# My young electric yellow cichlids have breeded



## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

Hi 
this morning i was doing a water change in my 350ltr tank and done it all as normal. then about 3 hours later i found one of the smallest cichlids on its side with about 10 baby's swimming around the top. i was not aware this was going to happen so i was very un prepared. so unfortunately they got eaten. i now have something to put in the tank for the little ones to go in until they are big enough. so is it normal for the fish to be on its side at the bottom after giving birth? she is swimming around like normal now. the other 2 boys keep chasing her doing the jaw lock flirty thing so is it possible that she will have another bunch?
thanks
lewis :thumb:


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## RicoLL (Jan 4, 2009)

None of my yellow labs have laid on their side after spitting, but they have just hung around for a little while. Seeing her laying around after spitting is pretty normal though, considering she hasn't eaten in about three weeks. She will probably have another bunch once she regains her strength. You will know she is holding next time if when you feed, watch to see if see doesn't eat a few days in a row. Then, check to see if she has the tell tale lump under her chin. Next, I would separate her and wait until she spits them(unless you would prefer to strip her).

Rico


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

hi thanks i have a net box that goes into the tank for the little ones, so will she always breed now?


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

oh and is it constant or a yearly thing? and what do you mean by strip her?


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## RicoLL (Jan 4, 2009)

She will probably breed pretty consistently now as long as you don't remove her male. How often will mainly depend on her, her male, and your water conditions. Striping a cichlid is when she has been holding for 2 weeks or more(if you want fry not eggs), holding her mouth open(with a toothpick or such), and letting the fry swim out. There are advantages and disadvantages to striping. Some advantages are you usually get more fry from her and she won't be as tired because she hasn't held for as long. A disadvantage (although this isn't proven yet) is that stripping could hurt the maternal instincts of future generations.

Rico


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

Hello again
iv noticed that all 3 of them are not eating, also2 of the labs are about 1 and half inches long with a bit of black but the other more aggressive one is twice the size with strong black markings. I baught all 3 together and they are definatly 2 males 1 female, so why is 1 of the males so much bigger? Sorry about all the questions im used to oscars but i thaught id change.


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## RicoLL (Jan 4, 2009)

It fine. I have started breeding yellow labs recently, so ask me what ever you need. The bigger bolder colored male is your dominant male, that is why he is bigger and more colorful than your other male. He is most likely the male that bred with your female.How big is your tank and what other fish do you have with them? I would recommend getting rid of your sub-dominant male and getting one or two more females. This will spread out your dominant male's aggression among many females. He will be a lot nicer to the females than he will be to your sub-dominant male if you don't get rid of him. Also, the sub-dominant one most likely will not reach his best color if he is in the same tank as a more dominant male.

Rico


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

My tank is about 250 ltr its a typo at the top with 350 ltr. I dont no what it is in gal. I have a large plec with them. I did have 2 cats but i got rid of them when i saw the fry as they wher to big and aggressive.so what size will they grow to?


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## RicoLL (Jan 4, 2009)

The is a great size for african cichlids it is about 66.04 gal. You can add other types of cichlids if you would like or keep both males and add eight or more females if you want to breed yellow labs. They will grow to be about 6 inches. Also, they will live anywhere between 5 and 10 years.

Rico


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

Great! Do they cross breed and what other cichlids can i put with them because i heard that electric yellow labs are not aggressive? And with fry do u have to do more often water changes?
And lastly how long does it take to get them up to 4-6 inches, do they get broader or wider?
Thanks


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## RicoLL (Jan 4, 2009)

They will cross breed if you get cichlids that are too closely related, but there are not many common related species. You should be fine with red zebra, afra cobue, kenyi, any peacock, etc. They are not aggressive, but that doesn't mean they won't be fine with other agressive fish, you might have a problem but I don't think you will. Extra water changes can never hurt, but are not mandatory. It will take at least year to get your current cichlids to 4-6 inches, and yes they will get wider.

Rico


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

Thanks rico you have been a great help. Think ill get some more in with them. You say get femals how do i go about that is it clear as to what one is femal in the fish store?


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## 702Cichlid (Feb 28, 2010)

red zebras and yellow labs DEFINITELY cross breed, if you're looking to raise pure Yellow Lab fry you may want to steer clear of them. What is the footprint of your tank (Length and Width) that will really determine how many and what types of species you can add.


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## lew15 (May 8, 2010)

its a corner tank 250 ltrs so 55 gal


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## 702Cichlid (Feb 28, 2010)

I'm sorry, i meant what are it's measurements across the base length and width wise...for most mbuna you're overall stocking is going to be more reliant on area as opposed to the traditional volume. Mbuna are going to want to have a territory across the bottom of the tank so the area of the bottom of your tank is a key factor. For most 65 gallons you can get away with 3 5-6 fish harem groups with one male and 4-5 female but without knowing your actual dimension i can't say for certain.

You asked about how to tell if a fish is a female in a store and it can be really tricky especially for monomorphic species like yellow labs. Egg spots, dominant color, and size can all lead you on and be totally wrong. The only sure way is to vent the fishhttp://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gender.php and some LFS aren't too excited to have you sorting through fish. Even dimorphic fish like P. Saulosi and C. Afra are tough to tell apart as juveniles. Many times the best recommendation is buy a few extra fish and when they're large enough to vent (or catch holding!) take any extra males back.

Hope this helps!


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