cichlid breeding

[animalzrok2]

i know for some types of cichlids your supposed to buy a group of both genders and let two pair up but i was wondering if it was possible to by a group of one gender and only one fish of the opposite sex and have him/her pair up with one of the females/males from the group. does anyone know if this is possible?

 

[jetajockey]

Yes it's very possible. It obviously depends on the species, but one that is easily distinguishable between male and female I'd just get one of each and see what happens.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

mouthbrooders need 1male and 3 females

pairing cichlids need 1male 2 females and he will chose the lady

many or most cichlids are monomorphic so need to be vented to find the sex. like the red zebra, unless you know what to look out for and are experienced in sexing, u wont tell without venting.

many cichlids have gender differences like johanni males are blue females are yellow, or sunshine peacock males are yellow while females are grey.

what you have said only works with a selection of cichlids, so dont go out and buy malawis and do this lol. i reccomend you pick a cichlid you LIKE, ask AA how it breeds (pairs or groups) and we can help you decide whether it is ideal for your tank and how you can breed it xxx

 

[animalzrok2]

ok one more quick question for pairing cichlids, what do you do with the other female afterwards if you only want the pair?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

send it to lfs or put it in a different tank. its just a threat to their babies and will get attacked x

 

[animalzrok2]

ok. and will they take her back?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

yep! as well as any babies you get from the pair, if they are at selling size.
you could even get store credit for returning her and giving them babies. x

 

[animalzrok2]

great to know

 

[jetajockey]

You need to ask your LFS first, they all have different policies, and some don't take returns or exchanges for credit, but others will buy fish straight out.