# Alcolapia Alcalicus aka "soda cichlid"



## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

I found my female soda cichlid holding the other day.... Thought she was too young but...


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Yep yep...mouth full of babes...nice fish too...congrats!!!


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Cool fish! I haven't kept them myself, but two of my friends and fellow OCA members did in 2012. They shared the ACA award for Spawn of the Year for spawning this species. Definitely not your everyday pet store fish! I hear those little guys live life in the fast lane


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

fmueller said:


> Cool fish! I haven't kept them myself, but two of my friends and fellow OCA members did in 2012. They shared the ACA award for Spawn of the Year for spawning this species. Definitely not your everyday pet store fish! I hear those little guys live life in the fast lane


 Hey fmuller! We picked ours up from a friend in the RMCA, I wouldn't doubt if they know each other from the ACA.
Speaking of ACA are you coming out to Denver for the convention this year? 
They defiantly live in the fast lane, none stop action!


cichlid-gal said:


> Yep yep...mouth full of babes...nice fish too...congrats!!!


Thanks!
Here is the male..




And the pair, she's been nibbling on food with the babies in here mouth so I think it's time.


I'll try for better pics later when I clean the glass up.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

SmellinFishy said:


> We picked ours up from a friend in the RMCA, I wouldn't doubt if they know each other from the ACA.


Very likely!



SmellinFishy said:


> Speaking of ACA are you coming out to Denver for the convention this year?


I think about it every year, but so far have never made it. Trouble is, attending the ACA ain't cheap, and I have the OCA Extravaganza happening every year just 45min from my place. I've never missed that one 

That said, I lived for a year in Ft. Collins - 1997 if memory serves - and absolutely loved it. It would be nice getting back to Colorado again after all those years!


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

fmueller said:


> SmellinFishy said:
> 
> 
> > We picked ours up from a friend in the RMCA, I wouldn't doubt if they know each other from the ACA.
> ...


Totally understand, I'm 30 min or less away fom ACA this year! :dancing:


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## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

Please tell us some details about their maintenance.
Thought to have special requirements, judging from their place of origin, Lake Natron.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

It is thought that the fry are actually being fed while in the mouth.
Lake Natron can be more saline than the ocean, and water temps can soar into the 90s.
I have found unless I strip the female at about 2 weeks, the fry disappear.
After 3 or 4 spawns I was forced to have her spit into a net, or never get fry.
They spawned for me again today.


The nonadhesive eggs are release 2-6 at a time, and the female quickly spins to pick them up.

she dropped about 20 today while I was there


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

Kleovoulos said:


> Please tell us some details about their maintenance.
> Thought to have special requirements, judging from their place of origin, Lake Natron.


Yep they like. High temps and high ph.. I'm working on a new tank for them but right now there in a tang community tank! 


dstuer said:


> It is thought that the fry are actually being fed while in the mouth.
> Lake Natron can be more saline than the ocean, and water temps can soar into the 90s.
> I have found unless I strip the female at about 2 weeks, the fry disappear.
> After 3 or 4 spawns I was forced to have her spit into a net, or never get fry.
> ...


I removed and put her in her own tank, I was looking a couple hours ago and kinda looked like she might not be holding anymore... And I don't see any baby's so she might have ate them.. I'll let ya know for sure later.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

Back when they first spawned, I was advised to, and let her hold for 2 weeks. At that time she spit out new born guppy sized fry. Te fry are almost transparent at first and easily blend in with anything.



Yesterday was the first spawning since last summer, during winter I could never get temps high enough. But the tank now is in the mid 80s.


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

Hey Dstuer, she ate them lol... I swear she was still holding when I woke up yesterday, big dark lump in the throat. Then after lunch she looked a little different. Later in the evening I saw your post in here about eating the babies, if only a day earlier... :-D
The good news though is the other female is holding.. I will run through that tank again to make sure I am not missing them since you said they are transparent.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

I had a trio of these, and shortly after obtaining a male, they spawned. Unfortunately, it was her first time holding, and she either ate or spit them after a couple of days. Shortly after that, the male died suddenly, within a day or two of acting odd. I spoke to someone else who experienced almost the same identical scenario. I wondered to myself if the spawning stresses the males, as I had witnessed him trying to before he actually did. Their motions are different to that of mbuna, more of a pronounced, almost violent jerking and twitching, compared to the quick shaking of mbuna. Needless to say, if anyone has en extra male, keep me in mind!


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

Update! There are three baby's in there!! Woohoo! There are a decent size too. I'll try for some picks this week!


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

Nice!


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

Once they've spit, the fry seem to be unrecognized, and become food, so best to remove the female from the fry tank, or vice versa.
My first male spawned 3 or 4 times, then died. And yes the ritual is very rigorous, seems to take a lot out of them.
What was interesting to me, was one that I was sure was female, suddenly started developing male traits, and is the male in my pics.
i don't know if it really was a male in disguise, or actually changed sex.


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

dstuer said:


> Once they've spit, the fry seem to be unrecognized, and become food, so best to remove the female from the fry tank, or vice versa.
> My first male spawned 3 or 4 times, then died. And yes the ritual is very rigorous, seems to take a lot out of them.
> What was interesting to me, was one that I was sure was female, suddenly started developing male traits, and is the male in my pics.
> i don't know if it really was a male in disguise, or actually changed sex.


We put the momma back in the big tank last night. I'm very curious now to find out more about these deaths after spawning, hopefully some more fish heads will chime in. 
I will talk with the guy I got them from in a couple of weeks and see what he says.


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## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

SmellinFishy said:


> Update! There are three baby's in there!! Woohoo! There are a decent size too. I'll try for some picks this week!


Good luck! :thumb:


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

By the way when mine first spawned, they were very small, the female just over an inch

this last spawn she is pushing 4"

I wonder if the temp and salinity has something to do with sex ratios in fry.
A friend said where he lived , breeders were getting lots of male fry, and i was getting spawns heavy in females.


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## SmellinFishy (Mar 17, 2013)

dstuer said:


> By the way when mine first spawned, they were very small, the female just over an inch
> 
> this last spawn she is pushing 4"
> 
> ...


You have been spot on! My females are just over an inch. Are your fish wc or f1's? What were the differences between your temps and salinity and your friends?


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

I didn't get details on what they were doing on the east coast, at first my tank water was fairly brackish (perhaps 3ppt (parts per thousand)sea water is 35ppt) and temp almost 90'F
I gradually added in about 1-2 lbs of rock salt, and a little epsom salt in the 50 gal they were housed in. At 3ppt, when siphoning to do water changes, the taste was a bit salty.

but winter hit, and my temps dropped into the high 70sF and that's about the time I started stripping, and ended up with mainly females.
It will be interesting to see the ratio now, as the water temp is creeping up, but non saline, simply straight tap water with nothing added. pH 7.6, 250ppm total hardness,
The pair now shares a 55 gal tank with some Barumbi mbo cichlids, Stomatepia pindu, and Saratherodon linelli and a few mouthbreeding bettas that would not do well with brackish water.


during the Alcolapia spawn, the pindu hung out under the log waiting to snap up any eggs that fell to the floor.


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