Red Zebra compatible?

[Dekah.]

Hey all, I have a question for you African lovers out there. We have had a male Red Zebra for a few years now and recently we upped his tank size and decided to get a harem setup for him (he seemed bored). So we looked very hard and found some nice looking Kenyi girls for him. We watched close in the begining, just in case there was going to be trouble, and all seems to be well. Question: Is there any chance at all that these guys might breed, or are they totally incompatible? And if so, is there anyone that has tried this combo, or another with a Red Zebra?

PS. Sorry for the nooby question, most of my knowledge is in SA, not African.

 

[fsc46]

I would never mix breeds. JMO.

 

[straitjacketstar]

You placed one male mbuna with a bunch of other female mbuna and are asking if there is a possibility that they might breed.
What you're doing is giving the red zebra no other choice but to spawn with the lombardoi females. There's a very high chance your fish might hyridize since neither species has members of the opposite sex of their own species to breed with.

 

[kay-bee]

Why didn't you go with a group of female red zebras?

 

[Dekah.]

We couldnt find any definate females, unfortunately. They were either all very premature, or all females, but the risk wasnt worth it for us. He has proven himself to be highly aggressive to the males we had thought to be females, but just hadn't developed yet, so picking the kenyis was a choice made so we could guess with a decent amount of certainty. So, we went with them, and they seem very happy. I dont think we made a bad choice, and if they breed, we will enjoy the babies, if not...hes got some nice tail to chase.

 

[straitjacketstar]

Just make sure any hybrids stay in your posessio, should you decide to grow any out. That would be the responsible thing to do.

 

[gomezladdams]

Hybridizing african cichlids is really taboo in the hobby,youre not likely to get any positive feedback on the subject.If its working out enjoy your tank and dont worry about whether they breed or not

 

[Scotty]

As you can see this is an absolute NO, NO.
I strongly suggest you acquire some of the fish you thought might not be females and let them grow out. He will be the dominant male and the others will not show male colouring till he is out of the tank.
I also suggest you keep an eye on your lombardoi as some might become male. The males change colour, to yellow, at around 2-3 inches.
KEEP THE BREEDS PURE!!!!!!!!

 

[straitjacketstar]

As you can see this is an absolute NO, NO.
I strongly suggest you acquire some of the fish you thought might not be females and let them grow out. He will be the dominant male and the others will not show male colouring till he is out of the tank.
I also suggest you keep an eye on your lombardoi as some might become male. The males change colour, to yellow, at around 2-3 inches.
KEEP THE BREEDS PURE!!!!!!!!

Scotty, nobody likes an ass.
With folks who like to get worked up too quickly, yes, taboo an an "absolute no-no" it may be.
Some folks just don't understand why hybrids are so unwelcome. The dude's trying to give his red zebra female company. He doesn't want to take a chance of introducing any unsexed fish because he doesn't want his current red zebra to kill those possibe males. Breeding-wise, not the most responsible thing to do but I see no problem with his eventual hybrids as long as he's not planning on selling or giving them away.
What could be projected, instead of some condescending "ban him" by some self proclaimed "all knowing" ( ) member, is that it is natural for an adult male mbuna to behave so aggressively toward any male within his territory and it's not uncommon to let males "settle it themselves" in order to obtain females. If that means a subdominant male gets beaten to a pulp, so be it. If you can catch him in time, separate him, let him settle and trade him back, sell or give the unwanted male away. Maybe OP would feel a little more willing to give a same species group a try.

 

[Dekah.]

I wasn't saying that I was trying to breed them, or even that I was trying to breed them to sell them. I was simply curious if they were compatible or not. Quite frankly, I have been very happy with my decision, and my Zebra is 200% happier than before. I wasn't looking to be flamed, I enjoy this forum very much, but maybe I should look elsewhere if people are going to be so instantly judgemental. Next time, ask for clarification, before you begin acting so high and mighty, kthx.