Will Cyrtocara moorii eat older fry/juveniles?

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Seedy J

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Aug 20, 2018
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Colorado, USA
I've got a female Cyrtocara moorii in an otherwise all-male Lake Malawi tank (thought she was a dude when I bought her) who is holding fry in her mouth. Her last batch of fry is in a separate tank (20g), and they're a few months old and about an inch long now. There are about 20 of them.

If I move mama fish into the 20g, will she start eating the older fry/juveniles after she spits out the fry she's holding?

I have other tanks but don't think I can move the fish around.
 
At 1" I doubt it, but I suppose anything is possible. How large is the female?
 
Imo in a large enough tank, especially with structure or hiding spots in the tank, it's typically not a problem. But unless she's small herself, all bets are off in a 20 gal, making it hard to predict. Realizing you may not have them available, ime a 55 or 50, or probably something like a 40 long, can work in that scenario.
 
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The female is about 6-7". She's been in the 20g with the other juveniles for nearly a week now. This morning I found a couple of dead fry in the tank. Looks like she spit them out overnight, and their older siblings beat them up. I'll have to try something else.

Anyone have experience keeping keeping paratilapia polleni with Malawi cichlids? I've got 4 of the polleni in a 40b (biggest one is about 7", the others are half that size). Could I keep them temporarily in a 55g with my 8 Malawi cichlids, and move the female into the 40b?

I was hoping to avoid getting more tanks, but I think I'm going to have to pick up another 10g either way. My strawberry peacock (which was sold to me as a male) appears to be holding fry as well.

I've got no space for all these fish and they're hybrids so I doubt anyone else will want them. At this rate, most of them are probably just going to end up as snacks for my crenicichla lenticulata.
 
Don't know how many tanks you have, just going by what you've posted so far, but overall it sounds like you're dealing with undersized tanks for the number and size of your fish. Not to be critical, but given such constraints there's no good answer, really, which could be why you haven't had a response for a few days. It's easier to keep multiple species, even to overstock some, in fewer but larger tanks. You can do a lot more with a single 75 gal, for example, than you can do with a bunch of small tanks. Even a single, crowded 75 with haps, peacocks, and an odd addition or two gives you much more flexibility and gives fish more room to move and flourish than multiple tanks that are just too small-- when you go into a fish store and see a bunch of small tanks it's for the economics of it, not a good long term plan.

Don't know how much breeding experience you have, at first just getting any fry at all, hybrid or not, can be cool and educational regarding the process itself, how to set things up, etc. But the value of hybrid fry is minimal beyond that-- or zero to enthusiasts, veteran breeders, etc., except maybe as live food for other fish. It can be a first step in the learning curve, leading to successfully breeding pure species. Breeding true species is the more rewarding stage as a hobbyist and isn't difficult with Malawi species. Obtaining species you really want, then getting and raising fry, or ultimately selecting breeders from fish you bred yourself is rewarding. And if you're in the right area, have access to fish clubs, etc. you might make a little money at it. Not many get further than an old fishkeepers proverb: How do you make a small fortune as a fish breeder? Start with a large fortune, but it's not unrealistic to be able to trade around some, sell some and use the money toward a new species you're interested in, etc.

Not much value for hybrids is true for most fish and especially true with African cichlids. Malawi cichlids are notorious for hybridizing, though it is possible to breed more than one hap/peacock species in the same 75 (or larger) tank if the male/female numbers and ratios are favorable and species are distinct enough in color, etc. Breeding is even easier in a species tank, in which case a 55 is workable for many, though not the larger growing, Malawi species.

A great setup for multiple generations or species of fry in my opinion and experience is a 55. Normally not hard to find standard aquarium dividers for 55s, then you can use them to separate species, or generations of a species until the smaller ones reach enough size. You can add, move, or remove dividers easily enough, and then you have the advantages of better water volume and filtration, easier water maintenance, and more flexibility vs small tanks. I did this for years, raised thousands of hap/peacock fry that way over maybe 18 years, moving them into larger tanks as needed, before trading, selling, etc, all in a fairly small home breeding operation. A 40 long would let you do something similar.

I realize you many not immediately be able to run out and reconfigure your whole operation, I'm just suggesting what will be more practical, flexible, and less of a constant dilemma than what you've got going now, also steps toward becoming a successful breeder.
 
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