# Consitant Head Shaking??



## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

I am fairly new to African cichlids and my male kenyi keeps going up to my female red zebra and shaking like crazy as he circles her is he trying to get her to mate or just dominate?


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## BLACK_AFRICAN (May 21, 2008)

He's trying to get her to mate.

Are you looking to keep the offspring, as they willl be Hybrids?


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

I don't know what to do with the offspring b/c i have been talking with some experts who have informed me that with such a variety in my tank that i will end up with hybrids and that there are already too many on the market and its becoming too hard to identify all of them so I was thinking of either shipping the fry/juves to friends who are interested in the coloration or letting my adults eat them i know its inhumane but i don't know what else to do my 37g tank can't hold 30 fish...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It's just natural.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Ok cool I kind of felt bad about that but it is kind of natural and I have been told that a lot of people don't like the hybrids b/c it is making it almost impossible to identify species


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I feel more comfortable stocking my tank so I don't get any hybrids. But I still can't keep all the fry that the females produce, so in general my fish moms spit in the tank.


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

I use all my hybrid offspring as feeder fish this way I know they are not sick or have diseases that could spread to my turtle or my oscars


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

I was thinking of doing this b/c i don't want to contribute to the over populated supply of hybrids in what should be a purebred world but will my other cichlids even eat them seeing that they are vegetarians and mostly eat plant material?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Your adult fish will gobble up newly spit fry so fast you may not even see any. The problem is if you get a survivor or two hiding in the rocks.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Well even if they do survive the initial attack from my other cichlids wouldn't they get eaten the next time they were seen or is there a certian time/size that my adult cichilds will just leave them alone?


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

Buy yourself some sort of synodontus except for the upside down catfish cuz they are ineffective at pulling things from beneath the rock but at one of my lfs I saw a pair of 3 inch syno multis that were feed 1 inch feeder guppies as treat and they would find those ******** where ever they hid and would move anything to get them so maybe this might help the situation and what kins of substarte are you using is my other questtion


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Im using black and white small gravels they told me at the LFS that the kinds of cichlids that i was purchasing would enjoy this more than a sand substrate! Was I misinformed?


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

To my knowledge all cichlids perfer sand that are out of the rift lakes but I'm no expert


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

what about a sand gravel mix? would that help? my cichlids don't seem to mind the gravel the pieces are small enough that they can put them in their mouth and move them were they please and they do so all day everyday they are constantly making tunnels under my decor and making beds in the middle of the open tank but if you think that i should mix some sand in with it as well I will consider


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Mbuna should be OK with a very fine gravel. It's more the sand sifters (peacocks, etc.) that really have a strong sand preference.

If you ever do another tank though, you might want to consider sand.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

thanks for the advice b/c im currently in the process of getting a 150g so i will def consider the sand substrate when setting it up any preferred brand or type?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Pool filter sand is popular because it is the right color, inexpensive and has a larger grain than play sand.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Pool filter sand? can you get this at LFS or a pool supply store? maybe a dumb ? but i am still new to all this and by the way seeing that im so new to this would it be dumb to go from a 37g first african tank to jump straight into a 150g? I don't really like to fiddle around im a go getter if you will and like to go all the way or go home?


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

I went from a 40g to a 150g lol and I use silica sand same as pool filter sand jus without the label so its cheaper I got it from my local landscaping centre and I would mix someinwith your gravel because it will stop most of the spit fry from getting into the rocks leading to lower survival rates just my opinion and my next tank that I'm trying to convince the wife into getting is a 5 x 4 x 2 300g with dual sumps and then turn my 150g into a discus angel tank but sorry that's besides the point sorry


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

yeah i don't want to get a 300g+ tank until I'm older and have already bought a house seeing that I'm still a college student and living in an apt i would hate to have to move a 300g+ tank to many times and I would also hate to have it go through the floor and be in my downstairs neighbors living room hahaa but I really don't know what to do b/c I really want a cool mix in my 150g but still have breeding pairs I will just have to address this situation when I get the tank and have it set up and ready to stock kind of pointless to even talk about it now. And seeing that i have my 37g currently stocked with fish that will out grow it i will probably have to just move them and get like a male red zebra with 4 5 more females, 1 male bumblebee and 4 5 more females and the same for the red top and more females for my kenyi male and my male pseudotropheus sp. membe deep! and by the way does anyone know of a generic name (ex bumblebee) for the pseudotropheus sp. membe deep


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

I have a few females in my all male tank to have them show all their colors and have no problem and the main reason I got females is because some of my local fish stores won't sell you a male with out throwing in a female for free cuz they don't sell and I won't get rid of them because the make all my males show their courting colors instead of 1 dominant male and 18 subdominant mute color males


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How long is the 150G? You might not want to increase species at all and just add females to the species you already have. Also maybe pick one species of metriaclima if you want to save fry.


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

5x2x2 half rock work half open and I have one more fish to add and it a reagal and then the tank is complete but no where I'm my city has and sub adults and if they do they want like 60 bucks for them and I have a hard enough time justifying 20 for juvies so I might jus finish it and call it complete now


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sorry jordan, I meant to address AfricanCichlidSweetPea, as I was looking at the stock in her 37G of 6 species of full-size mbuna.


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## jordan_101 (Mar 21, 2010)

O lol my ob is leaving I need to get rid of him he's beating on fish 3 times his size


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

So DJ you think that when I move the fish over I should just stock like 5-7 females per male like Bumblebee, Ice Blue Red Top, Kenyi, Msobo, and what is your opinion on me having the two jewels with this set up? will they work with dwarfs if i want to leave the jewels in this 37g? Should I even have them with this combo? Ps Im a guy sweetpea is just my girlfriends nickname and its her 37g so i figured it would be appropriate LOL
-Tj


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

When the jewels spawn they will kill all the other fish. I'd remove them. As to whether a 37G is good for a pair of jewels alone, I don't know. They are not Malawi, but I believe you can ask in one of the other forums.

I'd also choose one metriaclima species.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Did you mean to try the red zebra with the dwarfs b/c i already have one female red zebra or were you saying that I should add more when I move the ones from my 37g to the 150g? I was thinking about just trying to sell them to someone here locally to either private or LFS and just start over with the dwarf cichlids! If i choose this route I know that it needs to be done in the trading post but what dwarf combo species and M to F ratio do you recommend?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Your tank is a bowfront, right? What is the length and what is the measurement from front to back on the sides (not the middle).


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

35"x24"x13" give or take a few inches


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

13 is the sides? A few inches (length and width) would make a difference, let us know. Height does not matter much.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

Its 35" across and 15" wide on the sides not from the bow front on the sides


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would do a single dwarf species, either 12 Demasoni or 1m:4f of something else.


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## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

so this tank could support 12 dwarfs?
and if so I can do that ratio of M to F with three species or just do the 12 demis and fix the ratio to 1M to 4F once maturity has reached and they color?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

DJRansome said:


> I would do a single dwarf species, either 12 Demasoni or 1m:4f of something else.


Any dwarf other than Demasoni I would do 1m:4f in a 36" tank.

If you do Demasoni don't worry as much about gender. If you have too many males the group will pick on extra sub-doms until you remove them.


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