# Labeotropheus trewavasae (red top) Question



## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

My trewavasae have bred about 10 times so far. My question is: Anyone out there who has any experience breeding these fish? The first three to four fry have all been the orange color like the female. Around the fifth time i had about half orange and half dark striped. At first i thought they were hybrids. I posted pics here and everyone thought the same so i flushed em. Since then I have kept a couple, one of them i was sure it was a male by the shape of the fins. This one is about 5 months old and still the orange color it was when it was born. I've tried to read up on these every where i could but all they seem to show are the adult males or a picture of fry being all the same color. I stumbled onto a website that had a picture of a little dark striped Labeotropheus trewavasae that they said was a male. My female just spit yesterday and there is a little dark striped one again. This time i am sure they are not hybrids. I need to know if this is what the males look like when they are young. Any help is appreciated.


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## okceg7188 (Dec 3, 2009)

i just started my cichlid tank maybe 2 months ago, i have a group of 2 males 3 females (labeotropheus trewavasae), although they havent breed yet the dominate male is definately trying. Do you have pictures of yours? if so can i see them?


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## Mr. WOT (Dec 2, 2009)

I would really like one of those fish, I haven't found one in a very long time.


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## cichlidhopper (May 12, 2008)

I have a friend that raises them. I will ask him to come on and see if he can help you.

Do you have a pic?


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

I have a few pics of this male i'm talking about. I'll post em next time im at home. He has the bright orange top and bottom fins. He also has the pointed fins like his dad with the big egg spots below and above his tail fin. Besides the male fin colors his body color is the same as his mom's. He does have a pearly sheen to him like he wants to turn blue. He is still in the tank with his dominant father but I've seen plenty of tanks that are smaller than mine have more than one blue male. Thanks for all the answers, maybe I'm not giving him enough time to change.


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## Mr. WOT (Dec 2, 2009)

My first Cichlid setup I got one of these babies and was he awesome!


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## okceg7188 (Dec 3, 2009)

i have one of the bright, all blue, males, i have one of the ob and blue males (marmalade) and three ob females, they are awesome fish!!

do you know where is a good place online to buy good quality adults?


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

so heres the new male









heres his dad









I'll get a better pic of both when i have the time.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

You do understand that these fish have the natural "OB" gene, usually males in nature are dark blue when little and get blue with faint bars and reddish orange dorsal when adult, while females can be orange all their life with some sort of dark blotches, called "OB" morphs. Orange males are rare in nature, and are called "Marmalade Cats" in the hobby.

In aquarium strains they often breed them to get all orange fish, both males and females. Your female seems to have genes which give you alot of the "OB" orange morphs, both males and females, while some fry still look like the normal "Blue" morph ... these are probably males.

So you probably get from the genes of your fish...
males that are greyish blue morph that will turn bright blue
males that are the orange blotched morph
females that are the orange blotched morph

If you breed the Orange male to an Orange female, you will probably get all Orange fry. If you breed a normal Blue Morph male to a Orange morph female you may get half blue and half orange fry, which tend to split male and female color wise, but orange morph males are quite possible.

There are variables in genetics, depending on the parents... they may have been selectively breed so you get less than natural results.

Hopefully some of that makes sense, you may know alot of that anyway.


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

The marmalade cat males I've seen are white with dark blue and black spots woth the orange fins. I've never seen an orange male. I have a female that i think is goin to turn out as a marmalade. She is white with black spots and getting more white the bigger she gets. Anyone with experience now if the blue males are born blue or what. My brother has one that i gave him a while ago that is around 2.5 to 3 inches and looks like he is turning blue but hes been looking like that for months. I've looked everywhere and theres really not that much info on these fish. Theres one LFS that has decent cichlids and one private breeder around here and no one can tell me anymore than just general care info. Guess I need to do a couple species only tanks of these guys and write about em. You think one of the Ad Konings books would have some info on em? Thanks for all the response so far.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The blue males are dark greyish blue with faint bars when little
The orange ones are more or less orange. Orange males do get more colorful with a blueish tint, and may look whitish or pinkish. It is genetics, some fish are born with the "orange blotched" gene, some are born with normal gene expressed. "Orange Blotched" is a general catch all term for the gene, some are more white with little spots, some are kinda pinkish, all variations of the "OB" gene.

What do you mean by turning blue? The normal ones are obviously different from the "OB" ones, but "OB" males can get a nice blue tint with maturity, they are variable. You have a picture of an "OB" fish above that you say is male. That is an "Orange Blotched" gene fish, like his mother who is an "OB".


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

this latest fry i have 2 that I can see that are the gray with bars. Might be more cant see em all yet. Hopefully those will be the blues cuz my bro is up my @$$ about givin hima blue one. What I meant about turning blue is that he looks like the one I have but he has a way blue tint to him and it looks like its slowly gettin thicker.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Marmalade only refers to Male OB's... not females.

The Thumbi West trewavassae are a wonderful fish if you can find nice ones.


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

Here are some updated pics of the young male.


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## okceg7188 (Dec 3, 2009)

thats a good looking fish, i have one bright blue male, one ob male (marmald), and three ob females... but none of the female want to mate quite yet, im getting impatient haha


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## okceg7188 (Dec 3, 2009)

i FINALLY have my first female holding. i was told by my lfs that i should let her hold a week or so then strip her and put the fry in a breeding net. what's everyones opinion on that?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I wait 18 days to strip so the fry will be free swimming, or let the mom spit naturally in a 10G maternity tank. The fry will do well in a breeder net for their first 7 days but after that they need the whole tank. Do not leave the mom with the fry for more than 48 hours as she will eat them. Do not put a breeder net in a tank with adult fish in it as they will eat the babies right through the net (no the babies do not fit through the mesh...it isn't pretty).


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