soliver

I would say the fist ones are firecrackers. And i have no clue on the second

If she spawned with a yellow or zebra, would i be able to tell when the babies grow up. Will they look different? Cuz if they would i think ill grow them up to see if they did cross breed or not.

Also in the tank(210 gallon)....

2- Full grown wild caught severums

3- Electric yellows(2")

2-Male red zebra

2-Red empress(2")

1-OB peacock

1- albino eureka red

1-large male convict

1- Venustus(3")

The male(Yellow one) auratus is only about 2-3" and the Female(black one) is about 5. Is it possible for them to breed? or is there another fish in the tank she would breed with?

I was thinking that myself, but i did a lot of research and the females are yellow with black stripes instead of black with white stripes. So im still confused on whats happening. And as of now, its still holding.

So i was doing my rounds, feeding my fish and i noticed my male Auratus didn't come up to eat. So i started studying him a little bit closer and i noticed that he is holding eggs. IS THIS POSSIBLE?

I have been watching for the last hour or so and he tumbles them and he has a good mouthful. I have no idea how this is to happen. The female is only 2.5" and he is full grown.

Anyways....here is a picture of him, i don't have any pictures of him holding yet but in the next little while i will try. Info would be greatly appreciated.

When i do a fishless cycle, i throw fish food in. Which breaks down releasing ammonia. You could always try that.

You could do something like Rams. They love planted tanks, and there interesting to watch. Any other type of dwarf Cichlid would work. 14 is really small but you might be able to make it work.

Im very excited. This is going to be my first auction, and im picking up 15 more tanks on Sunday. Mostly breeders and a couple of fry tanks. Going to start the racking system and with any luck they will be cycled as soon as the auction comes around. Hopefully i can pick up a few good breeding pairs. And some handsome fish to go in the display tank.

Thanks for sharing. Im not sure if i could be that patient with my fish haha

They look good as always. Happy to see your enjoying them as much as the rest of us. Sorry to hear your going to have to get out of the hobby.

Well that clears it up. Thanks guys.

How does a fish become OB. Is it a breed such as a Ruby Red Peacock? If someone can clear this up for me that would be great.

:welcome: You said your tank was on order. Where are you getting it from, and how big?

What type of fish are you planning on keeping?

You could go with blue dolphins. They are very attractive and are a vibrant bright blue. You could also add acei. They are a nice purple color. From my experience, peacocks are going to get picked on by the kenyi. You could add some full grown johanni into the mix. They are blue and black. In the end, it all comes down to you. Go to the LFS and take a look. OB's would add very nice color as well. possibly cobalt blues.

All i think of is maybe its not there ideal flow rate. And you might not have the adequate food for them.

I live not even 5 minutes from the pet store. So im not too concerned about the transport to my house. More just why they are dieing once they get in the tank.

They started eating today. Small amounts, and i had to put it where they were(while distracting the other fish) but they ate. Thats all that matters.

The only other fish are my Black Kuhli Loaches (very small, eel-like) which I am still trying to get out of the tank.

I definitely knew they were bottom dwellers that I could expect to hang around the bottom, but mine aren't coming out into the lighted areas at all. They just stay hidden in the rockwork

Just give them time. I find that most fish feel more comfortable in groups. Mine might be coming out because i have 20 other fish around the same size as them in the same tank. So they just kinda join the group.

You have many options when choosing Malawi's. I have found Kenyi's to be very aggressive. Make sure you have tons of hiding spots.

If your trying to sex your fish, there is a ton of info on the web. This is what i know of the species you have.

Electric Yellows- The males will have a lot more black on there fins. The main difference will be on the bottom fins. Females will tend to have a lot less or none at all. Males will also be larger than the females.

Kenyi- Males will turn the orange/yellow color while the females will stay blue.

Red Zebra- The only way i have found to sex these guys is looking at there egg spots. These are located on there bottom back fin. Anything over 4 egg spots is male. Anything less is usually female. This isn't bulletproof but works most of the time.

Ya mine are in my fry tank, because there still a little small. They are definitely swimming around but they love the cover of the rocks. I find buffalo heads are more bottom dwellers. Your not going to find them swimming with the rest of the fish. You will find they will rest on the bottom of the tank, and this is perfectly normal. Are they in the tank by themselves? What other tank mates do you have them with? and what size?

I got a couple of them yesterday as well. They have so much character. I love watching them. Nice pictures.

Ok thanks for all the info. I will do my best to acclimatize them again. Buy something cheap and go from there.

I know that its not just my tank im reacting to, i can't go in the ocean either.

I use tap water, but im starting to use half tap half RO.

The fish i bought were hand picked by me, and were looking very healthy.

Ya i knew the cleaner wrasse wasn't very hardy. I just didn't want to lose another $30 fish so i went with a $5 one.

When i was acclimatizing the fish, they were just laying there. There was no gasping at the surface, they(clowns) just layed on the bottom. When i first put them in, the swam around the tank for a bit, and then sat on the bottom.

The only thing i use to clean the tank is a tank magnet. I leave it in the tank permanently so i don't have to touch the water.

I have reactions whenever i put my hands in the tank so i try to limit it as much as possible.

The salinity in the tank is kept around 1.023. It can go up a bit when the water starts evaporating.

When i acclimatize my fish, it takes about 2 hours. I slowly add a little water at a time into the bag, letting them get used to it before i add more.

I can't remember the name of the test kit, but it isn't strips, I use the tubes. My readings are as follows.

Ammonia -0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate- 0.25

PH- 8.2

The types of fish i have tried are....

Clowns- I bought 2 when my readings finally leveled out. I got them and they died by the next morning.

Cleaner Wrasse- This guy was bought and lasted about 3 days. He ate the first day but after that he didn't.

Lawnmower- He lasted about 4 days. Got him for free at the same time as i got the wrasse.