electric blue cichlid breeding?

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

ok i was wondering what size my eletric blues have to be before they breed or become mature adult. i just today got two more electric blues one female and one male and yesterday i got a male also.

:feedback:

[piranha45]

surely by 4", perhaps a bit before then...

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

theyre about 3 3/4"

[piranha45]

make sure you feed em twice a day, and use a variety of foods, like guppies/bloodworms/pellets, and other than that, just have patience...

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

kool i just got a dozen guppies and i have pellets that i feed them regularly but what size aquarium do i need for the babys and what food should i provide for them (if they breed) i heard something about green water? any info would be greatly appreciated

[piranha45]

For the fry, a 5 or 10 gallon tank will be sufficient for 3-6 months. All my cichlid fry have subsisted on slightly-crumbled flakes. You could try brine shrimp too, if you wanted, but I think that would be a needless waste of time and money. Never heard of anything on this "green water".

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

wow thanks i have a ten gallon that i just set up today and i checked the ph on both of them for the first time in my life and the ph was 7.6... is that good for my fish?

[piranha45]

that's great pH.

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

oh and what are their mating rituals like what do they do i allready have my first electric blue as the dominant male but should i get some more females to make sure they breed? if yes i could get one or two more

[piranha45]

haven't bred the fish myself, so I haven't witnessed the actual signs. I imagine they will be swimming in close vicinity to one another for a bit :) Multiple females to one male would be a very good idea, yes.

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

oh and i have a question what is the difference between sciaenochromis ahli and haplochromis ahli?

[rollerboy244]

Haplochromis ahli is an old name for Sciaenochromis ahli.The species known for being the typical electric blue cichlid is actually Sciaenochromis fryeri.Sciaenochromis ahli is a legitimate species just not as popular or as colorful.A lot of references still refer to them as Sciaenochromis or Haplochromis ahli---what does it really matter as long as you are referring to the electric blue cichlid

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

lol well i was just wondering because people say they are different and some say they are the same but my haplochromis look more yellow-blue than they look blue which i dont know why and i thought that the reason for that was the difference in the scientific name which then led me to believe that that meant there was a difference in the color because the haplochromis at the lfs where i got mine have barely any blue on them and the sciaenochromis at petco are much more beautifuly colored so i just thought there was a difference!!!

[rollerboy244]

Sciaenochromis fryeri varies a bit depending where it is collected in Lake Malawi,check out Cichlid forum in their species gallery they show the different locale variants.Iceberg is the most popular ,i think ,it lacks a lot of the yellow in the anal fin and has a more prominent white blaze on forehead.Too me some variants seem more streamlined than others.
My Electric Blue was bluer at the local fish store,it was dimly lit with black background and filled with many males in about a 29 gallon tank.When i released it in my tank it lost the blueness,i began doubting it's authenticity and sex,it was about 2 ".But by the time he was 2-1/2-3" he started coloring up.It has been 6 monthes and he's about 3-1/2" brilliant with a lot of orangeish yellow in anal fin.He's the king of my 180 community tank

[riskistang]

As far as activity they are like married people but actually do it....they hang out constantly. As far as breeding them, you should try to have caves, clay pots, holes in drift wood for them to swim in and nest. They really don't lay in the open. To bring the freak out in your fish turn the temp of the water 2 degress 1 degree every other day. This gets them in the mood. If you have apair then it should work for you. I can set my clock to my fish.

[bluedempsey]

i have a pair of eb haps that breed like crazy!
i use their fry as feeders. :grinno:

[bluedempsey]

does it look like this
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/183MVC-011F.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/183MVC-011F.JPG)

[piranha45]

i have a pair of eb haps that breed like crazy!
do you catch the female and pry the fry out of her mouth?

[bluedempsey]

do you catch the female and pry the fry out of her mouth?
exactly :headbang2