Peacock cichlids cross breeding???

any cichlid that resembles another species will cross breed. All the different peacocks have similar coloured females and the males aren't fussy about who they breed with. So if you are trying to breed them, only have 1 species of peacock.

No idea what alfa cobues are, please add a scientific name with common name or colour form after that.

Don't hybridise species because most shops won't sell them and most cichlid people don't like them.

 

When you say breeding do you mean:

1. Commercially
2. As a hobby or
3. Putting a bunch of fish in a tank and hoping you'll end up with a few more.

As your tank is new it may be worth taking some time out for a little research before diving in head first. Aside from understanding the species you are planning there are a lot of other questions you need answers to, such as

• What am I going to do with all the offspring, will someone guarantee a price or to take them
• How many tanks do I need vs how many tanks do I have (spawning tanks, fry tanks, grow out tanks), and where will I put them
  
• How am I going to feed the fry and what will it cost
• How am I going to manage the water changes. If you want them to grow quickly you NEED to change 80% every single day (as a very minimum).

There are plenty more but it will be a lot less stressful for you and the fish if you start on a solid footing rather than trying to use a forum to address problems after they happen. (e.g. the time to find out about mixing species is not when you already have 3 and are thinking of a fourth).

 

Thanks
They will be fine with Labidochromis caeruleus (electric yellows) and some peacocks.
Get a group of 3 or 4 of each (1 male and some females) species. Have 1 type of peacock only (1 male and 2or 3 females).

Any young should be pure species.

The afras might cross with the electric yellows but it's unlikely and if any young L. caeruleus are not yellow, destroy them.

 

As a general rule all mouth brooding Africans will cross with other mouth brooding Africans. I've had a male yellow lab spawn with a female peacock and produce the male in my profile picture. I've also had a male blue ahli hap breed with a female peacock. Female peacocks really don't care who they breed with so long as both parties are willing and able.

If you are set on breeding pure species then stick with one species of peacock in a tank and you should be able to keep another non-peacock species without cross breeding provided there are enough females/males of each single species.

My mixed species tank has mostly males and a few females but the females only spawn with their respective male counterparts (mutt mbuna/peacocks with mutts and OB peacocks with OB peacocks). With your tank and mixed peacocks I would bet the dominant male peacock would end up with most the females.

 

Just avoid mixing species where the females look similar.