My labidochromis is wooing my pseudotropheus...

[Madame_X]

My yellow lab is doing what appears to be a mating dance with my little female polit!

He flares up his fins and bends himself sideways, then he pecks at her a little, and then they start dancing round and round in circles. Sometimes the male polit will get jealous and break things up.

So... am I gonna have some funky little hybrid cichlids? Or is it pretty unlikely that this will ever develop into anything?

If nothing else, its very entertaining to watch!

 

[PlatyLady]

Neat. I bet it's entertaining for the yellow lab too.

Out of curiousity (and off-topic, sorry it just came to mind) would a yellow lab be comfortable in a 10 gal tank?

 

[Terry]

Madame_X.

It is quite common with Malawi cichlids to cross breed in an aquarium, Sometimes they will breed with another fish because there is not one of there own kind to breed with.
Malawi cichlids tell the differance between male and female by colour, so sometimes they get a bit confused and breed with the wrong fish. Or you just have two fish that don't care and are just going for it.

 

[Allivymar]

*giggles*

Love is in the air isn't it Madame!

 

[deli_conker]

I can't see a yellow lab being happy in a 10 gal. It would probably be okay as a juvenile, but not as an adult. They get to at least 4" long (I believe) so a 10 would pretty much be a prison cell for them. (IMO)

 

[PlatyLady]

I can't see a yellow lab being happy in a 10 gal. It would probably be okay as a juvenile, but not as an adult. They get to at least 4" long (I believe) so a 10 would pretty much be a prison cell for them. (IMO)

Thanks deli_conker. Just a thought!

 

[Madame_X]

Thanks, Terry. I'm obviously not sure that the female polit is REALLY a female (she's very young and small), but we suspect that she is because the color diferences in male and female polits is pretty pronounced.

I thought about adding another yellow lab and hoping to get a female, but I'm pretty sure my brichardis (who I'm SURE are a pair) will eventually breed. Since they've claimed about half of the 55 gallon tank, I'm not sure I have room for another breeding pair of any species. So its probably best not to encourage the little guy...

Then again, if he decides to mate with the little polit, I don't suppose I could do anything to stop him!

I suspect the babies would be pretty cute, anyway. I could come up with a new species. How about "labidotropheus caerit".