View Full Version : Ciclids and breeding.
SteveInEssex
11-27-2002, 1:58 PM
I have never kept ciclids before but have recently purcased a pair. I am unsure as to what they are exactly though. I would like some basic knowledge of their breeding habits. At current they disappear into a hideout together and I can see that the lighter coloured one shakes its whole body quite violently. Is this a breeding sign? Or do they need special requirements to breed? I have no plants in the tank, does this matter? Are they egg layers? Where would they lay eggs if so?
morleyz
11-27-2002, 2:29 PM
Cichlids are such a large family of fish we'd really have to narrow down what they were. Some are mouth brooders, some simply drop their eggs in the substrate, too many options to generalize
What do you know about your 2? What were you told they were when they were sold/given to you? Are they SA/CA or African?How big are they? Do you have any pictures?
SteveInEssex
11-27-2002, 2:46 PM
not sure what they are. Can you recommend any where on the net that would be a good place to try to find what my fish are?
morleyz
11-27-2002, 2:57 PM
http://www.fishbase.org
It's a decent place to start...since it covers a large variety of fish...if you can narrow it down to a region where they come from, there's going to be a lot more help available.
fishlips
11-27-2002, 4:49 PM
I see that you are a new member and I welcome you, But how could you possibly give your fish proper care if you haven't a clue as to what they are? I hope they are alright until you figure it out. Next time you should do some reasearch before making a purchase. Good luck.
Rocketman
11-27-2002, 6:07 PM
Fishlips give him a break - he lives in England, everybodys crazy over there!
Really though steve, you may have wanted to find out what they are first. Maybe if you tell us how many pounds they were we can help you, as then we could narrow it down to rare/semi-rare/common...
Ok, for real now. What color are they, mostly? Do they have any distinctive marks on them? How large are they?
SteveInEssex
11-27-2002, 7:37 PM
I have perfectly healthy fish, in a good sized (90 UK Gallon) tank. I have kept tropical fish for 12 years. My fish are medium to large sized with my favourites being two large banded leporinus of 10 inches and 8 inches. The fact that i do not know exactly what species my two ciclids are is not a problem for me. I would be confident of adding any fish to my aquarium and being able to look after them well. I took advice from LFS and have have a full pellet range to feed them, and my tank has plenty of places for them to burrow. They love the sand and obviously find it highly amusing to completley ruin my neat lay out!!! lol This is my first attempt at keeping ciclids and I feel that purchasing a single pair is a good way to start. If you could see them then you would appreciate that they are looking very comfortable in their new environment. Comfortable enough that I am convinced they are a breeding pair. I would like to find out what exactly they are, but through my research I have yet to find them. They are light blue to lilac in colour and have 3 horizontal black stripes. One across the middle of the body, the second just slightly above that and the 3rd is at the very top of the body by the fin. Suggestions to finding a pic would be helpful
SteveInEssex
11-27-2002, 7:46 PM
They are around 4 inches in length and were priced up at 16 pounds each, but the pair cost me 25 pounds. They have established a good hieracy system in my tank after a few little scuffles with my larger fish. Becoming clearly dominant over my 8 inch leporinus and clown loach, but are quite clearly wary of the larger leporinus and especially my Florida Gar. The reason I brought up the breeding aspect is that they have become very protective of one hideout in particular and as stated earlier one seems the shake rigorously when they are in there together.
Serrateeth_2002
11-27-2002, 9:00 PM
You are lookin at a good fish website here,take your time looking at the fish profiles,kinda outdated but still useful.
morleyz
11-27-2002, 9:09 PM
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db2.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0368&picture_page_view=1
Like that? I've seen them with a more blue color than that picture shows.
Faramir
11-28-2002, 8:09 AM
These do sound horribly like a Melanochromis species of some desciption. I can't think of any other blue horizontally striped cichlids off hand. Vicious little creatures, IME.
Do you have/can borrow a digital camera? You could attach a picture.
[horrible image of someone scanning their poor fish springs to mind........]
Don't get too defensive - some very good points are being made here. Cichlids are extremely variable in the care they require, and fish shops are very variable in how good they are with the advice they give out. If they are a Melanochromis, they are highly aggressive, for example, and will need appropriate handling, and hard alkaline water. If a south American species, they might require very different conditions - not that I can think of a horizontally striped SA cichlid, but it's a big family.
Hey, and we're not all crazy over here..... at least we know how big a gallon should be :D
steveinessex: try posting the description in the cichlids forum, the cichlidiots should be able to tell. unfortunately i am unfamiliar with the type you are describing.
Ichtyus
11-28-2002, 7:10 PM
At first I also thought they were melanochromis johanni but if I am correct the female is yellow instead of blue and Steve did not mention that and if it is indeed a "breeding" pair I think Steve has another specie.
I actually have a pair of melanochromis johanni (one blue supposedly male and one yellow supposedly female) in a 30g tank and I have not found them to be overly aggressive. They need their space but leave the others alone if they don't invade their territory. I haven't had any breeding with them though so I may be wrong in assuming the sexes. Any comments?
SteveInEssex
11-29-2002, 1:40 PM
Hi People,
Indeed my fish are a melanochromis species. Not the one quoted above but similar. If I have been informed correctly they originate from lake malawi (unsure of spelling).
Faramir
12-02-2002, 5:16 AM
OK - in which case the answers to your questions are that they are mouthbrooders, and will breed unless conditions are really unfavourable. They like hard alkaline water, which IIRC is what you've got in most of Essex.
The fry, when released, are a little larger than livebearer fry at birth. Again, IIRC, they are vegetarian and will appreciate algae and a plant material based food - animal proteins are believed to be responsible for the potentially fatal condition of "Malawi bloat".
Evolution being what it is, however, more and more tank bred Malawians are doubtless becoming more tolerant of lower pH and hardness figures, and more catholic in their diet. Anyone old enough to remember when Angelfish were as stringent in their requirements as Discus are now?
Originally posted by Ichtyus
At first I also thought they were melanochromis johanni but if I am correct the female is yellow instead of blue and Steve did not mention that and if it is indeed a "breeding" pair I think Steve has another specie.
I actually have a pair of melanochromis johanni (one blue supposedly male and one yellow supposedly female) in a 30g tank and I have not found them to be overly aggressive. They need their space but leave the others alone if they don't invade their territory. I haven't had any breeding with them though so I may be wrong in assuming the sexes. Any comments?
There's electric blue johanni that have both the males and females the same color. Not the same as Mel. johanni.
SteveInEssex
12-02-2002, 8:17 PM
I have found out my fish are: Melanochromis lepidiadaptes, formally known as Lepidophage. They are considered a very aggressive species that likes to eat the scales of other fish. (even it's mate, as I have found out). Now I want to know if I should upgrade from a pair to maybe 4 fish to keep them happier? I have been told a pair is not really suitable. Does anyone think I will be able to add a different pair of Melanochromis species? In the hope they will live together, or should I stick to exactly the same species (Lepidiadaptes)
SteveInEssex
12-02-2002, 8:22 PM
With reference to my above post. Can anyone give me some useful tips on finding out the difference between males and females of my fish?