Female growth after spawning

[Bobleflaad]

Hi,

I have a question, I read somewhere that Gold Saum (Green Terror) females stop growing after they have spawned the first time?

Can anyone confirm this.

I seem to remember the same article mention that this is a common trait for all cichlids. Is this also true, since my african Mbuna females seems to keep growing after spawning?

It just occurs strange to me that a fish where the male will get to around 15" have a female that will potentially stop growing at 5" or even less after the first spawn.

 

[ewok]

spawning is a huge resource spender... if you want your females to grow i think letting them spawn every once in a while will allow them to channel their resources into growing bigger, and not towards developing eggs.

 

[Toby_H]

I've kept and even bred GTs some... but have a lot more experience with Dempseys...

I find with my female Dempseys:

Young Females can grow at the same speeds as young males...

A female who spawns when she is barely old enough to spawn, will never reach her 'max potential' of size.

A female will grow at a natural rate, then while spawning will stop growing, then when stops spawning will resume growing at a slower than natural rate.

Females that enver spawn have the potential of reaching larger sizes usually only believed to be 'max sizes' for males.

I recently had a 10" female Dempsey.