# xystochromis phytophagus



## will74 (Mar 5, 2007)

Can anyone tell me at what size do they start coloring up? I have 5 in a 30 breeder to grow out and the largest one is about 1.750 inches.


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## deadman (Jul 22, 2007)

there are several factors that have to do with coloring up, not just size. things liken water quality,ph,male female ratio, other agressive fish, and so on. here is some pics that i took today of one of my babies from my adults. i put them in a 100 gal. for grow out. there are about 70 fry and juvies. they are with several other victorian species. lake kyoga zebra, pundamillia nyereri ingobi island, sp,44 red tail, and deep water hap. not to mention some1.5 to two in loaches. this babie is no more that 1.5 in. there are several other males, and females, no other agressive fish the ph is 8.0 they are feed spirilina flake. if you want them to color up an extra male never hurts.


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## jb1edlover (Mar 21, 2005)

This is a recipe for disaster... Female vics are hard to identify at any size.... I can't imagine putting them in a community tank and then trying to figure out what female is what.... males aren't the easiest to tell apart either. Thats a good way to get hybreds into the hobby


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## deadman (Jul 22, 2007)

this would be true if you had not kept thoes species for a long time. i am able to tell the sexes, and species apart, i do not alow any young fish to keep thier eggs, and the species that i keep togather are easy to id. a .75 inch pundamilia looks nothing like a sp. 44, or deep water hap. the reccomendation did not include that this person do the combining of species but rather , that there are alot of contributing factors such as ph. food, water quality, male female ratios, other agressive fish, hiding spaces and some time even a diffrent or correct lighting. i combine the speciecs that i know that i can identify and then sepetrate them at 2 in or better. at that size its pretty eazy to tell the diffrence betweena kyoga zebra and an xystichophagus.


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## jb1edlover (Mar 21, 2005)

I agree with you on the males... (though they can be difficult as well). I disagree on the females though, some are impossible to distinguish with out a knife. To each his own I guess. Nothing beats Victorian cichlids far as color goes thats for sure..IMO. I wouldn't put anything with a Hap 44 that I didn't want bred. They will try and usually spawn with anything that moves to include swaying power heads.


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## Mullet (Dec 8, 2002)

For once I agree with JB..even most expereinced Vic keepers will admit the difficulty in tracking the females at times...


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## deadman (Jul 22, 2007)

there are some species of vics that are very easy to tell apart females like the 
kyoga zebra looks un like most available vic, sp.44 rt differs from xychromis phytophagus as sp.44 have vertical bars even in female, and phytophagus have a lateral line.
small pundamillia nyereri ingombi females have yellow anal fin and vertical barring, red tail sheller females have 1 vertical line and slight red in tail, not to mention they all have subtil diffrences in body shape and head structure and behaviour. 
while i wouldnt reccomend that just any one combine species. but the species that i combine, i never allow to keep any spawns, and i have kept these for along time, i do agree that with several species it would be almost impossible to mix like sp. fire and phytophagus females look the same.
so if you do combine make shur that they are very diffent in many diffent ways. and dont keep any spawns.


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