![]() This fish is a hybrid before I started working with it. There a a lot of different mutations to work with even in pure speices. #3 You cant get all the cichlids that occor naturaly do to them being protited to collect by law or in areas too dangerous to collect them. Micheal wrote:Never have understood why people can't just be happy with the thousands of natural cichlids in the world and quit making their own. This male is a result of those breeding's. I been working with this line for a few years now crossing them into Cherry Red females increasing the orange background color. A albino would have been white or cream colored. I crossed a OB male from this strain to some Cherry red zebra females and bred the young back to another male from this strain and got a few light brown fish with the wine red eyes. The proof was when the farm sent me some light brown fish with red eyes from this strain. In a true albino the blotches would have been pink to a super light blue sheen. The blue blotches and dark wine red eyes was a key marker for this gene. I always felt this strain was hypo and not albino but I had no proof until this year when I found the farm where this mutation was first discovered. In the Pic's the look bright red but in person they are a dark wine red. The eyes are dark wine red and look normal most of the time. The fry are large enough to take Artemia nauplii and crushed dried foods from the moment they’re released by the mother.This strain has been mislabeled as albino Red OB zebra for some years now.It is not a Albino but Hypo ( Hypomelanistic ). The fry are large enough to take Artemia nauplii and crushed dried foods from the moment they’re released by the mother. ![]() This approach is strictly for experts only, however. Some breeders artificially ‘ strip‘ the fry from the mother’s mouth at the 2 week stage and raise them from that point, as this usually results in a larger number of healthy young. Wait as long as possible before moving a female, unless she is being harassed constantly. ![]() It’s also worth noting that if a female is away from the colony for too long she may lose her position in the pecking order of the group. If a female is overly stressed she may spit out the brood prematurely or eat them, so care must be taken if you decide to move the fish. She will not eat during this period and can be easily spotted by her distended mouth. The female will carry the eggs for 3-4 weeks, before releasing the free swimming fry. Numbers are usually quite low, with 10-15 being the average. The female then lays her next batch of eggs and the process is repeated until she is carrying the full brood. When she tries to add these to the brood in her mouth the male releases his sperm. The male has ‘ egg spots’ ( egg-shaped spots of colour) on his anal fin and the female is attracted to these, thinking they are eggs she has missed. Fertilisation occurs in typical Mbuna fashion. When a female is receptive, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs in several batches, immediately collecting each batch in her mouth. He can be quite aggressive in his pursuits and it is to dissipate this that the species should be spawned in a harem. Displays of intense colour designed to entice passing females to mate with him will follow. When in condition the male will proceed to clean a spawning site of his choosing. Condition the fish on a high quality diet, and they should take care of the rest. The pH should be around 8.0-8.5 and the temperature 77-80☏. Be sure to provide some flat rocks, and leave some areas of open sand to act as potential spawning sites. A 48″ tank is a good size for a breeding project, and this should be furnished as suggested. It will spawn in a community situation, although obviously the rate of fry survival will be lower. Ideally it should be spawned in a species tank, in a harem of one male and at least 3 females. ![]() It’s a maternal mouthbrooder that utilises a similar breeding strategy to others in the genus. Fully mature males will be larger than fully matured females. The dominant male will have more vivid colouration, and all males will have more intsensely coloured egg-spots on their anal fin, as well as growing a hump on their forehead as they age. This will help disperse aggression appropriately. Keep a ratio of three females to every male, with no more than one male in any tank less than 200 litres. It will be fine in most Malawi communities, though do not house with “gentle” Mbuna species such as those of the the Aulonocara genus (Peacock cichlids). One of the more aggressive species of Mbuna, the Zebra is in no way suitable for the general tropical aquarium. To find other high quality, highly recommended foods click here. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |