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#1 In between tanks

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Posted 19 January 2017 - 05:16 PM

Looking to start breeding some cichlids ( electric blue, red empress, red shoulder, marble peacock and albino jacobfriebergi) his is purely for fun just because I have not done it before and it can help out buying food chemicals etc. I have been doing lots of research on this but one thing I have not really found is what is a good size to move the fish on. Also any helpful tips will be greatly appreciated
Cheers

#2 Hood

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Posted 19 January 2017 - 05:43 PM

4-5cm is standard size to grow out too before sale.
All those fish will need to be housed in separate tanks by the way as they interbreed easily. And their off spring look very similar when young so would need separate grow out too. Hope this helps. :)

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#3 In between tanks

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Posted 19 January 2017 - 09:04 PM

Would the cichlids really cross breed even though that each male has multiple females that they have breed with in the past??

Edited by In between tanks, 19 January 2017 - 09:05 PM.


#4 Spiesie

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Posted 20 January 2017 - 07:10 AM

Would the cichlids really cross breed even though that each male has multiple females that they have breed with in the past??

Yes, they will definitely cross breed.



#5 In between tanks

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 12:06 PM

Is there a way to stop it without putting all the fish in separate tank? will all these fish cross breed or will only a couple of species
Cheers

#6 dicky7

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 02:42 PM

What Hood has stated above

 

 

All those fish will need to be housed in separate tanks by the way as they interbreed easily. And their off spring look very similar when young so would need separate grow out too. Hope this helps



#7 In between tanks

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 02:57 PM

And the hybrids will be worth nothing, right??

Edited by In between tanks, 21 January 2017 - 02:58 PM.


#8 humbug

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 08:18 PM

Hybrids are worth less than nothing.  They are a liability.  They cost money to house and raise.  Once they are at the 4-5cm mark, they have no monetary value if advertised for what they are, and the breeder gets landed with a stack of fish they can't move.  If they advertise and sell them as something they aren't, it takes no time to get a reputation for breeding hybrids.  The hobby is pretty small, so once a reputation is earned, its pretty well impossible to shake.  Even if they breed good fish later, there will forever be a question mark over the fish they advertise . . . . .  In my opinion, its just not worth the risk. 

 

If you are serious about wanting to breed something, its worth hunting down a nice sized group of quality fish from a reputable source, and set them up in a dedicated single-species aquarium.  Remember, it costs no more to house and raise the fry from quality parents than those from lesser quality fish, but the offspring you produce will be in greater demand.  Choose a species that you enjoy, rather than one which is "fashionable".  Fashions change very regularly in our hobby.  You are the one who has to live with them, and put in the hard yards with all those water changes etc, so far better doing it with something that you love.

But be aware that breeding is a labour of love.  You will require a separate tank for growing fry. To get reasonable growth rates you will need to feed the fry several times per day, and do very regular water changes on their tank.  Even so, it still takes several months to get most African species up to size.  If you are looking to collect fry on a regular basis from the colony, you will likely find you can't mix very different ages of fry in the one tank, so that means you need multiple fry grow tanks. And it goes on, and on . . . . . before long you have a house full of tanks :) 

There is a reason people get hooked on breeding fish.  One of the aspects that make cichlids so interesting are their unique, advanced parenting behaviours.  I've been keeping cichlids for more years than I'd care to admit, but I STILL get a hell of a buzz out of watching a female mouth-brooder releasing her fry, perhaps gathering food for the youngsters, and then rapidly taking them back into her mouth at the first sign of danger.  Sad to think that so many people miss what is THE most unique aspect of these fish simply because of the recent practice of stripping females of fry.   Take the time to enjoy your fish!  Its better for the fish involved, and will help maintain your interest longer-term than just churning out fry "battery-hen" fashion.

Good luck on your next adventure in fish keeping!!!



#9 In between tanks

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 09:31 PM

Ok cheers I think I will just let the fish have fun in the tank and if I know 100% it is not a cross I will try and sell it

#10 malawiman85

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 10:04 PM

They will get eaten



#11 Hood

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 07:52 AM

Ok cheers I think I will just let the fish have fun in the tank and if I know 100% it is not a cross I will try and sell it

You can never guarantee they aren't a cross if they're produced in a community tank like that. You shouldn't be selling fry from a community tank.

Why not just pick one species and have a nice colony?

...Or if you truly want more than one species you could maybe try one mbuna colony with one haplochromide colony and they may work with no interbreeding.

However if you are really intent on breeding fry to sell you really should keep species specific tanks. And as malawiman has stated the fry will get eaten in the parent tank. You will need a second tank at the very least for fry grow out. :)

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#12 In between tanks

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 04:46 PM

Well I if I see the breeding happening I will know

#13 humbug

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 05:44 PM

I sat and watched the breeding in one of my tanks the other day.  Its a species only tank containing six male and 14 female Lethrinops.  A pair were spawning in one corner, and as they circled, a "sneak" male dashed through the action, obviously adding his milt to the mix.  Then a second, and a third male joined in.  I'm pretty confident that that mouthful of fry will have at least four fathers. 

 

This isn't the first time I've seen this sort of behaviour.  I've also seen it in mixed cichlid tanks, with the action involving more than one species.  The problem is that a spawn may stretch over several hours.  No matter how diligent you are, you can't be certain you've caught the entire spawn, and that no other male was involved. 

Its even more complicated than that.  There are well recorded instances of females carrying fertilised eggs despite the male being physically separated in the same tank by a grill or divider.  This demonstrates that milt can move from one part of the tank to another.  So technically if you happen to have different species spawning at opposite ends of the tank, you could get cross-fertilisation.

 

The safest option is just to not take fry from a community tank.


 


Edited by humbug, 22 January 2017 - 05:46 PM.





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