"Lamprologous" brevis

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verbal

verbal

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May 4, 2010
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Jesse
I got a group of 4 brevis that are about 1.25".

What is their minimum breeding size?

Do the males and females look different?

Do they need to have shell or will they use other hiding places?
 
jpappy789

jpappy789

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Feb 18, 2007
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I'm not very knowledgeable on brevis but I too would venture to guess that they are likely near spawning size. As shelldwellers they would really do best with a lot of shells available. With my multis I gave them 2-3 per fish. I believe pairs will often share shells so make sure they are large enough.

As for sexing, size can be an indicator with males being larger than females on average but venting is the only 100% method.
 
aj2494

aj2494

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Jul 31, 2008
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Males grow to 2.5", females to 2". Beyond that, the only other method and far more accurate method, as pappy said is venting. An experienced cichlid keeper can look at the behaviors of the fish in a tank and pick out which ones are males and females, but it takes a lot of practice and knowledge. If you don't want to vent, your best bet is to look for one that kicks the others out of a territory usually in the neighborhood of 6". That is a male. Oh, and wait to see 2 in a shell together. The bigger one will probably be the male.

There is one thing I forgot to mention. Males tend to have more of an up-turned mouth, and look a little meaner. Their heads kind of look like calvus heads.
 
verbal

verbal

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May 4, 2010
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aj2494 said:
Males grow to 2.5", females to 2". Beyond that, the only other method and far more accurate method, as pappy said is venting. An experienced cichlid keeper can look at the behaviors of the fish in a tank and pick out which ones are males and females, but it takes a lot of practice and knowledge. If you don't want to vent, your best bet is to look for one that kicks the others out of a territory usually in the neighborhood of 6". That is a male. Oh, and wait to see 2 in a shell together. The bigger one will probably be the male.

There is one thing I forgot to mention. Males tend to have more of an up-turned mouth, and look a little meaner. Their heads kind of look like calvus heads.
Click to expand...
Are they breeding size at 1.25" or do I have to have some patience?

I have one that acts like a male, claiming a territory in the middle of the tank.

There are some slight size differences but I am not sure if they are age or sex. I was hoping to get 6 but there were only 4 available so there is a 1 in 8 chance of having all the same sex, but if I had to guess I would say I have 2 of each. I will try to post some pics.
 
Pittbull

Pittbull

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Apr 14, 2007
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Its hard to tell if they are not in the same photo to view differences.. In my experience they usually breed at male 2" and female at 1.5" if these fish are from the same colony and you have bigger and smaller ones chances are that you have both sexes just be patient and they will reward you soon enough also make sure you have 3 shells per fish and when your done just throw in a couple more shells never hurts to have extras..
 
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