# Gender and Fish Growth Rate?



## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Okay, Two questions. One, is this OB peacock (black and white spotted) A male or female?







He/She looks female to me, as other male OB peacocks similar to him/her seem to have much more coloration amongst their fins, to attract mates. I have not vented this fish yet or I would probably know, however I know the females can appear male sometimes if their vent has not yet stretched to lay eggs. This fish never has laid eggs.

Two, why doesn't my other OB peacock grow? He is orange and black spotted, and he is a PIG when it comes to feeding. I thought it was just how this type of fish grows, and I have had him as some of my original few fish I added to my 75 gallon. He is maybe a tad more than 1.5 inch, and he hasn't really grown more than MAYBE half an inch, if that since I got him. I have heard of the runt of fry litters not really growing even after adulthood, so was he just maybe a runt?








My other OB I have had for only a month or so, and he/she was smaller than my orange and black one when I got him/her, he/she is now probably a little (Like by tenths of an inch, is what I mean by a little) bigger than 2.5 inches, or right around there. I didn't know when I got this one, but I know now this particular fish gets quite large. That is fine, but why won't my other OB peacock grow? :-?

I posted these questions in the same post, because to ask about the growing I needed to post a picture of both for comparison. Kill two birds with one stone, ya know?

Anyway, help would be appreciated. And I was not sure which forum these fish should be under, since they are a man made hybrid. I figured General African Cichlid Discussion would work.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

The first one isn't a peacock, it's some type of OB Mbuna can't really tell the shape of number 2's head but some peacocks just don't get very big and grow slow.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Your peacocks are not growing because they are not peacocks.  
First pic looks like some sort of fuelleborni.
Second pic looks like some sort of OB zebra.
Both being mbuna.


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Well thanks guy at the pet store :lol: either way though, peacock or mbuna, why does the orange one not grow? Like, ever? I hope he is okay, because recently he has always kinda hung out by the top of the tank, even though there are plenty of rocks and caves to hide in. Earlier I found him kinda sideways looking too, but he is breathing and eating fine. Just his personality I hope. When I put my hand near him he got upright and swam around normally, it does not appear to be any kind of injury or swim bladder issue.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Notice any aggression?


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Okay, kinda long story. Yes, my red zebra was tank boss, but he was a bully. Chasing around my holding yellow lab and taking bites oyt of her fins when she can't bite back, beating and chasing all my other fish in the 75 gallon. Well, I can only have one fish in my maternity tank, or in the case of yesterday, a divder with one holding fish on either side. But I have too many yellow labs, she keeps making them. So I decided not to pull her and try to remove them this time, let nature take its course with hers. I have my hybrid holding and she will spit any day, yesterday I put the divider in my 10 gallon maternity setup for my peacock (red ruby peacock I think? I can get a side view pic too but I don't think it's that important on this thread.)








Anyway, I could not have my red zebra murdering my holding fish or my little guys, he is the biggest in there at about 3 inches. So, I moved him to my 30 gallon with just my one 6 inch fully grown cichlid, thought she could keep him in check. He attacked her face and took a bite out and I thought I would need to get rid of him but now they are showing mating behavior. I thought the "vibrating" was aggression at first, and it was. But last night they had swollen vents, mating colors, and were doing the mating "dance" but my large one did not have eggs yet. :-? I thought they hated each other? They don't bite each other anymore. The 6 inch fish, I adopted expecting a small juvie, that's why all I had for her was a 30 gallon. Anyway, with the red zebra out of my 75 gallon, aggression is way down and I only see my socolofi (he has this flat breeding rock that is HIS and I think he is the one who bred with my hybrid. He lets only girls in there, chases all males out.) fighting with my electric blue johanni over said rock.

So aggression is way down now, and he is not singled out or anything except by the little black and white OB mbuna we discussed. And he just chases him on occasion when he gets near whatever rock is 'his' that day. He isn't getting picked on, maybe he was a little more when the red zebra was there, like everyone else in the tank. Now, he is just being a weenie.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

A fish that is lurking under the surface is being harassed.


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

He is not being harassed, he is being a weenie. There is little to no aggression in that tank. He can go where he pleases, he is just being strange. One fish I moved to the 30 was doing okay and today I found him, on his side, having been harassed. (I think that's the issue) Stresscoat, hospital tank (which is just a container with an airstone) and I built him a floating tank container so I can put him back in either the 30 or 75 without him being picked on. He was having trouble breathing and he wanted to let me help him, he let me move him, pick him up, and he usually the HARDEST fish to move. He is a crafty lil one. This may be a weird question, but right behind his "pouch" that would hold eggs if he were female, it's swollen looking. Can cichlids have swollen lymph nodes or something of that nature? It is my little brother's favorite fish, and he is heartbroken. I keep telling him he is fine, I've got him. I am taking care of it. And he is in hysterics, he is 10. I think the fish is just being bullied. If anyone can help that would be great.... but my little guy isn't being bullied. He seems to be moving about the tank a little more now, and he is fine. I just don't get why he chooses to hang out up there when I watch them ALL the time and he is not being chased or bit, his fins look great, he is eating great. He is just an oddball maybe... I will keep an eye on him and see if he gets bullied, but I honestly do not think that is the case.


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

I hate to be this person, but I am gonna go post about big guy in a new topic... can someone go check it out? I am working on pics now, it'll be the illness forum


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I responded. The fish lurking under the surface is a classic sign, quite common. They go there when they are chased out of the good spots...or at least feel intimidated, whether for good reason or not. The stress, even if imagined, can impact immune system and make they susceptible to illness.

I've never seen the swelling you describe and that is in the picture. I'm sorry your fish is sick. We can't always heal them.


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Thank you, and I haven't either... it is quite strange. I am hoping he will pull through, he's fighting now, but he also seems to understand why he is in that floater. He is probably glad he is being left alone.... I am hoping for the best, hoping he is just exhausted, or his swim bladder is just kinda funky. Going to try shelled peas again soon. He is my younger brother's fish like I said, and I told him I would do everything I could to help him. I manage all the tanks now even though it was originally kinda a family thing, and I get quite attached to them all. I am wondering why the little orange guy is like that though, he really isn't a target. It's the big guys, my socolofi and electric blue johanni fight each other because they feel threatened by each other. Little guy is no threat so they leave him alone. I might move him in to my grow out tank I grow out the fry in.


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## Lildragoness (Jul 21, 2017)

Small update, little guy was moved to the grow out tank, and the peacock ate all the eggs :lol:


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Lol, can't catch a break huh... Oh well, they will spawn eventually. How's the little guy doing in the grow out tank


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