# New babies, following the life cycle



## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Hello everyone, well i have some exciting news i would like to share with you all, on the fifth of January 2013 my mbuna kenyi/dolphins have conceived a healthy brood of 11 eggs. I stripped the female dolphin and began tumbling the eggs and watching and recording the daily progression of my growing brood and i will be posting this progress here to share with you all, so i hope you enjoy being a part of this experience...feel free to ask any questions and i will try to answer the best of my knowledge -Tom


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Male kenyi father









Female dolphin mother


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 1: Stripped from female, prepping for tumbler










Day 2: Tumbling has begun, temp set at 78 - 82 off and on, i used a whiskey glass with a net covering the top, underneath a low flow filter, perfect tumbler.










Day 3: Eyes have begun to show, hatching soon!










Day 4: Tails and heads have "popped" started there little lives!


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 5: There little eyes have finished developing










Day 6: Started to move around quite a bit, turned down filter flow so im not beating them up










Day 7: No real change

Day 8: Pretty much swimming in circles around the bottom of the glass, i took them out of the direct flow of the filter because now they can get around freely without my help










Day 9: No real change

Day 10: Today is 1/16/2013 and again no significant change, i will be taking an update picture tomorrow


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Heres an updated picture from yesterday, as you can tell, they are starting to look more like little fish than a larva.


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## Yael (Nov 25, 2012)

Pretty cool to see all the stages.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 11: There is a noticeable difference today, or maybe its just because i moved around the lighting, but you can see the stripes and spots starting to appear. Though you cannot see it from the picture, some have transluscent blue gill plates and spots around the head. Cant wait till they are free swimming.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Got a video up of day 11, there swimming around quite a bit and seem to be getting the hang of moving around freely, sorry for video quality camera phone doesnt have a zoom


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

Very cool pics. Just please consider not saving them, or at least never selling them or giving them to anyone else. There have been many threads on why hybrids are a danger to pure bred fish so i wont get too into it, but its something people who breed purebred fish really worry about.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Well thanks for your concerns, but this is my own personal collection and more or less just a documentation of a life. But I am more than aware of the "dangers" with hybrid breeding, but these are my fish and I will do as I please. Sorry to sound rude, but if you do not like it or approve of it simply ignore it and go about your day, thanks -Tom


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

Loftistom said:


> Well thanks for your concerns, but this is my own personal collection and more or less just a documentation of a life. But I am more than aware of the "dangers" with hybrid breeding, but these are my fish and I will do as I please. Sorry to sound rude, but if you do not like it or approve of it simply ignore it and go about your day, thanks -Tom


Your going to do what your going to do, which is why i said "consider". The documentation is really cool though!


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks!


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## 02redz28 (Dec 21, 2012)

May I ask why you don't want to breed along species lines? Its just as easy and you dont make a taxonomic mess...

I like the documentation images.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Well honestly when i purchased the dolphin it was being sold under the name f.kenyi blue, unfortunately under much investigation i found it was a dolphin...though it does have kenyi striping im sure its a dolphin. Also the breeding was an accident i had actually not planned on breeding any of them because *** had my set up now for 2 years and there hasnt been any breeding, until i purchased the male kenyi, and surprise surprise, babies. So unplanned but still just like to follow the life cycle because its my first time.


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

It's really cool, thanks for the pics!


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## peterock44 (Jul 3, 2012)

that sure dont look like a female dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii) to me


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 12: Lots of activity, there starting to swim vertically and dodging around the glass, every time i walk in the room they dash about, lots of distinguishing marking are appearing, some color, lots of spots/stripes. Starting feeding today, they seem to be very healthy and eating well


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Well if not then lets hope its at least some sort of kenyi weather it be hybrid or not.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Update day 12: Video!


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

peterock44 said:


> that sure dont look like a female dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii) to me


Well you may be right, im sure the blue mbuna is just a hybrid anyways, you cant really trust our lfs here as it is so im sure its neither a f.kenyi or a f.dolphin either way it doesnt matter much, guess we will see in time.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 13: All the babys are free swimming now, some like to hangout at the bottom still but they all swim well to the surface of the netting for food, healthy appitites and spunky...looks like there taking on the kenyi stripes.


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## AfricanLove (Jan 2, 2012)

I believe what you have there for a female may be a Metriaclima callainos or Cobalt Zebra.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 14: more color, more swimming, and absorbing more of there stomachs. Getting harder to photograph there avoiding me.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 15: no real change, just getting less and less of that egg stomach.


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

g-day Tom, well i just wanted you to know how awesome it has been for me to share your experience.
i've never seen that before, & wow is'nt mother nature just amazing.
a big pat on the back for sharing, thanks heaps :drooling: :drooling:


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day : 16


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day : 17

There getting bigger and starting to fight, may need to release them into there own tank and grow them out. Until then here they are so far, lots of color, there sacks almost completely gone and there individuality starting to shoq.


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## AfricanLove (Jan 2, 2012)

I believe your female "Kenyi" is actually a Metriaclima callainos or Cobalt Zebra.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Yea it appears that way, so I have a male kenyi and a female cobalt zebra. Glad to finally know her breed.


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## MandyBlue (Mar 19, 2011)

Any updated pictures?


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

I had to set up the grow out tank for the fry, as of right now i have one new updated picture from yesterday i need to load.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 18: no more egg sack and acting just like there adult mbuna, time for the grow out tank


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 19: Finished the grow out tank, im using a fluval edge 6 gal. I also expanded the LED system by adding a Exotica 50/50 24 volt 12inch light strip. Went down to the local landscaping store and got myself some quartzite and slate slabs, broke them up into small chunks and made the structure, white sand and a heater. Trying to get a picture of the babies, they made themselves well at home in the structure.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Day 19: update; finally got a picture of them occupying the rocks.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I love the rockwork.


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## MandyBlue (Mar 19, 2011)

Looks awesome! Lucky babies.


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## Loftistom (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks!


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