breeding. aggression to much?

[Big Ben]

The dimensions of my 48 gal are great for swimming room, 36 inch across 24 inch deep and 13 inch high. Right now I have a 3 inch dempsey, a 4 inch green terror, a 5 inch oscar, a full grown yellow lab and a young lab, one 5 inch pleco. The oscar is going within a month or 2, i only planned on keeping him until 7-8 inches. Im breeding and selling convicts right now and they worked with those fish for their first spawn before i moved them to their own tank.

I was just wondering if it's possible to breed either green terrors or jack dempseys in a 48 gal tank without any other life froms being destroyed. Or do they need to be on their own? If so, are there any other ideas of nice cichlids that I could breed without them tearing up the place?

oh and the labs were inherited by my sisters bf cuz they were getting killed in his mixed cichlid tank. I come home and their in my tank one day. I dont enjoy mixing africans and americans :x .

-Ben

thanks

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

You could keep a breeding pair of GTs or a breeding pair of JDs in your tank- and nothing more. Anything else would be allowed to cower in the corners of the tank at best, and at worse-- well, you'd be replacing fish rather often.

 

[toddnbecka]

If you want peaceful cichlids that will breed well in a 3' tank, get rid of the current stock and go with a Paracyprichromis species, like nigripinnis "neon blue" and some shell-dwellers. Alternatively, 1m/3-5f yellow lab's would work well in that size tank. JD's and green terrors are better suited to larger tanks for spawning, considering they lay several hundred eggs when young, more as they grow.

 

[Menagerie]

Anything else would be allowed to cower in the corners of the tank at best, and at worse-- well, you'd be replacing fish rather often.

I agree. GTs or JDs should breed as readily as the convicts, but really ought to be on their own.

 

[Big Ben]

If you want peaceful cichlids that will breed well in a 3' tank, get rid of the current stock and go with a Paracyprichromis species, like nigripinnis "neon blue" and some shell-dwellers. Alternatively, 1m/3-5f yellow lab's would work well in that size tank. JD's and green terrors are better suited to larger tanks for spawning, considering they lay several hundred eggs when young, more as they grow.

I looked them up is this it? Sorry but
how common are these? I've never heard or seen of them before. Maybe it's just cause their africans? I don't know many african cichlids. Thanks alot, I'm really trying to find a better fish to breed then convicts because they are so common and easy, you can't sell them for much.

 

[toddnbecka]

Ya, that's a pic of a male. They're a Tanganykian cichlid, aren't commonly available, best bet is to find someone who has/breeds them. They are similar to Cyprichromis, and are notoriously delicate when being shipped. Most sellers won't guarantee live arrival, even if they are willing to ship them. Local pickup is usually the deal. Fry sell for around $5-10 each, sometimes more. They are so mellow it's hard to believe they're African cichlids, and they don't eat their fry. They prefer caves, and flat, sloping rock surfaces for spawning. The female drops an egg, the male fertilizes it as it rolls down the rock, then the female scoops it up and carries it/them in her mouth until they fry are developed.
I have 2m/6f +15 fry in a 55, along with a colony of Lamprologus multifasciatus. The multi's are the smallest cichlid in the world, males around 2", females about 1.5". You can keep a pair or trio in a 10 gallon tank. They spawn in empty snail shells, and take very good care of their fry. I currently have 1m/2f adults with several dozen fry of various sizes sharing the shell bed. (45 gold-mouth turbo shells, about 1' square area) L. brevis are also similar, though they grow a bit larger, and don't need nearly as many shells. Multi's and brevis are easier to find than Paracyp's, and generally less expensive. They do ship much better.
If you want to raise fish to sell, first find out what is wanted, but not too common in your area. If you can't find them locally, check some online dealers, or take a look at aquabid.com. It's kind of like e-bay, but strictly aquarium-oriented. There are hundreds of different fish for sale there, the only catch is shipping costs. That may not be too bad, depending on where the seller is, relative to your location, and whether they need to be shipped overnite.
If all that is too much trouble, yellow lab's usually sell pretty well. They don't produce nearly as many fry as South or Central American substrate-spawners, but you don't need as many tanks to grow out the fry either.

