# Possibly full of eggs or just well fed?



## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

I have a cichlid tank with what I believe are hybrids that I bought at a local LFS...I am far from a fish expert, but they appear to be blue zebras/blue zebra hybrids. Anyhow, one of them is bright and vivid, the other is definitely healthy but the colors are less vibrant, just like many females in certain species. Anyhow, they are about 3-4" in length, and the less vivid of the two is getting a pretty good "belly" on it. Are these fish even mature enough to breed?

Your input is greatly appreciated!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

Yes at 4" they are mature enough to breed, but I'd worry about the belly...could be overfeeding or illness. A female full of eggs is not all that noticeable.

Can you post a pic?


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

+1


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

When females have eggs and are ready to spawn they will have a small but noticeable bump where their vent is. It can easily be observed on the underside of the fish near the anal fin. In my experience the swelling is noticeable one to three days before spawning. So if you don't see the bump in the next couple days it's probably just a fat fish :fish:


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

This fish is eating well?


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

The fish is eating very well. I feed Omega One Cichlid Gold as well as crickets and mealworms as an occasional treat. Algae wafers once a week. I feed every morning and night and the fish are begging for more once they finish what they've had. The tank is 95 gallons and I do 1/3 to 1/2 water changes weekly-all parameters are within range and no one in the tank appears sickly. In the tank I have 3 juvenile Oscars (were 2" at the time of purchase and are now closer to 4" 6 weeks later), 2 convicts, 2 yellow lab possible hybrids, 2 blue zebra possible hybrids...oh and 2 snails. There has been no "aggression" thus far in the tank and everyone seems happy with the aquascaping (lots of rocks with tunnels and caves, plus plants). I am well aware that there will be a stand-off for territory in the near future and am working on purchasing a 200 gal tank for the pair of regular Tiger Oscars and will let the albino stay in this tank. The convicts will go into a 50 gallon, and the blue zebras/yellow labs will be heading into their own 50 gallon tank. I'm well experienced in raising fish, just not cichlids...I raised koi for nearly 10 years and felt the need for a change. I'll work on getting some pictures up ASAP.

Thank you all for your replies!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd feed less. 1X daily (if that) and what they can eat in 30 seconds. Being "well rounded" is not good for the fish. Skip the crickets and mealworms while the mbuna are in the tank. Mbuna are harem breeders...you want 1m:4f for many species...the ones you mention included. This will prevent the male from killing the female (hopefully) when they start spawning.


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

I'll cut their food back, I feed what they can eat in approximately 30 seconds, not the 2 minutes as recommended on the Omega One container.

With Koi, you are unable to sex them until they reach approximately 10" in length...how can I sex the fish I have to ensure the best outcome? I am NOT looking to keep the fry from any hybrid, as I know this bad practice and I don't have any desire to raising fry to begin with since I spend quite a bit of time in the hospital setting trying to kick cancer.

I'm uploading pictures now of the fish I could catch on camera...seems that once the flash comes out no one wants to be photographed!


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

I am seriously thinking about moving the convicts...the larger one of the two (one is about an inch long, and the other is about 2") keeps attacking me when I go replant the vegetation the fish love uprooting. Today while vacuuming gravel it was doing its best to nail me every chance it got. Of all the fish in the tank, they by far are the rulers.


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

Here's the fish in question. I've noticed that its color has changed quite a bit, from a dull blue when bought, to more of a yellow and blue. It was sold to me as your typical "Assorted African Cichlid." The kids helped name the fish...










Stitch, from a different angle...(will be so happy when my sand is ready to go in the tank, going with white sand hoping it'll bring out the colors in the fish)

















Sid, the albino Tiger Oscar...









Murphy, one of the labs that I think is a hybrid...









Spike, the blue zebra hybrid...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

They all look pretty well rounded...you want the bellies to be straight...not curved out or in. Unless you see symptoms of a disease, I'd just feed less.


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## tapout14 (May 30, 2012)

I have noticed on most my females that before they spawn there bellies get a little swollen, after they have spawned and are holding the belly is flat again.


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

Well, the fish in question dug itself out a spot under one of the caves to the point of the bottom glass being visible. Not real sure what his/her plans were, but I'm sure I wrecked them when I removed every bit of rock from the tank today and replaced it with sand. This was the perfect time to really clean every bit of gunk off the bottom of the tank. The sand looks awesome and is settling nicely. Went with a red/rust colored sand instead of the white and it looks sharp with the oak colored "wood" on my tank and stand.

The fish seem annoyed with only getting fed once a day and thrash about the top of the tank each time I walk by, but they'll grow accustomed to only being fed once a day. My kids think the fish are just excited to see them...like our dogs :wink:


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Stitch is a male Kenyi thats turning over from blue to yellow and him and the rest of the fish have been definitely overfed.

Spike is a kenyi as well. Still has the juvenile/female coloration.

Murphy is a zebra of some sort probably mized.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Yup, definitely overfed fish, which can very easily cause health problems if you continue to feed them in this manner.

In addition, an Oscar isn't very compatible with african cichlids. It is most likely that it can outgrow your tank, if it manages to survive that long anyway, so I'd take that one back.

What are the dimensions of your aquarium?


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## TXTank82 (Apr 10, 2013)

I knew that feeding by the "two minute, all they can eat" they would be overfed. I've cut their feed back as instructed, and thank you for your input! With my Koi, I fed flake food and algae wafers, and had no trouble with them ever getting overweight. However, I do know the quality of the food I was feeding is nothing like I am feeding these guys.

My tank is 48" by 20" by 26" .

There is a group of 3 Oscars, 2 regular Tiger and 1 Albino Tiger. They will be transferred to a 200 gallon tank once it has cycled properly. They've all been together now for 6 weeks with no issues, but I am very aware as they get older, reach maturity, and the other fish attempt to spawn, that aggression over territory will take over.

And thank you Chester for your input on their breeds! I am loving the color change in Stitch. How can I help determine the sex of juvenile Kenyi so that I can get the ratio of males to females? And will the Kenyi cross with the Zebra mix? I'm not interested in raising fry, but it'll be good to expand my fish knowledge.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes, if you have more than one species of Metriaclima in the tank, they are good candidates for crossbreeding.


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