African Cichlids... what's going on here?

[reberly]

We have 2 african cichlids, a red zebra and a cobalt blue. We don't know what sex they are and we didn't think it would matter, being as they're different species. So our larger red zebra has about 4-5 egg spots on it's anal fin. The blue one has only one spot. So we figured blue=female, red=male. However, we have noticed several times that the red one has been doing this weird thing with his mouth. Most of the time he likes to open his mouth really wide to greet you, once in a while though (and it's happening right now) he seems to be carrying these whitish balls in his mouth. When this is going on, he doesn't eat and he doesn't open his mouth. He will swim at the food and act like he's going to grab the it, but then dodges it. Just before this behavior starts, he swims weird and he visibly tremors in place. And as a side note, most of the time we feed them cichlid pellets that are whitish. We figure this all means one of two things: 1) he has something lodged in his throat and he has several pellets in his mouth, or 2) he (SHE?) has fry in his mouth? Remember, he's the only red zebra in the tank... Anyone have any idea what's going on?

Ryan

 

[Zic]

I have a red zebra, as well. I have not seen him do this, but that doesn't mean that it's unusual behavior. Maybe someone who knows more about cichlids can give you a better awnser, but I'll tell you what I think.

I know these type of cichlids spawn like this: The female lays the eggs. Then, she picks them up in her mouth. The male has spots in it tail fin (I don't know if the Females have these also) that the female tries to grab as she thinks they are eggs. The male's sperm goes into the females mouth and fertalizes the eggs. My girlfriend and I got a good chuckle out of that one!

So, in my professional opinion (ha!), I think it's a female carring around eggs. Depending on wether or not the other cichlid is a male, they may or may not be fertalized. So, if you never see any fry, that doesn't mean that they are not eggs.

And, btw, some cichlids will cross breed. Sometimes you see "Assorted African Cichlids" in your lfs. These are usually cross bred fish that are not one specific breed of cichlid.

 

[BKtomodachi]

Yes, your cichlids are definitely breeding. Although from your description it sounds like the eggs have fungused. This means you probably have two females. She will probably spit them out in a few days.

 

[reberly]

So do females have absolutely NO egg spots on their fins?

Ryan

 

[BKtomodachi]

Females will occasionally form them, but very sparsely.

BKtomodachi

 

[reberly]

OK, so how can our red zebra with 5 egg spots be carrying eggs? We are very confused...

Ryan

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Egg spots aren't a completely accurate tool in identifying males/females. In some species, only the males have spots. In others, the males will have MORE egg spots than the females. And just to make things truly confusing- in some species- males and females have the same number of egg spots! 8O

I've never kept red zebras, so I can't say for sure, but I think only males develop egg spots. Makes this situation even stranger- doesn't it? However, I've read about captive males carrying eggs, as well as some reports from Ad Konings observing males carrying eggs in the wild.