Still juveniles?

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Foxfish

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Feb 2, 2008
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Hello everybody, I'm pretty new to the world of cichlids and I have mbunas. What size indicates a juvenile fish, such as Kenyi's. I have quite a few, and I know I need to get a few males out of my 55g, but some are young and I'm unsure what sex they are. Thanks for any help.:confused:
 

ibr3ak

I Eat Fish
Dec 15, 2007
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Brooklyn, An Why See
I'd say juvies are anywhere below 2.5"-3", then subadults are below 5" for Kenyi (other mbuna may grow larger or smaller depending on the species).

When Kenyi grow to around 1.5", or larger, males begin to get alot of yellow on their fins, belly and tail, where they'll eventually turn yellow with darker yellow stripes, females will remain blue with dark blue stripes.
 

Foxfish

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Feb 2, 2008
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Thank you so much! Ihave been told to overcrowd my cichlids but without knowing what I'm buying(m or F) I think that was unwise.
 

toddnbecka

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
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Sex ratios are important, but even if unbalanced it's still better to overstock (relative to other types of fish) mbuna's so that the aggression is spread around sufficiently. Too many targets/distractions/rivalries for one or several fish to be picked on too much.
 

Foxfish

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Feb 2, 2008
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I think I will still swap out some of my males for other types, such as a few yellow labs and demasoni's. Thanks for the feed back.
 

kay-bee

AC Members
Sep 14, 2005
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Tampa, FL
You'll probably need more than a "few" demasoni's if getting more than one (when matured they tend to be vicious with each other when not kept in adequate quantity).
 
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