# Blue Dolphin newbie best conditions



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

Hello im hoping to breed these any tips


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Welcome to C-F!!

Here is an article to get you started.

Do you already have a tank set up for them and if so what are the dimensions?


----------



## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

You buying a breeding group, a random group of adults, some young juveniles? More info needed please.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

hi thx so much for the replys!
i had an account here before but it got deleted due to inactivity 
long story short i had a bad accident and *** just been in a bad way for 5 years now finally im back on my feet physically and mentally 
once upon a time i had a thriving tank and im looking to bring it back up to life again
vid of my tank years ago 




now only 2 fish left (i was in such a bad way sorry) but today i drove to pay for my pairs yes 2 males 2 females and 2 (hopefully female) juveniles 
the changes i made today

I purchased a HMA System (i once used this and the fished loved the water)
i currently have removed all that rock and been on a suction frenzy my god water was so black! will clean out the fx6 and the fx5 one today the other in 2 weeks and will do water change soon with hma water 
im really keen on breeding them i had some experience with the common malaiw and i stripped her but some say i should let her spit and suck them out with the cleaning tube.
im gona post up my fish


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

take a look at the Dolphins here!


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

here take a look at all the rock i removed today aiming to have just a few
mainly because when i need to maybe catch the female also more volume of water can be held this rock was easy taking away 100 l maybe
i also removed the rio big box thing!

would you guys agree with that less rock? 
also what temp would you maintain for breeding ph and any other stats?>


----------



## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

Dolphins tend to be more open water dwellers. I don't have them now did so for many years. I wouldn't put more than 20% of your floor space (footprint) in rocks.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

punman said:


> Dolphins tend to be more open water dwellers. I don't have them now did so for many years. I wouldn't put more than 20% of your floor space (footprint) in rocks.


cheers thats good to know what temp i was going to go for 26.5 sort of higher ended temp to promote breeding


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

78 degrees


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

Thankyou thats about 25.55c how important do you feel that temp is 
And do you think 26.5 is too much and not optimal for them


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you go too much warmer you speed up their metabolism and possibly shorten their life span. I don't think it necessarily enhances spawning.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> If you go too much warmer you speed up their metabolism and possibly shorten their life span. I don't think it necessarily enhances spawning.


Ok thank you so much any other satistics you want to give me the ideal pH and any other stock I could mix them with I don't want to overstep my tank this time by the way you may remember me from last time unfortunately I lost that accounts thank you very much for your help back then


----------



## wharfrat (Sep 9, 2013)

Since your going the colony route are you sure you don't want a fat colony of Mpimbwe Frontosa puppies. I am sort of sad I went the predator Hap route because I love Mpimbwe's so much...they are like a colony of wet pets. Now the different coloration of the Predator Haps make a great DT, but I understand why Gibbs are loved so much.

All that aside I think Malawi Dolphins are nice for a colony fish. You can break rules and keep them with Fronts...I have seen it done with success and good results. If you are breeding I assume you will strip the females and have a grow out tank...if so this will enable you to have more availability of tank mates. Since they are Haps, and you are going to have harems, I would not put in other Haps unless you want the chance of a Frankenstein hybrid fish. I have seen some weird Nimbochromis/Cyrtocara mixes. I remember somebody talking about a yellow lab/dolphin mix before, but I can't remember if it was verified.

They are open water fish and do not require much rock work but I like to place several very large rocks in the DT because I like the look...but you don't have to go crazy with the mbuna hotel...which is actually nice because you can remove the females easier and do not end up with 3000 fish in your tank.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

wharfrat said:


> Since your going the colony route are you sure you don't want a fat colony of Mpimbwe Frontosa puppies. I am sort of sad I went the predator Hap route because I love Mpimbwe's so much...they are like a colony of wet pets. Now the different coloration of the Predator Haps make a great DT, but I understand why Gibbs are loved so much.
> 
> All that aside I think Malawi Dolphins are nice for a colony fish. You can break rules and keep them with Fronts...I have seen it done with success and good results. If you are breeding I assume you will strip the females and have a grow out tank...if so this will enable you to have more availability of tank mates. Since they are Haps, and you are going to have harems, I would not put in other Haps unless you want the chance of a Frankenstein hybrid fish. I have seen some weird Nimbochromis/Cyrtocara mixes. I remember somebody talking about a yellow lab/dolphin mix before, but I can't remember if it was verified.
> 
> They are open water fish and do not require much rock work but I like to place several very large rocks in the DT because I like the look...but you don't have to go crazy with the mbuna hotel...which is actually nice because you can remove the females easier and do not end up with 3000 fish in your tank.


Hello thank you very much for the amazing response
I definitely don't want to crossd them know these are F1 so I'm keeping making sure they're going to breed with themselves
Although I'm not inexperienced in the Hobby but technically I am a bit of a noob particularly with terminology and with what fish to mix and what to look for and things like that so I appreciate everything you say here is a video of the tank at the moment and the two fish I have one catfish I may remove that hybrid fish if he's going to bother my Dolphinn's let me know what you think I should put in

Watch "Tank at the moment" on YouTube


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

Oh and by the way yes I have stripped them previously but I would be pretty nervous holding a dolphin some people told me to let them mouth prove naturally and then you can fighting them out into the fry tank what's your thoughts on that


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I never strip but not because letting them spit naturally is required. You can strip if you want...I just don't see the need. Isolate the holding mom in the fry tank when she has been holding 18 days.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> I never strip but not because letting them spit naturally is required. You can strip if you want...I just don't see the need. Isolate the holding mom in the fry tank when she has been holding 18 days.


That sounds like a better idea the mother will never eat her babies will she or will she after a certain time?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The mother will eat her babies, but not for the first 24 to 48 hours.


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> The mother will eat her babies, but not for the first 24 to 48 hours.


Oh ok thanks


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You never did post the tank size and the dimensions but I see from your other posts you mentioned a 450L tank. Can you post the dimensions of the tank please?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The other post says 151cm so 60".


----------



## Cichlid_beast123 (Feb 26, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> The other post says 151cm so 60".


 Sorry yes 151 cm in length


----------

