are red zebras easy to breed?

[AquariumNoob13]

i've been thinking about getting some red zebras instead of an ahli for my 55g. are they easy to breed? and can their fry get along with socolofi and yellow labs?

[Aislinn]

Mine breed constantly. All my mbuna do. There are always at least two females holding. If I were ever inclined to strip the eggs, I'd have mbuna coming out my ears. Keep the water really clean and give them enough rocky caves, and they'll start breeding and never stop.

[kay-bee]

i've been thinking about getting some red zebras instead of an ahli for my 55g. are they easy to breed? and can their fry get along with socolofi and yellow labs?

Red zebras will do fine with what you have and are actually more compatible with your socolofi and labs than the "ahli" is.

Red zebras are inclined to be dominant and the male red zebra(s) will eventually rule the tank eventually (not necessarily a bully but definately the top fish). They can be aggressive so keep at least 2 females per male to keep them occupied.

[AquariumNoob13]

can you tell the difference between male and female? or is it another "pick and choose and return what isn't a female" kind of deal?

[tarheels910]

They are good fish to keep with labs and socolofi. The fry will be eaten though.

[GirlieGirl8521]

can you tell the difference between male and female? or is it another "pick and choose and return what isn't a female" kind of deal?

Probably pick and choose and return extra males. :) Males are said to be lighter in color, but that probably depends on the breeding....usually the difference is faint and may not show up until they are mature.

If you want to raise any fry, its probably best to get a tank dedicated to them. :)

[AquariumNoob13]

well what i meant was like i will have a 10g setup for fry, but can their fry coexist with yellow lab fry? also, where can you get them and how much are they usually?

[kay-bee]

Fry can coexist with other fry of different mbuna species as long as they are of similar size. Larger juvies (1"-1.5") are capable of harassing and even eradicating small fry (0.5cm-1.5cm).

As far as gender determination, one subtle indicator is the color of the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin of male red zebras have a blue sheen, while the females' dorsal remains orange. This indicator can been seen with small juvies (1.5"-2"), but isn't a gurantee since some males develop the blue sheen later on.

As far as cost goes, fry are typically smaller than "selling size", they're usually sold when they're a little bigger and stronger (1.5"-2" size range). The price they go far at that size will vary.

[AquariumNoob13]

if i got a few at about 1.5" would they be able to coexist with my other mbunas?

[nmrsco]

how large are the others?

[AquariumNoob13]

my labs are 2-3" and my socolofi are 4-6"

[kay-bee]

Possibly. I'd recommend adding about 6 of them. Due to the size differential there's always the chance one of the larger one's might attempt to find out if they're edible or not (which is why I suggest adding a group). A 6" socolofi is full grown, I didn't know you had any that size.

[AquariumNoob13]

really? i thought that socolofi got bigger. oh well. i thought labs got to be 6" too though....??? how big to red zebras get?

[kay-bee]

6" is typically how big they can get. Red zebras can attain the same length but develop a more stocky solid build (so a 6" red zebra would be a physically larger fish than a 6" socolofi).

Yellow labs usually max out at 4" though they can get larger (5" to 6", I've seen a huge 6" yellow lab once); from what I understand they get larger in captivity than in the wild.

[AquariumNoob13]

wow. that is impressive! also, where can i get red zebras? petco doesn't have them, but i think that they might let me order some through them. but if they don't, where else in south county of san diego could i find them?

[kay-bee]

Red zebras are fairly common, I'm surprised you can't find them. Too bad we live in different states, I've got several I need to find homes for.

Try different LFS' or hobbyists in your area. You can even try ordering them online from a breeder.

You may be interested in the 'wild type' red zebras (blue males, orange females, which is the predominant color scheme of the red zebra in the wild collected near Minos Reef, I believe; in the hobby the majority of male red zebras are orange-ish).

[AquariumNoob13]

alright. thanks for all your help!