 

[Menagerie]

It's a shame more Lake Tang fish are not available through breeders. I have shellies and love them. Yellow labs are fun since they are mouth brooders, which make watching the spawning and brooding behavior almost as exciting as watching the tiny fry grow up.

 

[Big Ben]

They sound very interesting. ill ask around at my shops, but probly wont find them. the thing is i live in winnipeg, manitoba, canada. I find it incredible that fish could be shipped without dying, with all the bouncing around and handling of packages? maybe they could for a day but since im in canada id have to find something within id say a 1 province ratio, saskatchewan or ontario. I have 2 yellow labs currently...the thing is i have no idea how to tell males from females. The bigger has its own pot area and has dug out all the gravel around it, is this breeding behaviour? To what I can tell it isnt, i see the big one chasing the smaller one away from it very often.

 

[toddnbecka]

Are there any aquarium clubs around your location? They are good places to meet other hobbyists, and hook up with fish that aren't often, if ever, available in shops. You could also try posting some "wanted" ads, this link may be helpful: http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html
Shipping fish isn't a big deal, as long as they are packed right. Double bagged with O2, and a heat pack if necessary, they can live for at least several days. Some species are more delicate, but most can be shipped without too many problems.

 

[Big Ben]

Are there any aquarium clubs around your location? They are good places to meet other hobbyists, and hook up with fish that aren't often, if ever, available in shops. You could also try posting some "wanted" ads, this link may be helpful: http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html
Shipping fish isn't a big deal, as long as they are packed right. Double bagged with O2, and a heat pack if necessary, they can live for at least several days. Some species are more delicate, but most can be shipped without too many problems.

Really. That's CraZy. you think i might be able to get somthin from the states here alive?

 

[toddnbecka]

I know there are a few online dealers who can/will ship to Canada, but I'm not sure which ones. I do know it would be expensive, overnite airmail rates are rough on the wallet. I'd look at that option as a last resort, if you can't find anything you're looking for closer.

 

[toddnbecka]

Here's a couple of links you might find helpful too:
http://manitobaff.bbfun.com/
http://winnipegfishforum.info/

 

[lowriderb]

i just set up a spacious tank and have been having my fish in their new tank for about 3 or so weeks, the tank dimentions are 22 highx 18 deep x72 long.. ive got 3 yellow labs, 3 acei cichlids, 1 electric blue, 3 jack dempseys and one 5 in pelco..

the question i have is how do you tell the jacks sex? ive got one thats about 5 or 6inches, the other two are about 2 1/2-3, and one of the smaller ones seem to have a very large belly (like its carrying eggs or something..) but im not sure.. that one seems to go into the big one's home without it chasing it off like it does with the rest of them..

if it is pregnant or anything should i separate it in a different tank or do you guys think it would be alright for it to stay in the big tank? (ive still got my 35gallon set up and running, but nothing in it.)

here's a few pics of the big tank.. it almost seems empty because of the fish's sizes..lol

 

[toddnbecka]

I'd leave them where they are, at least for now. If they do spawn, chances are they'll eat the eggs the first few times. If not, they are quite capable of defending their eggs/fry for a while. Unless you have grow-out tanks for several hundred fry, it would be better to let the other fish thin them down a bit before moving any to another tank. Cichlids tend to spawn several times once they start, and you may be overrun with fry in a few months.

 

[lowriderb]

if i get that many fry then it would be fine, ive got that other tank just sitting for now. the lfs would probably take them once they got a little bigger as well.. they already asked me if i wanted to sell my large jd.. i didnt take the offer though.

 

[toddnbecka]

If you want to keep the other tank active, you need a source of ammonia to keep the bacteria alive.