Gender: Males and females can be slightly difficult to tell apart depending on the strain. Ideally it should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male and at least 3 females, although it will often spawn in the community aquarium. The occasional meaty treat such as mysis shrimp can be given, but use a lot of caution when giving any meaty food.īreeding: Not very difficult. Feed red zebras with commercial algae wafers, blanched vegetables, or spirulina to avoid any complications. Otherwise, they are very prone to developing Malawi bloat which is difficult to treat and often fatal. However, once the female has released the fry from her mouth she should be returned to the main group of fish, so that she does not lose her place in the group hierarchy.Common Name: Orange Zebra Cichlid, Esther Grant's Zebra, Orange Blue Mouth Breederĭiet/Nutrition: Red zebras need a high amount of green matter in their diet. It is for this reason that the other breeding fish should be removed from the aquarium so as not to cause undue stress to the brooding mother. If she is stressed she may spit out the brood prematurely or even eat the young fry. It is important that the female is not stressed during this time as she will not be feeding and will be somewhat weak from lack of food and carrying the fry in her mouth.
#Red zebra cichlid breeding free#
The female will carry the eggs in her mouth for about 1 month before she release the free swimming fry. The female will then scoop the eggs up into her mouth, during which the male which exhibits egg shapes spots on his tail fins will swim in front of the female and deposit his sperm while the female and the eggs are next to his tail fin. Once a female has been successfully courted, she will lay her eggs in the nesting site that the male has prepared. In addition to exhibiting brilliant coloration, the male will also aggressively court the females by pursuing them vigorously about the tank.īecause of this aggressive courting behaviour it is important to have a group of females in the tank so that the males overtures are spread out amongst the group and do not overwhelm a single female. When the male is preparing to breed he will exhibit very intense coloration and will choose a spawning site that he will then attempt to attract one of the females to join him and mate.
It is very important that the water quality is excellent and that the fish are fed a high quality diet consisting mainly of quality frozen foods with plenty of vegetable matter. It is important to closely replicate the water conditions that the Maingano Cichlid would expect during the breeding season, which consist of a pH between 8.2 & 8.5 and a temperature around 80☏.
The tank should be about 30 gallons in size and be furnished with areas of open substrate and a few large flat stones or slate. Hobbyists will want to isolate a small group consisting of a single male and 3 to 5 females in a species only aquarium setup.
Maingano Cichlids are not too difficult to breed in the home aquarium when provided the proper environment. Hardy plants that can tolerate the high pH of the African Rift Lake environment are also recommended for their looks and additional filtration properties. The aquarium decor should provide plenty of open sandy areas for swimming combined with plenty of rocky formations to provide caves and crevices for the fish to retreat to when it feels threatened. I managed to capture my Red Zebra and Yellow Lab cichlids (cross) breeding, and my pair of Cuckoo Catfish (Synodontis Multipunctatus) trying to get in on the. The main tank filtration should consist of a canister filter or wet/dry filter with additional water movement via a powerhead being recommended. In order to replicate the waters of their natural habitat, hobbyists will want to provide plenty of water surface agitation or wet/dry filtration to provide high levels of dissolved oxygen within the aquarium. Hobbyists can successful keep this species in small groups in smaller aquariums or mixed with large numbers of specimens in larger African Cichlid aquariums, provided adequate filtration and dissolved oxygen are provided. Maingano Cichlids are used to warm waters and high levels of dissolved oxygen within the water. Plenty of rock formations, rock piles or rocky caves should be included with some vegetation. In either scenario, a 55 gallon or larger aquarium is recommended with a substrate of either sand or mixed sand and crushed coral. Ideally, aquarium hobbyists should keep a small group of a single male specimen and 2 or 3 female Naingano Cichlids together in an aquarium that is either large enough to provide adequate territory or overcrowded with African Cichlids so that no single specimen can establish its own territory.
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