hi im a nube at caring or cichlids with hard water and high ph i was trying to sex the cichlids i bought hesterday and to tell you the truth they are still juviniles about an inch in length each exept for the rusty cichlid it is 1.5 inches can i still sex them anyway some of mine have egg spots but i heard females can have them 2 but im getting frustrated i was creating the tank for them all day yesterday god thing they lived i would have killed myself i gave away the fish i already had so back to the cichlids i am feeding them peas, tropical flakes, cichlid gold, and blod worms my ph is around 7.7 and i dont know about my hardness but i put gravel mixed with crushed corals and shells to harden it. thank you all in advanced:grinyes:
how to sex african cichlid juveniles
- Thread starter Fishbreeder101
- Start date
First, egg spots are not a reliable way to identify gender. Did you cycle the tank before you got the fish? What size is your tank? Don't feed them bloodworms, it will give them bloat. Why are you feeding tropical flakes?
The only way to sex mbuna is to vent them, however you need to do this when they are larger, around 2 or 2.5 inches.
The only way to sex mbuna is to vent them, however you need to do this when they are larger, around 2 or 2.5 inches.
sorry for being a newbi and asking newb questions but is it possible for some of the mbuna cichlids to change their gender if so witch ons
None of the Mbuna or African cichlids will change sex like the livebearers do, A good rule of thumb for obtaining different sex ratios is to buy 6 of each species you plan to keep and allow them to grow up and choose mates, you may have to remove some down the road, as for a typical Mbuna setup you should over stock the tank so that no one target is getting picked on.. As for Mbuna and foods you should stick to a more vegetarian diet, spirulina flake and a low protein pellet food if not you will bloat your fish and they will die from it, so leave out worms they are usually high in proteins, i would go for pellets and flakes that are 38 to 40% protein levels.. Feed once a day and do weekly water changes.. Plus remember that Mbuna like a rocky habitat so you should allow alot of hiding spots so that fish can get away from aggression..
Oh and please anytime you have questions please ask no question is a dumb newb question.. Its always better to ask we have all been there and done that and we have all learned from our mistakes.. Have fun and enjoy the hobby..
