what all do i got here?, breedable? Male? or female?

Discussion in 'Cichlids' started by timber127, Jun 17, 2010.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. timber127

    timber127 Plankton

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    Hi all!,

    I'm new to breeding chiclids, i have kept them before however they sadly killed each other they were both males and yeah it went bad :(, but i started again with 4 chiclids, 1 (believed to be) male aurtus !cid__Photo0156.jpg , 1 soild orange (from batch of assorted babies) !cid__Photo0154.jpg , 1 (believed to be) female? blue with black vertical stripes (no egg spots) !cid__Photo0157.jpg sorry she didnt want her pic taken ;p, 1 young blueish - yellowish in color with black vertical stripes !cid__Photo0153.jpg . My tank is aprx. 45gal tall, it also houses 5 green cory cats, 1 sun cat, 2 pleco's, and about a dozen feeder guppies that have surprisingly manged to avoid death lol! they babies however did their parents job, the aurtus, and the large adult blue with black stripes have been doing the mating dance?! the female? has made a nesting pit?... any help with letting me know whats goin on in my little underwater world is greatly appreciated :) also about breeding them, The muts that will come from the breeding are for my sole enjoyment, NOT to be sold and ruin the hobby, unless i end up with an amazing breed ;p Also, are they all mouth breeders? or do i have a mix?
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2010
  2. Click Here!

  3. Sarrixx

    Sarrixx Bristle Worm

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2010
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Chidlow, Western Australia
    Hard to tell the species from such blurry pics, the orange one looks like it could be a female Labeotropheus fuelleborni. Sorry I can't help with an ID on the rest of the fish .
    Majority of cichlids are mouthbrooders and are prolific breeders. They can and will breed in a variety of conditions (good or bad) and raising the fry is fairly easy. Not sure how easy it is to get two different species to breed, but I imagine it wouldn't be overly difficult given how often they mate with their own.
    Of course, im speaking generally here. Until you get a positive ID or better quality photos you can't be too sure. I have kept and bred a couple of species of cichlids and the advice I offer you is this: Do not keep all the fry despite how they turn out, you will run out of room VERY quickly!
    Good luck! :)
     
  4. timber127

    timber127 Plankton

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    Thanks for the advice! ill try to get some better pics their all just camera shy lol, The aurtus im 99% sure thats what it is, it started out yellow with black horizontal stripes then turned a blueish black color, with the egg spots, do only the males have egg spots? and are they all on the anal fin? or both anal and the belly fins?
     
  5. Sarrixx

    Sarrixx Bristle Worm

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2010
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Chidlow, Western Australia
    The females can have egg spots too, for example both genders of Labeotropheus fuelleborni have egg spots.
    Taking a second look at your pics, I have a hunch that you have South American cichlids. So if I'm correct that should narrow the search down for you.
     
  6. timber127

    timber127 Plankton

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    Thank you, and is the aurtus american too then?
     
  7. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2009
    Messages:
    19,258
    Location:
    Sparks, NV
    They all look like africans to me. The orange one probably is a male. The rest look to be females. They may crossbreed.
     
  8. Click Here!

  9. Sarrixx

    Sarrixx Bristle Worm

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2010
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Chidlow, Western Australia
    Mmmm maybe. Although my female L. fuelleborni looked very similar to that orange fish. I don't have a pic of her, and I don't have her anymore but I do have pics of some of her fry. I'll attach a pic of one of the females and one of the males.
    The male is the blue one, female orange.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. timber127

    timber127 Plankton

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    thanks for the help everyone!