# breeding african cichlids



## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

*** had a 30gal tank set up and running without fish for about 3 weeks now and i put 5gal of water in it from my 55gal. that has been setup for about a yr with great results.. i do a water change about 2 times a month and on one of my changes i poured 5gal of it in the 30g to help get it setup...im wanting to setup a breeding tank and im not sure what fish would be a good fish to start with.. i have been looking a lwandas and red peacocks on the net... would either of these fish be a good starting point for breeding... im also in search of someone local in ky. that would be a good breeder to buy from...any advice would be helpful to get me started...thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There is very little beneficial bacteria in the water. If you have run the tank for 3 weeks without fish or another source of ammonia, you have not started your cycle.

What kind of fish do you have in the 55G?


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

2 Demasoni, 3 flamebacks, 4 kenya, 1 bumble bee. 2 yellow labs 2 clown loaches .. most are 1" to 2.5" in size.. i also been adding stress zyme


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Are you having trouble with the stocking in the 55G? Why not breed one of those species? What are the dimensions of the 30G, it may be a good fry tank but possibly not big enough to breed adult fish.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

i dont think im having trouble with stocking the 55g..the fish thats in that tank are doing really good and they are the fish that i wanted..the smaller tank is 30x12x18.5.. my hopes are to find 1 male red top lwanda and 3 female lwandas to breed and use my 10g tank for the fry. then later on buy a 40 to 50g for a grow out tank...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Has the 55G been set up with those tankmates for two years or more? Often the fish coexist happily for the first year because they are juveniles. They in the second year when they mature they start fighting over territory and females.

Also your mbuna are harem breeders, so with pairs the male can easily kill a single female kept with him. A stocking like 1m:4f increases the chances females will survive.

Regarding your 30" tank, I might try to breed the labs or the flamebacks (these might be too aggressive) in that tank. Lwanda are not a small, timid peacock. I have a quad of stuartgranti in a 36" tank and it is too small for them to live without excessive aggression.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

whats your thought on the red peacock.. is that the stuartgranti your speaking of


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

DJRansome said:


> Lwanda are not a small, timid peacock...it is too small for them to live without excessive aggression.


I referenced your name (Lwanda), was that not the peacock you mentioned?

And my comparison was that I have even a larger tank and a quad of peacocks less aggressive than the Lwanda did not work.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

im lost ..lol..i was refering to 2 different fish. 1 being the red top lwandas and the other fish i was concidering was a red peacock..both to me look like 2 different fish..sounds like i need a bigger tank to get into the breeding of these fish..i was hopeing to start with either of these 2 fish as i like them best and start small as to not invest to much time and money just incase i fail...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Oh, I didn't go all the way back to your original post. Red peacock could be anything, including a hybrid. Per the profiles, there is German Red and Rubescens. Both are mildly aggressive and mature at 5".

Maybe someone who has done it in a 30" tank will chime in.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

im sorry i should of said German Red.. that was the fish i was refering to..im going to do a little more home work... thanks for the replys


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

that tank is 29 gallons, not 30, and I had yellow labs in one for a little while, never seemed very happy, when they wanted or needed to dart away, it seemd like the second they start to dart, they had to stop because they reached the end of the tank, i think they wanted to be more active than the tank allowed, I'd assume peacocks would have the same issue

I am currently trying to see how some cynos will work out, but it hasn't been long, i still wouldn't suggest anyhting more than grow out in a 30 inch tank


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## torin32 (May 24, 2010)

I can see problems in your future with the kenyi and the bee. Kenyi what is your m to f ratio and the bee should be in a 75 g minimum there nasty criters. But maybe you get lucky, peacocks with the kenyi and the bee is a bad idea also. Peacocks are not ver aggressive and they are expensive if there bought fulll size. You probably grow them out but just incase you were wondering. Thats just my opinion otheres will have good ideas aswell research and listen. Good luck.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

i just scored a 90gal on craiges list so maybe we can start over with the fish i have listed in this thread and the fish that i want to breed how could i get a nice setup now...right now i have a 55gal, 29gal, 10gal, and now a 90gal with a 36gal tank used as a sump...fish i have in 55gal-2 Demasoni, 3 flamebacks, 4 kenya, 1 bumble bee. 2 yellow labs 2 clown loaches 1blue ahli .. most are 1" to 2.5" fish i want to breed- F1 german reds..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

hddave1 said:


> 55gal-2 Demasoni, 3 flamebacks, 4 kenya, 1 bumble bee. 2 yellow labs 2 clown loaches 1blue ahli


I'd put these in the 90G except the ahli (really sciaenochromis fryeri)...he does not fit anywhere IMO. And I'd lose one or two species listed below, especially with the crabro and lombardoi in the tank. You have stocking for a 72" tank here, and you don't want to skimp on females.
15-20 Demasoni
1m:3f flamebacks
1m:7f kenya (Metriaclima lombardoi)
1m:7f bumble bee (Pseudotropheus crabro)
6 yellow labs
6 clown loaches



hddave1 said:


> i want to breed- F1 german reds..


I'd use the 55G 1m:7f. I'm not sure there is such a thing as F1 german reds since I thought these were line bred which implies many generations removed from wild. But maybe someone else will chime in.



hddave1 said:


> 29gal, 10gal


Fry, quarantine/hospital tanks.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

ok that sounds like a good start for me and im eager to get this setup... now heres my problem, the only place around here to buy fish are the local pet stores so it might be hard to find out which are m or fm.. that is why im really wanting to find local breeders close to my area that i can go buy good quallity fish and get the right fish(m and fm).. i know i can order online but shipping can be costly and i would like to see the fish before i buy.. thank you very much for all the helpful advice..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Usually buying sexed fish means buying older fish which is also more expensive. We buy extra juveniles and return excess males as they mature.

You can try a Want Ad in the Trading Post, you might find some breeders close. Say pick-up only. Or click on Links above and search your state for a club.


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## hddave1 (Sep 27, 2010)

cool...thanks


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