for 10mins. i saw when he was near the nest and she was to he done the dance thing. is that another sign??
there is four other differnt fish in the fish tank. one of those: shark looking fish, two silver dollars , and a clown fish(tropical one)

and for the gallons i have no idea ( my dads fish)

thanks for the head ups on the caps

 

[dthoffsett]

The bigger male keeps following the female which i had found out which was which.

How did you determine their sex?

i was watching them for 10mins. i saw when he was near the nest and she was to he done the dance thing. is that another sign??

It's certainly sounds like it, like I said though you never can tell with mbuna.

there is four other different fish in the fish tank. one of those: shark looking fish, two silver dollars , and a clown fish(tropical one)

You might try getting your dad to read some of the articles in the link I gave you. While l.caeruleus is one of the least aggressive mbuna species, they are still capable of harassing and possibly killing their tankmates. That and they really should be kept in larger groups, when a male is kept with a single female (if you do indeed have one of each sex) he will often harass the female to mate constantly, it's not unusual for the female to die from the stress or injury. They may have gotten along well so far, but once they reach sexual maturity (as it sounds has happened) their behavior can change drastically.

thanks for the head ups on the caps

No problem, it doesn't bother me, but some people get quite snippy about it.

 

[new2yellowfish]

The bigger male keeps following the female which i had found out which was which.

How did you determine their sex?

i was watching them for 10mins. i saw when he was near the nest and she was to he done the dance thing. is that another sign??

It's certainly sounds like it, like I said though you never can tell with mbuna.

there is four other different fish in the fish tank. one of those: shark looking fish, two silver dollars , and a clown fish(tropical one)

You might try getting your dad to read some of the articles in the link I gave you. While l.caeruleus is one of the least aggressive mbuna species, they are still capable of harassing and possibly killing their tankmates. That and they really should be kept in larger groups, when a male is kept with a single female (if you do indeed have one of each sex) he will often harass the female to mate constantly, it's not unusual for the female to die from the stress or injury. They may have gotten along well so far, but once they reach sexual maturity (as it sounds has happened) their behavior can change drastically.

thanks for the head ups on the caps

No problem, it doesn't bother me, but some people get quite snippy about it.

last night i think they were definitly mating. they both dont a circle thing like they were one!!!

oh and hey kept going behind each other under neath to the back with their head. did he fertilise the eggs?

 

[dthoffsett]

Both the male and female with do the "dance" so that's not really a way to tell which one is which. If you actually saw the female lay the eggs and the male fertilize them then you'll know for sure. If you didn't see any eggs then either they are doing some "practice" runs or you just missed it.

If eggs were layed then you'll be watching for one of the two to stop eating, her throat will get big and she'll constantly look like she's chewing gum.