dunl

I've seen lab x zebra hybrids in two different places in Calgary, but only one was offering them as a line-bred all yellow lab. Pure bred, not hybrid. Pure something, but not "bred".

Nope, I saw them in Calgary. Funny thing, though.....although I was told they were line-bred, I haven't seen any on any more of my visits there in the past year. You would think with a product like all-yellow line breds, that you would keep pumping them out....if they really were line bred. Anyone else think this is suspicious?

Hey, maybe not....they probably have the same type of people working for them as the big box stores. But the smaller LFS sure as hell know what they are selling.....

I don't have as much of a problem with the wholesalers who are trying to sell these. The retailers should have a clue what they are buying, although I understand that places like Wal-Mart and Petland don't specialize in fish. What annoys me is the smaller LFS's who sell this type of hybrid, knowing full well that they are hybrids.

Oh, BTW, I just can't wait to see these as F1 or F0 "all-yellow labs"......

I have seen this fish in a "local" LFS, and was told that they were line-bred yellow labs. But I seriously doubt that they were line bred. If anyone was line breeding these, they would make a killing off them from all of us. However, most are making a killing off the unaware...which is all too common in this business....

I know I'm going to get nailed for joining this post, but oh well, here goes: Jen, maybe try posting a close up pic of your all yellow lab on some other cichlid forums, and see what you come up with. The general consensus, as mentioned, is that these are a cross between labs and red zebras. Here's how it works: Step 1: Take a lab male and a zebra female, or vice versa, and breed them. Step 2: Select ONLY the fry that do not have any black in the dorsal area. What colour are these you may ask? A cross of a colour between orange and yellow. Now at this point, most people point out that if they REALLY were a lab x zebra hybrid, they wouldn't be so yellow. That's what step 3 is for. Step 3: Cross the orangish-yellow fry without black in the dorsal fin back to yellow labs, and keep line breeding them that way until you reintroducte the level of yellow that was present in the first generation, wthout the trait of the black in the fins. If you don't believe this is the general consensus, check it out for yourself. As for line breeding them, it COULD be possible, but then again it might be possible to line breed rabbits with short ears if you worked at it long enough. Just my thoughts, Dunl Again: Don't trust me....check it out yourself.

He should appreciate your 260.

Can't figure pics out...will try when I have more time. Cichlid-forum has some pics in their gallery....

Nice try, J-ROC. They're called Tilapia buttikoferi . Here's some basic info..... http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10cichlid_buterkoferi.htm Very cool fish, but you need a huge tank, and I have heard of them killing off anything you put in with them.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever kept these, and if they have bred for them. Thanks, Dunl

I would go with a couple of tsp. for the 10 gallon......more than 1, but less than 5. Just to be safe.

Tom, I have sand in all my tanks, and I love it so much more than a coarse substrate. Just vacuum the top off when doing water changes, and stir it up a little - no problems. As for depth, I keep it quite deep in my 77, but that is for my own personal enjoyment. I like the fact that with 2" of sand in there, my cichlids can build hills and valleys ranging up to 5" in height. It's a lot more maintenance, but it's what I personally enjoy that makes it worthwhile. You just need to decide for yourself. I started doing sand for easier maintenance, and this is the only tank I keep the sand level higher. Take care, Dunl

Can't see it hurting them Val.....I wouldn't hesitate to do it. Think about it - how would you treat a fry tank with ich? I would assume just like an adult tank.

I usually try to stop feeding for a week before the next full moon, as a lot of the time, females will develop a fat deposit that can keep them from producing eggs. The day before I di a huge water change, lower the temp (so they think it is the rainy season), and throw in some frozen pink salmon from Superstore. BTW, yellow labs are omnivorous, not vegetarians, so this protein is good for them. This method works great with my other species of labs, as my yellows are still too small to breed....

No one else interested in swapping fish to strengthen your bloodlines?

Basically, the plywood and the glass have different levels of "give"; therefore, the glass may be aligned with the wood when empty, but becomes misaligned while filling under pressure - and cracks. I would strongly advise against it....but Oxquo had some plywoods that I don't think were lined inside. I forget what he used, but maybe you can PM him a question....

My father-in-law takes his koi inside every October, and puts them in one of those plastic water troughs for cattle (about 150 gallon). He turns the lights off, no thermostat (cool basement), and feeds them every week or two. The just sit on the bottom of the tank and hibernate like that for the winter - and come out in spring just as fat as they went in.

Anyone have problems with reflections....?

Gee, thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure what the wife would say.... :smokey:

Nothing I like better than going down to Gold's and snooping around, but my best visit yet was when I went to buy my C. afra mbweca colony - they're great. If Alberta hadn't mentioned them to me, I never would have known they were there.... :beer:

If you look at the store update thread in trade forum, you will see that it could be quite valuable for all members who may be travelling a distance to go to a certain store. I would like to suggest a forum called STORE UPDATES, with a section for each of the retailers that have been reviewed. More can be added as reviewed. Members would be welcome to post "ONLY" what is in stock at that store, at the time of their post. This would not be a place to discuss quality, prices, etc., although these certainly should be listed. With membership contributing, this could become a "live" area of the site receiving frequent updates......

My mistake, I meant comments. You're correct...the whole thread is not deleted. Unless it is completely vulgar, off-topic, and not related to fish in any way, plus breaking posting rules.

I've know boards to delete threads before, but only when using foul language or extremely offensive language - but never for a heated discussion. Locked, maybe, but not deleted. And never deleted with the impression that it is because of an individual's opinion on the subject not agreeing with the poster's. Asking for too much information from sellers would definately become tedious, time-consuming, and all-around detrimental. However, sellers should be willing to provide at least SOME information on their product, IMO.

Hmmm...great idea. I've seen many fish for sale in Alberta that are the same species as I have, but most that I've found are from Gold Aquarium, and have been bred by Dennis. It would be kind of nice to be able to get something from another bloodline that is further removed. When you think about it, as long as the bloodlines aren't closely related and you line breed, you should be able to get better results. So here's what I have that I would be willing to swap (all are captive bred): 1. A nubilus female. I got this one from Oxquo, and she is the only one remaining from the trio, due to my first round ever with bloat. I would have preferred if it had knocked off all my labs instead of two of this trio. Anyway, she's up for trade. Not sure where Oxquo bought her from, but you could check with him. If you have a male and another female I would be willing to keep her. 2. Labidochromis mbamba - I have a couple of these, all from Gold Aquarium originally or bred from that stock. 3. Red Zebras - Little Fish Farm in BC. 4. C. afra "mbweca" - from Gold. Haven't bred yet. Big thank you to Albert for suggesting these - extremely nice species to keep. 5. Labidochromis freibergi males - I have some extra, also raised from Gold stock.