Breeding african malawi

[Andjak]

Anyone know breeding behaviours and birthing info and such

 

[Andjak]

Specifically the sexing of the males and females

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

depends on what they are really.
they are mouthbrooders, so the female lays eggs he fertilises them she carries them for three weeks and spits them when they get too big.

sexing:
- kenyi males are yellow females blue
- red zebra males are pale orange females rich orange
- cobalt zebra males flourescent blue females dull grey-blue
- auratus males black females yellow
- labidochromis (yellow lab and similar) males usually have more barring and colour definition, but can be hard to tell
- venustus males can be all blue or have stronger blue head females more brown
- peacock males will have better color, more pointed fins and are bigger, females can be grey or a paler version of the male.
- copadichromis (relatives + inclusion of borleyi) males tand to have much more blue and reds, females can be light grey with fin colouration
- cynotilapia males have stronger colous with larger barring, females paler and thinner barring can be near grey
- fuelleborni and trewevasae are hard to define as females are well known to have equal colours to males, but tend to be smaller and paler
- lethrinops males have much more colour, females are usually grey or with light colouring
- johanni males blue/black females yellow
- demasoni males and females very hard to tell, males appear to be darker with more black
- mylochromis males have much more colour definition and get bigger
- placidochromis males are more vibrant and get bigger
- protomelas... u guessed it.

its a long post but there are many malawis and these arent half of them lol!!

do u have a malawi tank? x

 

[Wy Renegade]

And most of the listed variations don't show up until the fish reach maturity, which is usually long after they are placed in an aquarium.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

+1, juvies are hard to tell.

 

[Andjak]

depends on what they are really.
they are mouthbrooders, so the female lays eggs he fertilises them she carries them for three weeks and spits them when they get too big.

sexing:
- kenyi males are yellow females blue
- red zebra males are pale orange females rich orange
- cobalt zebra males flourescent blue females dull grey-blue
- auratus males black females yellow
- labidochromis (yellow lab and similar) males usually have more barring and colour definition, but can be hard to tell
- venustus males can be all blue or have stronger blue head females more brown
- peacock males will have better color, more pointed fins and are bigger, females can be grey or a paler version of the male.
- copadichromis (relatives + inclusion of borleyi) males tand to have much more blue and reds, females can be light grey with fin colouration
- cynotilapia males have stronger colous with larger barring, females paler and thinner barring can be near grey
- fuelleborni and trewevasae are hard to define as females are well known to have equal colours to males, but tend to be smaller and paler
- lethrinops males have much more colour, females are usually grey or with light colouring
- johanni males blue/black females yellow
- demasoni males and females very hard to tell, males appear to be darker with more black
- mylochromis males have much more colour definition and get bigger
- placidochromis males are more vibrant and get bigger
- protomelas... u guessed it.

its a long post but there are many malawis and these arent half of them lol!!

do u have a malawi tank? x

Sorry I know the pics arnt great but this is my crew I think the blue one is male and the all yellow and the others are female although I'm unsure an yup yeah are in my Malawi tank

 

[Andjak]

I think in general they are still young but I waiting to see lol te blue I think I'd defo a male as he is the most territorial ad with egg spot on the bottom fin but the rest are sorta still on the fence

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

1st pic: i think female, thats a lot of yellow.
2nd pic: if it is a johanni, it is male
3rd pic: looks male, slightly browning as if it were about to turn male colours
4th pic: looks female, but hard to tell. thats form colour and dorsal fin.

egg spots hardly make a difference, venting is the best way to tell x

 

[Wy Renegade]

Agree, #4 is also a different species than the other three.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

#4 is a RZ, i thought he was aware of this lol x
he has 2 auratus, 1 johanni (i think) and 1 rz.

 

[Andjak]

I didn't know they were all different species they were just in the African Malawi tank will they breed if they are all different and
Number # 3 I thought was pregnant when I bought it so I thougt she was female she's always swimming with number 1 so I thought it was females
Sticking together I guess I gotta vent I'm just trying to avoid that as Iv never done it and don't wanna stress them out

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

they will all breed if they are happy enough. any mouth brooder can breed with any other mouth brooder.
they are only pregnant in their mouths, never stomach. the more yellow the auratus (#1,#3) the more likely it is female at that age.
its not so important to vent, but it is important that u tyr and get a few more females of each kind in there to even up the numbers. males get more aggressive if they dont have a harem.

does #3 seem to have babies in its mouth? x

 

[Andjak]

No no babies in the mouth how many females to males
?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

at least 3f per male, but the species of females or males isnt very important unless u want them to breed.
so basically if u want ur fish to breed, get another 2f 1m RZ, another 2f auratus and another 3f johanni or demasoni whatever it was.
if not, if u have 2 males in the tank then u can get another 4f of similar africans and the tank would have much less aggression x

btw how big is the tank?x