African Cichlids

[JC_Bus]

Hello!

I've been wanting to breed african cichlids for a while now but idk which ones. There's are so many to pick from! Are there any easy beginner breeders? I've had Africans before and I know how to care for them but I've never bred them. Thanks!


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[keegster803]

Shelldwellers


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[Fishdude3233]

What size tank are we looking at?


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[JC_Bus]

I have a 10 gallon and a 55 I don't care which one


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[keegster803]

The ten gallon you could do a colony of multis


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[JC_Bus]

Are those rare fish?


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[TMRC Exotics]

They are dwarf cichlids. Only dwarf cichlids can go in a 10. Most all other cichlids require 55 gallon tanks +. Convicts are pretty easy to breed.

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[keegster803]

Depending on which state you live in, they can be. Here in Indy there is only one store that gets them on a blue moon. But they go for around 15-16 bucks per fish


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[JC_Bus]

I saw some at my lps and they were $20 each!!! I heard kenyi (I think that's how you spell it) convicts and jewels are easy to breed but hard to sexs? Is that true?


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[TMRC Exotics]

Kenyi are very easy to sex at around 2.5 inches. Females remain blue and the males turn yellow. Convicts are pretty easy to sex, males usually are just striped where females will have pink on their bellies and blue in the fins. Jewels I'm not very familiar with. There are also some exceptions but in general this will be the case.

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[JC_Bus]

I like how kenyi look. If I want to get a breeding colony should I get like 6 and wait for them to get older?


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[TMRC Exotics]

If your goal is to breed then I would get some that were already large enough to be sexed. Around 3 inches in length. I believe they follow the 3-4 females to a male guideline but you should consult further. Check the online breeding info available.

A second note, if your breeding be sure to start with the best possible stock. Do you have a plan on housing the resulting fry? Are you keeping them all or selling? Just wondering.

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[JC_Bus]

I plan on keep a few but I'm really close with the owner of my local fish store and he always buys fish from me


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