Is it possible for these two to breed

[Tj203]

I have A female duboisi cichlid and a male venustus cichlids. They were in the corner doing the mating dance. Is it possible for them to have babies or are they just confused

 

[Deadeye]

With no experimental data to back this up, I would think that the genus separation and the fact that both are from 2 different lakes makes successful breeding pretty unlikely.

 

[Tj203]

With no experimental data to back this up, I would think that the genus separation and the fact that both are from 2 different lakes makes successful breeding pretty unlikely.

I completely agree with you that's why I was very confused when they were mating in the corner. I could not see if she was actually picking up eggs or it was just a mock display but they were circling, tail shaking and picking somethingup with her mouth. Also I want to be clear I am not trying to breed them. I just walked by the tank earlier and saw them doing the dance.

 

[Deadeye]

They are probably just confused, many cichlids will try to breed with anything.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I agree it probably won't produce offspring, and is not uncommon for cichlids to try to mate with other species, or even inanimate objects in some cases.

 

[Hybridfish7]

They have similar enough breeding methods, so while they may try they may not succeed.

 

[coltiger1975]

I was only aware of Astatotilapia species which can be found in Lake Malawi and Tanganyika can hybridise, I do not imagine those two in particular can though I am sure they can definitely go through the routine.