# Breeding in Community Tank



## Fisherman727 (Sep 20, 2008)

Hello,

I have a simple question. In one of his books, author Adrian Konings states that it is best to breed Malawi cichlids in a community tank. He does not elaborate on this statement. The question that evolves from that statement is: "Isn't there significant risk of hybridizing if attempting to have Malawi Cichlids breed in a community environment with mixed males and females?"

I look forward to reading the experiences of other members regarding this question.

Thank you.


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## jeremy1 (Sep 1, 2009)

imo and limited experience i would think you would get a higher percentage of hybrids.if i were going to breed i would set up species only tanks.


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## Cognition (Oct 14, 2009)

If you have good husbandry, meaning if you have one male to multiple females, you can greatly reduce the risk of hybridizing. Jeremy1 is right, you cant have hybrids with species tanks. I really hope this is right, this is usually were some one with more experence chimes in...


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## Fisherman727 (Sep 20, 2008)

Hi Jeremy1 and Cognition,

Have you read any of the cichlid books authored by Adrian Konings?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Which book and what page?


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## Fisherman727 (Sep 20, 2008)

Hello DjRansome,

I read the statement in the book titled: "Back to Nature: Malawi Cichlids," by Ad Konings. It is the first sentence on page 40, under the heading "Brooding."


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sorry, I have 3 of his books but not that one, so cannot help with context. The mbuna need a harem, but I don't see why breeding in a mixed species group would be preferable to breeding in a species tank.


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## Fisherman727 (Sep 20, 2008)

Hello DJRansome,

I see. Well, that book was published in 2003, so it is relatively recent.

To clarify, I am already a breeder of Malawi Cichlids. I keep my breeding colonies in species-specific tanks. That way I can keep the integrity of the species assured. I use only F0 or F1 specimens for breeding purposes.

Ad Konings is regarded as an expert on African Cichlids. As he did not elaborate on this issue, I was curious if anyone had any thoughts about breeding "species" in a community tank. Obviously, one could argue that all the species live together in Lake Malawi without hybridizing. On the other hand, it can be countered with the fact that an aquarium, of any size, is NOT Lake Malawi, and does not provide identical conditions that the fish have in the lake. I understand both sides of this. I was just trying to stimulate some discussion on this topic, as it was first brought to my attention by the statement in Ad Konings' book.

Thank you.


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## jeremy1 (Sep 1, 2009)

hey *** got the same book as you,so i went and read the passage.i wonder if when he says"best bred in a community aquarium" he might even mean species specific(or not)but with a large number of fish instead of isolating a pair?maybe so the female is not bullied or tortured by the male?but of course then we have to look at the meaning of community......lol


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## Fisherman727 (Sep 20, 2008)

Hi Jeremy1,

One can only "guess" what someone else means. On the other hand, community tank does NOT mean species tank. Elsewhere in the book, Ad Konings makes reference to species specific tanks. Obviously, Ad Konings knows the difference.

I agree with others that it is best to keep breeding colonies by themselves. I was just surprised to see that statement by Ad Konings. I don't want to beat this topic to death. I was just curious about the reaction or the experiences of other aquariasts and breeders.

Thanks.


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## Cognition (Oct 14, 2009)

i haven't read that specific book, but i have done tons of research that all points to breeding with quality stock(f0 or f1 as mentioned) in species tanks. i just wanted to point out how husbanrdy can play a part, of course i dont breed to sale yet... yet being the key word.


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