just looked up some pics of the champs and they look great, too bad I can't afford to upgrade from a 112 to a 220 or I would definitely go for it. any other rare africans in mind?
Need Advice on Breeding Cichlids
- Thread starter APAC
- Start date
If you had a bigger tank, I'd tell you to get some Tyrannochromis species. I know I would buy some.
I used to breed quite a few cichlids...Good selling fish are key.....I would try placidichromis phenichilus or fossorochromis Rostratus......For mbuna...demasoni always sell well as well as white and yellow labs.....
If you go with Tangs i would try some shellies for starters....
WARNING:::Once you start breeding......the tanks will begin to reproduce....and before you know it you will have a ton of them for fry tanks.
Definetly isolate the species and once fish are holding try to seperate the female with just a simple tank divider.....
If you go with Tangs i would try some shellies for starters....
WARNING:::Once you start breeding......the tanks will begin to reproduce....and before you know it you will have a ton of them for fry tanks.
Definetly isolate the species and once fish are holding try to seperate the female with just a simple tank divider.....
I was told by a local indy cichlid breeder-Nick, that I should stick to mbunas because people like the fish with color and I will be selling them @ around 1" so they need to be colorful when young. Is this a good idea or should I go with haps as suggested by the malawi sand diver. I looked up pics of juvenile and adult placidichromis phenichilus and they don't look like much when they're young but that shiny blue is quite stunning, I'll see how much these will put me back
well if you are looking for color early in life then mbunas are the way to go.....so white or yellow labs, demasoni, red top hongi, ect.....maybe doing just one group of haps to give some variety.....phenichilus and rostratus are pretty cool looking fry...i never had a problem selling the fry.
Its up to you....but sometimes it worth it to buy a breeding group than to grow out a group yourself....just depends on how lucky you are in the search for a group. Post some ads on Gcca.net and see what happens.
Its up to you....but sometimes it worth it to buy a breeding group than to grow out a group yourself....just depends on how lucky you are in the search for a group. Post some ads on Gcca.net and see what happens.
just discovered the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association website, such a great place for info on rarer cichlids. I read on their website that a member successfully bred champsochromis caeruleus in a 75 gallon, the dominant male was about 7" so I'm startin to think about doin this in my 110 but let me know if thats not a good idea. I have read about great selling, hard to find mbunas like the Pseudotropheus polit which sells for a lot of green. I am also considering the placidichromis phenichilmus. Are these 3 species rare enough?
Finally decided on the 3 species I would like to breed as soon as I sell the rest of my current stock: Placidochromis Phenochilus, Pseudotropheus Polit, and Petrotilapia "Chitimba". I plan on putting those in the following tanks in the according order: 112gal., and the Polits or Chitimba will go in the 72gal bowfront or 46gal bowfront. I live on the south side of Indy surrounded by several pet shops and I think there might be a lot of cichlid lovers out there, I've met a few breeders/hobbyists so would these be good sellers? Should I switch the substrate in my tanks to sand, I would hate to do so but let me know if what I currently have would be good substrate for breeding: 112gallon-med. natural gravel, 72gallon-mixture of crushed coral and puka shells, 46gallon-med. natural gravel. I can always pick some sand up from menards or home depot if needed, any suggestions on what to buy?
sand is always good or red flint gravel.....either way give the mbuna a few hiding places and a piece of slate to do thier thing on.....and you should be good to go. Just my preference but i would not use menards sand...i would get aquarium sand. Many people i know sometimes do not put any substrate in the tanks at all.....but it can be done either way. Sand can get caught in your filters which can make a hassle at times.....red flint gravel is a little heavier which wont get stuck in your filters....but if you use sponge filters you will be safe with either substrate you choose.
i would try to get your breeding groups from breeders....pet shop fish are often inbred and most likey the color and quality of the fish wont be as nice. Be patient and post some "wanted ads" for the fish you want.
The tank set ups you have should work great.....
i would try to get your breeding groups from breeders....pet shop fish are often inbred and most likey the color and quality of the fish wont be as nice. Be patient and post some "wanted ads" for the fish you want.
The tank set ups you have should work great.....
thanks, I shall be patient for quite a while longer, prolly around a month to get all of my current stock sold at a good price, only sold two fish so far for $75total. I'll be posting adds like crazy. Is Daves Rare Cichlids a good place to order from, they have the mbunas that I want but not the placidichromis, and shipping is $50 to Indy.
