# Dovii X festae hybrid and tankmates



## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

A few pictures taken today of my male dovii X festae hybrid:


















A shot of his tail fin showing the bright blue pattern:


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

I plan to move him to a 125 gal. very shortly; eventually to a 240 gal. or larger next year. My 125 gal. sprung a very fast leak just over a month ago; got the silicone stripped down but haven't got around to re-sealing yet. Not too impressed, the tank is only 2 1/2 yrs old and it sprung a fast leak :x -----good thing my daughter had a day offf from school and phoned me at work, in a panick! By the time i got home a good 30 gallons had already gushed out from the plastic frame on the bottom of the tank. Anyways, right now he resides in a 75 gal. with a 6-8" pleco, aprox. 4" male kenyi hybrid and 6-8 tiny offspring of this male kenyi hybrid.
A couple pics of the male kenyi hybrid bulleying the pleco:


















Dovii X festae always runs into his cave if any person aproaches the tank. At his age and size, he's very scared of people, but can be very aggressive towards other fish. He pushes the pleco around a little bit; really doesn't like the larger male kenyi hybrid at all, but has no interest in the tiny mbuna in the tank:









The small kenyi hybrids were born in this tank last oct. and november. The father is super hyper aggressive and chases them back into the caves continuosly. I supsect there not doing as well as they should.....have 11 of them from a batch born in sept., kept seperate from the father and they are much closer in size to him then they are to the succeeding batches![/img]


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

I guesstimate him to be somewhere betwen 11-12" total length. I won't know for sure until i measure him again, probably in December. Here's a few pics of him measured and weighed, december 4, 2010, at 10 1/2" long and a weight of 320 grams:
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa480/bercom/6v18.jpg
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa480/bercom/6v20.jpg
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa480/bercom/6v19.jpg

I don't have too much faith in housing him sucessfully with other CA cichlids. Maybe some day in a very large tank......but he's an awfully aggressive fish. He's definately a fish that is not likely to accept being anything but boss of the tank. When I move him to the 125 gal. I'm going to swap this male kenyi hybrid for his first batch of 11 offspring. Add some of the 10 young bumble bees I have from a batch born last feb.(6 months old) and see how that works. maybe add chipokae, if i should happen to see them for sale.This male kenyi hybrid that he is currently housed with,will probably go into the 180 gal. where the auratuses, large male bumble bee and breeding sal pair can put him in his place 

Once i get a larger tank for him i'd like to try him with possibly Oreochromis and/or some kind of Tilapia. Maybe buttikoferii? (I dunno :lol: ) maybe T. mariae; had a very large male many years ago with CA cichlids----was quite the rival though with my large male texas. Always wanted a banded jewel or 5-star general (Hemichromis fasciatus, H. elongatus, H. frempongi). I'd have to order them and really, I have no idea how well these large 'jewels' can be housed with tankmates. Only one way to find out , I guess.


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *bernie comeau*,

Thank you for sharing the pictures and the background information. You have a great hybrid; however, to my eye he looks like an extremely colorful (blue, almost like a JD) Dovii. In your opinion what traits of a Festae does he exhibit?

I was also curious how you acquired such a hybrid?

Again thank you for sharing.

Thanks,
Matt


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Crossed the fish myself. It's well known. Lot's of video footage of the parents with fry on 2 occasions. Bred twice successfully; this one is from the second time and was the largest of the batch. Certainly didn't plan it; just happened that way and i was curious and interested in what the cross would look and be like. In over 30 years i have had only 4 hybrid pairs.....but only 2 of them actually bred. This is the only cross i ever bothered to keep, and grow fish from......all others were used as feeders and/or culled (siblings of this fish as well). My kenyi hybird, i purchased originally as Kenyi...I was dooped. If you seen them at 1-2" you'd probably understand why i thought they were kenyi. But i really can't complain too much as i'm well aware that is what you often get when you purchase mbuna from the big box store :lol:

A this size and age ----the fish certainly does have more resemblence to a dovii, then a festae but IMO quite obviously not a pure dovii. In fact, just looking at these pictures and not knowing who the parents are, I think about all one could say about this fish is that it has Parachromis in it. But actually the blue spots on the fins resembles that of a male festae.....not dovii. If you look at pictures of male festae, you will note that the pattern of blue on the pectoral fin is a carbon copy. Over the last year, the body shape is starting to take on more of a festae apearance.....the mouth and snout is definately an in between of both species. larger mouth then a festae but pointed like a festae mouth.

but of course the fish hasn't always looked this way....at a younger age, had greater resemblence to festae then it did to a dovii. Will post some pics.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

bernie comeau said:


> But actually the blue spots on the fins resembles that of a male festae.....not dovii.


Yes, the color and pattern on the fins definately resembles a male festae. Bright blue spots ----quite different then a dovii that has blue colored fins with larger black spots and a completely different pattern. Tail spot as well, is that of a festae.

Have my male dovii in the adjacent tank...so somewhat hard for me to see how my hybrid fish would ever be mistaken for a dovii. Though it does have some resemblence, no doubt.

Here's a pic of one at less then 6 months of age (from the 1st batch, different individual). I think this could easily be confused for a young male festae:








A couple more pics of 4-5 month old below the jewel cichlid. Very juvie festae-looking IMO.








Another pic of one at same age below a jewel. In a different state/mood...more juvie dovii looking, though  :


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Here's my hybrid fish at 1 yr.old. Yellow fish. (Changed a lot over the next 6 month after these pics were taken):




































And a pic of him taken a couple months after these shots, in a very subordinate state after getting shown who's boss by my much larger and heavier female blackbelt :lol:


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Pretty fish.

...Bill


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *bernie comeau*,

Thank you for the information. He went through quite a change from 1yr to 1.5yrs; went from looking predominantly festae to predominately dovii, in my opinion.

I agreed with the festae characteristics you pointed out; especially the shape of the jaw/head being a mix of the two. I am sure having your pure dovii right next to him amplifies the differences.

Again, thank you for sharing.

Thanks,
Matt


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## allierw (Apr 20, 2006)

That is an awesome looking fish. Amazing how much he has changed.


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

Hummmmmm


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