possible breeding auratus??

[ronnieroach]

hello all,

i have a pair of auratus in my african tank. the smaller one, who is basically w/o color except for hints of blue, keeps swimming sideways past the big one who has great coloring.

am i correct in assuming my smaller, colorless one is a female?

and am i also correct in assuming that the sideways swim move is a fishy pick up line? lol

just wondering, not really trying to breed

[mfdrookie516]

not necessarily... it could be a sub dominant male. they'll do that to show that they are 'bowing down' to the dominant fish. colorless sounds like a sub dominant male. The dominant male will most likely get dark, like black... females would stay yellow and black.

[ronnieroach]

oh well my smaller one who is bowing is the dark one and my large one is a gorgeous yellow w/ black & white stripes.. same diagnosis? lol

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

if its yellow, then it should be female. it sounds like the smaller one is male trying to flirt with a much bigger female.... and shes having none of it! lol.
how big are they? x

[ronnieroach]

NEW QUESTION AT BOTTOM!!!!! ::

yeah i think youre right mouthy

the larger one is about 3 inches & the smaller one is just about 2 lol

i rehomed the larger one to a buddy of mine who has a 20gal w/ 2 africans that are just a little smaller & theyre all doin well. she was a little too aggressive for my other guys.

is the smaller one always gonna be ugly lookin? lol if so, i might rehome him too & see if they'll breed at my buddy's house

ALSO - SIDE QUESTION - a website where i bought some fish said that for my 55gal i should have 15 africans minimum! i thought 10 would even get packed when they hit 6inches or so.

right now i have 9 africans & an electric blue lobster who all seem to be pretty harmonious. should i add more fish to help keep aggression in check? i would really only want maybe 2 more.. 3 if i rehome the male (which i plan on as of now).

anyway, TO ADD OR NOT TO ADD, thats what im askin lol

ALL ADVICE APPRECIATED!

thanks!!

[mfdrookie516]

You don't have to get 15... 12-15 would be max though IMO. If they're all doing good together with those 9, and you don't necessarily want to add anymore, don't.

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

im surprised u have a lobster in there. they need completely different things dont they?
and they prob only say that cos it keeps aggression down with more stocking. if u have no aggression probs atm, dont bother adding unless u want to.
no he wont stay ugly. look up male auratus, they turn a stunning black/grey colour, i find it prettier than females.
is it really worth it to rehome it? he will get very pretty imo x

[ronnieroach]

they're all starting to get some nips.. im @ 9 now.. i might grab a few more smaller ones but i'm gonna wait a week or 2 before i make a move.

& as far as the crayfish (electric blue) goes, from what i was told at my local shop they can live w/ cichlids w/ no problems. an oscar would probably eat him though lol i have read that they are known to snag a sleeping fish but mine seems to stay to himself, even w/ 2 of my fish that i know sleep on the bottom.

& the best part is that everything he climbs he falls off of cause he weighs too much haha

[ronnieroach]

electric blue.. dude loves algae wafers

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

lol silly crayfish :L
if u are getting nips, as i found more hiding places, daily feeding and more females per male helps control aggression.
what is the orange dotty one on the left? its BEAUTIFUL! x

[ronnieroach]

i know its a peacock cichlid.. im pretty sure its a rubescens or a fire blood.. i love him!! such awesome purple / blues when its at the right angle!!

i also have a flameback who is straight up silver lol im PRAYING the color pops soon.. when hes nervous/angry i can see the reds/yellows but hes under 3 inches & still muted.

NEW PLANTS ADDED .. gonna swap out 2 of the lighter plants for darker ones on payday .. ALL COMIN TOGETHER!!!!

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

great setup! the stones look perfect for the cichlids!
i see a baldy patch in the gravel, is that from a fish digging a pit? if it is, i have good news.......

[ronnieroach]

the piece in front of the rocks is just a slate piece i threw in as a door mat type deal lol

they ARE however doing a lot of the burrowing / digging in the caves.. my peacocks mainly.. but im worried that if they lay eggs my crayfish will eat them

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

if they lay eggs the female will immediately carry them in her mouth, peacocks are mouthbrooders and she will protect/incubate them til she spits them or you strip them

[ronnieroach]

that is AWESOME!!! it really is a gorgeous fish so i would be so stoked to have that happen.

any way to know for sure?

& could it be that she just digs diggin craters?? LOL

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

they do generally dig craters, its to make themselves more comfy. buuut, the more comfy and happy the are then the more they will want to breed!
the way to know for sure is if a male shimmys to a female (vibrates mid-water) and tries to 'lure' her to his territory. the rest is their business

with your stocking, fry are unlikely to be purebreds with all the mixes. would be very lucky otherwise!! so selling to a lfs may not be an option.
have any shimmy dances occured? xx

[ronnieroach]

well i have 2 peacocks & i've seen some mild shimmying in the tank from time to time so who knows lol

i also have this silver & black one that is almost identical to a venestus but w/ an all black face & spots, & an all silver body.. are the females this color or is this a different fish?

heres a pic, lemme know

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

ummm is that the fish u want me to identify? or is it a diff one with plain unspotted silver?
if that is it, try nimbochromis livingstonii, they have silver bodies and black heads, with all the nimbo patterns.
sorry im not getting what u mean :P

[ronnieroach]

yeah thats the fish.. hes hard to get a picture of.. heres a better one

[ronnieroach]

and yes you nailed it lol its a nimbochromis livingstonii alright