Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae

[BallardFishGuy]

Very cool.  I guess I better start doing some reading since I'm sure to have some females in this group. Thanks for the info.

BallardFishGuy, do you have any pics of yours?

Well technically I do but they are mostly dark and nothing to brag about (maybe i'll upload some later)... my males are starting to really color up especially the biggest alpha male. Unfortunately when I gave half of my 10 fish away (not enough room for all 10) I think I might have sent more female's than males along and that was unintentional and it's looking like I have a lot more males than females in the group from Donna.

Right now I have 5 fish and it would be perfect to be 4 females to 1 male but I think I have 3 males and maybe 2 females...only one is 100% positive female as she is the one holding. So I may need to move out the rest of the males less the alpha male who is mating... and let me tell you these guys are some of the hardest fish I've had to catch. My Rams will almost jump into the net not caring but these guys will dive into any plant and not move unless you can find them and flush them out.

The male aggression has been ok for now as Donna foretold...although with each week passing I can see that will change.:suspect: 

 

[cichlid-gal]

Ryan...I only left my mom with the babies a couple of days then I removed her to another tank to recover. Like Betty, I don't trust the moms given experiences with the mbuna. Maybe if you leave her you can tell us how long she cares for them and educate us too...thanks.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Ryan...I only left my mom with the babies a couple of days then I removed her to another tank to recover.  Like Betty, I don't trust the moms given experiences with the mbuna.  Maybe if you leave her you can tell us how long she cares for them and educate us too...thanks.

Sure will do!

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Well it's funny, been watching the female a lot tonight and she seems to keep trying to get the two lone fry in her cage (the spit ones from earlier today) and I thought several times she grabbed them but either they escaped or she is letting them back out of her mouth.

So that means either one of two things, she is trying to eat them :affraid: or trying to get them back in her mouth, either way they aren't going for it and they dart away whenever she tried to nab them. I'm perplexed at what is actually happening! :scratch: 

 

[Betty]

I'd like to know as well, but if you want to make sure those fry survive, it might be time to separate them. They are ready to start eating and mom could probably use the rest and several good meals before having to deal with those males again!

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Well I just couldn't do it, the two lone fry seemed to want nothing to do with momma and I saw them eating just fine so rather than risk it I'll leave them in the breeders net/cage for now and I released the mother.  I have been fating her up with lots of live food these last few days so hope that helps.

Next step is to get the tank down to the 1 male...maybe a project for this weekend.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Very cool.  I guess I better start doing some reading since I'm sure to have some females in this group. Thanks for the info.

BallardFishGuy, do you have any pics of yours?

Betty....just checking in. Has your group started spawning yet? The younger ones I kept back from the 2nd spawn of mine have already started holding in my big tank. The males vie for attentions from them. Alas...many females holding but no survivors as my 125G is just too big and has too many baby "eaters" and alot of flow I think. If I want another spawn from these I will have to pull another female to a breeder box.

 

[Betty]

Not that I know of.  I've been so busy the last few weeks and haven't spent much time just sitting and observing, so I don't know what's really going on in my tanks.  I had noticed a small fish staying down in the rocks during feeding time, but I couldn't get a good look at her? so I don't know if she was holding.  She was so small that she wasn't holding many, if any at all.    

I tried to get a few pictures the other day, but they aren't too good.  I might post a few anyway, later today if I get the chance.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Thanks for the update Betty. My babies have really grown...I'm starting to have trouble telling the babies from the parents in some instances...mostly with the females. The males are still a bit smaller than the adults but showing colors real well.

 

[Betty]

Mine aren't adult size yet.  A few of them are still quite small. All of them are hard to take pictures of!

This is the male that is coloring up nicely.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Look at that mug!!! great shot Betty. And super nice color on him. I'm waiting for a new camera for Christmas to do picture updates of all my fish and tanks as my current camera is just not doing the job. I'll share some pics shortly.

 

[Betty]

So after saying there wasn't any spawning yet, this evening I noticed a female holding.  I won't be trying to save fry, but I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she isn't being harassed.

 

[fishyladdy]

awwe i want some of these guys!! sooo pretty!!

 

[cichlid-gal]

So after saying there wasn't any spawning yet, this evening I noticed a female holding.  I won't be trying to save fry, but I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she isn't being harassed.

      

 

[Betty]

An update:  that poor female held for at least 30 days, so I decided to catch her and strip her, as much as I don't like to do that. I was worried because I hadn't seen her eat in all that time.  When I netted her, she spit the babies out -- eight of them, but two were in bad shape and didn't make it and one got away into the tank and I haven't seen it.  I put the other five in a breeder box and will see how they do. They had all absorbed their egg sacks and should have been eating.  I guess mom didn't feel it was safe to release them.

There was also a second female holding, but she released her fry into the main tank on her own.

I tried to get some pics, but they are too small and impossible to focus on.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Still going to say Congrats Betty. CONGRATS!

Sometimes I think the moms just are not quite sure how things should proceed. I'm glad she spit them so now both she and the remaining babies can recover. I know you know but if you have remaining males in the tank with that female, you might want to leave her in a box too for a few days to let her feed up. And yes, those babies are tinie tiny...very small when born. I fed mine dried cyclopeeze/first bites/really really crushed flakes...just a little at each feeding...one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the evening. BBS came a little later after they had grown a few days/a week maybe. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[Betty]

Thanks Donna.     Yes, I really like to let the moms' do their own thing and learn how to get it right. Sometimes it takes a little practice. I've had some females of other species eat carefully when they are holding and I don't worry about those holding longer than they should.

These fry were big enough to take frozen bbs already.  They've been getting that and some first bites mixed with ground up nls and I also leave a couple of nls pellets in with them.  They pick off of that during the day.

 

[Anonymous]

Now, that's hardcore fish keeping, you ladies are awesome.

 

[Betty]

Thanks fishNAbowl.   

Thought I'd add a few pics of the female holding.  If you enlarge the image and look closely, you can see the eggs.

A couple of the fry shortly after they were spit.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Awesome pics Betty...Wow.