# When will they color and when do they breed?



## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

*These are my fish that are in my 75.*

Small (1" - 1Â½") - Bi-color 500 
Small (1" - 1Â½") - Eureka Red Jake Male
Premium (2" - 3") - Fire Fish Dragon Blood Male 
Premium (2" - 3") - Fire Fish Dragon Blood Female 
Premium (2" - 3") - German Red Male 
Premium (2" - 3") - German Red Female 
Small (1" - 1Â½") - Ngara Flametail (Mdoka Yellow) 
Premium (2" - 3") - Red Top Lwanda Male 
Premium (2" - 3") - Red Top Lwanda Female 
Premium (2" - 3") - Walteri Male
Premium (2" - 3") - Walteri Female 
Premium (2" - 3") - Rubescens

I have Tahitian Moon black sand and the back of the tank is black. The fish are still young, but I'm wondering when I can excpect to see some real color, not the drab browns they most of them are now. The German Red And the Rubescens are fairly colorful, bul all the others are jsut plain brown. Can the black environment keep them from showing their colors? I was thinking it would be a great contrast to the peacock colors, but maybe not?

Also, how old do they need to be for them to start breeding in general?

My main concern is the lack of color that I've seen in the pictures of most of these species. I just want to be assured that it will happen if I have patience. Should it take a few months, a few years? I'm just trying to grasp when the beautiful colors are going to start showing up!


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## Desi&lt;3 (Feb 13, 2008)

Theres no way you can tell those females apart and the dom. male will breed with all of them, sorry but I think you messed up.


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## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

messed up in what way? My main goal is to have a tank full of beutifily colored fish...if they breed, then thats just a bonus.


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## Desi&lt;3 (Feb 13, 2008)

In the fact that almost aany fry gathered from this tank will be hybrids. The dom. male peacock will breed with all of the females and not just his female. The females all look the same so theres no way of know what is what.
The males should be getting thier color by 3"


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## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

Yeah, I understand about the crossbreeding...it could be interesting though. If these turn out as colorful as the pictures of the adults, a crossbreeed could be stunning. Either way, as long as they start coloring up soon, I will be happy. I've only had them about a month and am getting impatient! opcorn:


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## Desi&lt;3 (Feb 13, 2008)

I recommend that you do not allow any hybrids out of your tanks. It keeps getting harder and harder to find pure fish because of crossbreeding.


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## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

They arent going anywhere


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## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

So does anyone have experience with darker vs lighter surroundings (substrate/background) in relation to whether it brings out or hinders these Peacocks colors?


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## morningsky (Apr 22, 2008)

Hi Gidrah,

Welcome to the Cichlid Forum. You have picked out some really beautiful fish. I have some experience with the Red peacocks and the Lwanda. My substrate is playground sand with a mirrored background (new) and my fish are very visible.

Some fish color faster than others. My Lwanda took about 2-3 months, maybe even longer. My Ruby red seemed to have colored faster. I just purchased some juvenile Ngara flametails. Along with a other peacocks and haps.

In regards to the breeding, if you can still tell your females apart from the other peacock females, you might want to separate. Most female peacocks are really hard to tell apart as they get older, (small too). They don't have a tendency to breed with their own males/females
(example a Lwanda could chose a ngara female) As long as you are responsible and don't resell, trade or pass on the hybrids you should be fine.









That is my Ruby Red I have had him about 8 -9 months.

So congrats on your fish. They will get there.

Your males will fight more with the females in the tank as they mature. I had some leftover females and a while ago one of my males killed my Albino Sunshine. The females are gone now. If you like a lot of color a lot of people go with all male tanks. In my established tank all of my peacocks are males.(now)


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## Jeff W (Jan 4, 2009)

I use dark sand and gravel all the backs are painted black. Your fish will color up some are just slower than others. As far as breedingI just fond a 2 inch female Eureka peacock holding and the male is just 2 inches. Alot of my peacocks spawn at about 2 inches. Food and water conditions are the main ingredient to colorful spawning fish. The other guys are right please don't let them out of your tank. Where I live you can't find any pure strains of peacocks in the LFS because they are importing mixed peacocks because of the color they give off. people buy them because they are pretty. I want to see this hobby around for along time and it won't be because of the pretty fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Malawi are not pairing fish and the females may not survive unless there are 3 or more for each male.


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## Gidrah (Mar 11, 2009)

Nice...I'll see what happens, Thanks for all the advice.
(Trying to link to a pic of some of by buddies)


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Mixing colourful fish isn't like mixing paints. You may not have the colourful additional fish you think you will. Hybridization is a gamble, not only with appearance, but also when considering behaviour and temperament.

I also agree with DJRansome, you may end up with some dead females _and _males. Some of those reds don't always play nice with one another. Furthermore, dominant males will colour and sub dominants may not colour up - ever, particularly if you have several species that resemble one another. You may end up with one very colourful Eureka and a bunch of dull _other _red males.


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