![]() When she tries to add them to the brood in her mouth ,she actually recieves milt from the male, thus fertilising the eggs. The male fish has egg-shaped spots on his anal fin and the female is attracted to these. When a female is willing, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs there, after which she picks them up in her mouth. He is quite vigorous in his pursuits and it is in order to dissipate this aggression that this species should be spawned in a harem. He will show intense colour and attempt to entice females to mate with him. This may be a flat rock surface, or a shallow pit which he excavates in the substrate. The male fish will clean and then display around his chosen spawning site. Condition the fish with a high quality diet composed mainly of vegetable matter. The pH should be around 8.2-8.5 and the temperature 77-80☏. A 48″ aquarium is a good size (although larger is preferable) and this should be furnished as suggested above, along with some flat rocks and areas of open substrate to act as potential spawning sites. Ideally it should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male and at least 3 females, although it will often spawn in the community aquarium. In populations where males and females are of the same colour, they can be sexed by size (males are usually larger than females) and by the egg spots in the anal fin, which are larger and more numerous in males. However, depending on locality, there also exist orange and OB (“orange blotch”) males and yellow or OB females. Some males are blue in colour, while females are orange. Several females should be kept per male, in order to reduce harassment by the male and only one male should be kept unless the tank is very large. The tank should be overcrowded to reduce aggression and territory formation. It should not be kept with peace loving species such as Peacocks or Utaka but it can be combined with other similarly sized mbuna. ![]() Not especially aggressive for a mbuna, although it is quite robust. Vacuum substrate every 2 weeks, move the rock structures at least once a month, possibly with each substrate cleaning, as this will help to curb the territorial instincts of most Mbuna.To find high quality fish foods, click here. Remember, as with most members of the Mbuna family, too much protien foods (meat) may cause them to “bloat”. Frozen foods like beef heart, hi-pro, daphnia, glass worms, plankton, and brine shrimp are also good choices. Live foods may include crickets, brine shrimp, meal worms, glass worms, and tubifex worms. Red Zebras are Omnivores, and do well with fresh spinach, peas, zucchini, and lettuce. ![]() Top, middle and bottom swimmers, their preferred tankmates may include other Mbuna or Malawi cichlids, and Synodontis catfishes (as bottom feeders). The males typically will have numerous (4-7) “egg spots”, while the female may show fewer (0-3) and less prominent “egg spots”.īreeding: Breeding these fish can be quite rewarding, as they are quite beautiful in their spawning and brooding rituals.Īdditional Information: A member of the Mbuna (or “Rock Dwelling” cichlid) family, their environment should be densely decorated with rocks and rock caves, fine gravel, fine gravel with crushed coral, or even sand for substrate, driftwood, Java Ferns, and Java Moss. While the smaller female, may not have any color variation, with the deep orange color extending out to the tips of her fins. The orange males are larger but often become pale on the lower sides of their bodies, and may even show a brilliant “freckling” of spots along the dorsal and tail fins. Sexing: The colorations of this fish differ from most of the Mbuna, as the females are typically the ones displaying the deeper and more brilliant colorations. African cichlid flake or pellt foods are good as a staple, but the diet should be supplimented with fresh green vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce, peas or zucchini. Should not have too much protein and should have no fat. Recommended Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 120 LitresĬompatibility: Combine with other Malawi mbuna speciesįeeding: Omnivorous but does better with vegetables.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |