Red Zebra holding... [Archive]

Jim2982

11-07-2007, 07:35 PM

I have a Red Zebra holding eggs. I didn't think they were anywhere close to being sexually mature, but her mouth is bulging, and I'm pretty sure I saw eggs in there the one time I got close enough without her swimming away. I have a 10 gallon I was going to move her to, is that the right thing to do? And then move her back to the main tank after she releases the fry? Or should I wait until it's closer to the end of the incubation period to move her? I've never had any fish breed before (except some kribs, but those fry were swimming around before I ever knew what was going on, lol) so any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!

kewlkatdady

11-07-2007, 08:02 PM

if they are full blooded...move her and in about 22 days you can strip her... or just wait for her to spit...

if they are not full blood, I'd leave her in the tank and let her "feed" them to the other fish in the tank...

Jim2982

11-07-2007, 08:28 PM

I have no idea if they're full blooded or not. I do have another red zebra in the tank, but I thought they were both males. Obviously at least ONE is a female. The one holding the eggs is orange with a bluish tint to her fins and the other one is all orange, through and through. Is that the only difference between male and female red zebras?

kewlkatdady

11-07-2007, 09:12 PM

I always thought the males were the paler...and the females are more of a brighter or more flourecent orange.

I have one of these fish, but its been awhile (like 15 years) since ive done any research on this fish...

but I think i'm right...

Jim2982

11-07-2007, 09:25 PM

I've been reading up on them for the last hour or so, and I've found so many different things, it's unbelievable. One site says the males are pale, like you said, and the females are a richer orange. Another said the males are actually the cobalt blue cichlids and the females are orange. Another said the males are pale pinkish yellow with blue stripes and the females are orange. And yet another said they're both orange, both have egg spots on their anal fins, but the males have a lot (4-7) and the females have few (0-3), and the male is larger and grows faster.

This last one makes the most sense in my aquarium. The two I have are both orange. The female holding the eggs has two egg spots while the other, much larger one (even though they were both the same size when I got them) has 5 egg spots. I'm gonna go ahead and move her and see what the fry look like when they start to color up. Hopefully that last scenario will hold true and I'll have Red Zebra fry. If not, I guess they'll get euthanized.

Is this acceptable? I mean, it sounds feasible to me, but I don't want to upset the general population here by doing something y'all might consider UNacceptable. Please give me some opinions on this.

bra8ndy8

11-07-2007, 11:21 PM

well if her egg spots are cut off...not whole circles..also the males will have more......and the males are a lot lighter orange! if u try and get her out....she will probably spit....and if u move her to tank hokding...she will more than likely eat her babies. I would get a egg tumbler.....and stip her......with a qtip!

kewlkatdady

11-08-2007, 09:50 AM

well my female has about 4 egg spots on her...I know shes a female because she has held before...

Brandy may be backwards on the coloration...the paler ones are normally to males...

I'd move her...in about 21-22 days if she hasn't spit...strip her.

If the babies are orange...keep'em and let'em grow out. If the look like some bastardized model...chunk'em back in the tank as food...don't just euthanize them.

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 01:25 PM

and the males are a lot lighter orange!...............can you not read Kewl????? Paler= lighter!!

kewlkatdady

11-08-2007, 01:49 PM

sorry I thought I saw brighter...

BRANDY IS CORRECT!!!!!

:rolleyes:

Jim2982

11-08-2007, 01:57 PM

Lol. OK, so move her to the other tank and keep orange babies, and if they're some mix with another fish then dump em in the main tank as feeders. Gotcha.

Oh, and a question for Brandy. Do you really talk the way you type? With all those exclamation points, it seems like you yell everything! ;) hehe Crap...you're probably gonna yell at me now, huh? lol

biggin

11-08-2007, 02:00 PM

If you lived up in BFE East you would get excited when you get to talk to someone you are not related to....

Oh, and a question for Brandy. Do you really talk the way you type? With all those exclamation points, it seems like you yell everything! ;) hehe Crap...you're probably gonna yell at me now, huh? lol

Jim2982

11-08-2007, 02:07 PM

LOL Biggin. Good call.

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 03:07 PM

sorry I thought I saw brighter...

BRANDY IS CORRECT!!!!!

:rolleyes:

love it when a man admits that!! ohh yeah jim I talk like that!! very excited and have to get my pt across!! chris makes fun of me for my overly punctuation! can't help it...lol!!

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 03:09 PM

If you lived up in BFE East you would get excited when you get to talk to someone you are not related to....

I could be like the people in the metroplex...and flip u the bird.....and ACT like I'm better than everyone!

Jim2982

11-08-2007, 03:36 PM

If everyone in the metroplex is flipping a bird, isn't it gonna get dizzy? <rimshot> I know I know, dumb. Can't help myself. ;)

biggin

11-08-2007, 03:42 PM

Wait a min.... aren't you the one who will not travel? and act like your better then us up there in BFE....

I could be like the people in the metroplex...and flip u the bird.....and ACT like I'm better than everyone!

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 03:54 PM

better than everyone???? ok!! but I have gotten fish from 5-6 people on this forum! so shhhhhhh if u don't know what ur talking about...and just being mean!

biggin

11-08-2007, 04:37 PM

How many G2Gs have you been to?

rolloffhill

11-08-2007, 04:46 PM

I know who have been to all 3....:D

kewlkatdady

11-08-2007, 05:20 PM

I'm 2 of 3...and get extra credit for hosting one...

so really I'm 3/3 also...

man I have twisted rationality, but hey...it works.

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 05:21 PM

who cares how many gtg I have been to!! I have four kids....which is a bigger responsibility and their plans are more important! I didn't think that was a must do to be part of this forum.

poel_19

11-08-2007, 05:41 PM

other people have kids and make it............

kewlkatdady

11-08-2007, 05:48 PM

:wha::wha::wha:

who cares how many gtg I have been to!! I have four kids....which is a bigger responsibility and their plans are more important! I didn't think that was a must do to be part of this forum.

rolloffhill

11-08-2007, 06:02 PM

x2 :wha:

bra8ndy8

11-08-2007, 09:33 PM

Well yeah for them leaving them at home while they go out and party....umm I'm not that kind of parent!

kewlkatdady

11-08-2007, 09:37 PM

:wha::wha::wha:
Well yeah for them leaving them at home while they go out and party....umm I'm not that kind of parent!

biggin

11-09-2007, 09:37 AM

Not a requirement, just giving you a hard time....

who cares how many gtg I have been to!! I have four kids....which is a bigger responsibility and their plans are more important! I didn't think that was a must do to be part of this forum.

fatfutures

11-09-2007, 10:14 AM

The males are paler? Holy crap! This means that Billy Bad-Ass is a GIRL?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/1935246004_0a292059fc.jpg

kewlkatdady

11-09-2007, 11:32 AM

the amount of egg spots makes me think that is a male...but to the best of my the males are generally paler...
so I don't freakin know...

bra8ndy8

11-09-2007, 02:10 PM

michelle that is a male! does he have a female? no prob blake.....I know u were just being a pain in my ass!!!! I'm use to it....I have a husband!!!

fatfutures

11-09-2007, 02:29 PM

No Brandy, we are trying to keep this tank female free. Besides, he's already the bully of the tank, can't imagine what a beast he'd be if he had a "girlfriend".

So, you mean the females are darker than this?

Jim2982

11-09-2007, 04:00 PM

OK, should I put gravel and a couple larger rocks in the 10g for the holding female or just leave it bare? Also, I noticed today that one of my peacock females is holding also. Is it safe to put them both in there together?

kewlkatdady

11-09-2007, 04:22 PM

If you put rocks in the 10, one of them (probably the zebra since its Mbuna) will claim territory whoop the shit out of the other one.

I'd leave it bare. But I'd wait a couple of weeks before moving either one of them. They will normally spit in about 25 days. So pull them at around 20 days and you should be fine.

The females generally will not eat until a few days to a week before they are going to spit. When you see one start eating...pull her.

Jim2982

11-09-2007, 04:41 PM

10-4, pull the eater and leave it bare. Thanks.

Misty

11-11-2007, 08:53 PM

I have one that's holding right now too. Like you, I didn't think they were mature enough but I saw the eggs and she keeps "puffing" them.

The only difference I see between the two is that the male has stripes, darker orange stripes, not brighter. The stripes that my present male has are found on younger males, but it's not anything to swear by, some have them and some don't.
They have the same amount of egg spots and are the same shape, but they're still young. I wish I could get pics but these fish go into a frenzy when anyone comes near the tank and all I can get are fuzzy streaks.

I've had these in the past and I know that the females will be a bit taller from top to bottom when you look from the side...rounder, I guess. The males will possibly develop a beautiful bluish tint to their fins. Actually, this is more common in full blooded fish than not and the females get the same but not as much as him.

Here's something for you to look at, this is Dozer and Delilah. These were my first pair and they weren't happy unless they had eggs in the pocket, lol. Dozer's on the bottom. (I miss these two terribly)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/EmBeeTM/Photos/DozerDelilah.jpg

Oh, and I haven't been to a G2G either...so there!:brandy:

Jim2982

11-11-2007, 09:11 PM

Well see the one holding the eggs has the bluish tint and the other one doesn't. Other than that, the holder has less egg spots and is substantially smaller even though I got the both at the same time and were both the same size then. Those are the only differences I can see. Anyway, I can't tell if it's still holding eggs anymore anyway. My peacock definitely is, I can see her tumbling them still and she hasn't eaten for a week or so. The Red Zebra started eating so I moved it to a 10g tank. It dug a kind of hole in the substrate under a rock but never goes under there that I see. It's always swimming around out in the open. Maybe I was imagining it. Who knows. Maybe she spit the fry out in the big tank and I didn't notice? Guess I'll leave it in the 10g for a while and see what happens.

Dozer and Delilah are beautiful fish, btw. Great job raising them Misty! ;)

bra8ndy8

11-12-2007, 12:00 AM

Perfect pics of male and female!!! That is what they are suppose to look like Jim!! Sometimes the males even get lighter....some almost white with the blue tint. And Misty.....I guess we will have to go together....ONE DAY!

Jim2982

11-12-2007, 03:34 PM

Well mine is definitely not holding eggs anymore. She must've spit them out in the aquarium before I moved her. :( She's been picking up the substrate in the 10g I moved her to and spitting it out at the glass. It's really funny. Oh well. Guess I'll wait on my other female holding. I thought it was a female peacock. Now I'm not so sure. The body shape is more like my Hap.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1117.jpg (http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa171/Jim2982/Africans%20as%20juveniles/DSCN1117.jpg)
Of course, I originally thought that Hap was a peacock. What the hell do I know? I've learned that I don't know much, lol. Hopefully I'll actually get to see her fry and then we'll see!

biggin

11-12-2007, 03:39 PM

That is what this is for...

Nice pic.

Of course, I originally thought that Hap was a peacock. What the hell do I know? I've learned that I don't know much, lol. Hopefully I'll actually get to see her fry and then we'll see!

kewlkatdady

11-12-2007, 03:41 PM

the fish in the pic is the one holding?

that fish is still looking for like a peacock than a fryeri (blue ahli), but without being able to see it in person...it really could go either way.

that fish shouldn't be holding...(its a male)

bra8ndy8

11-12-2007, 04:33 PM

Yes that fish is definatly a male!! Umm and about the hole digging "female" as you call it....ummm not so much. Males do the clearing out, not the females. I think you have a bi sexual!! LOL

Jim2982

11-12-2007, 07:15 PM

Dammit! Well I don't know what I saw then with the Red Zebra. And no, the blue fish in the pic isn't holding. I have a brown female holding and I'm hoping the blue fish is the father.

bra8ndy8

11-12-2007, 07:25 PM

LOL we were getting worried when we thought you thought the Blue was the mother!

Jim2982

11-12-2007, 08:43 PM

My point with the pic of the blue fish was that I thought the brown female was a peacock, as I also thought the blue fish was a peacock. I've been informed that the blue fish is a haplochromis, and the brown female has the same body shape. Although, I'm still not sure if the female is a hap or a peacock. And since I have the blue hap and a sunshine peacock in the tank, I'm curious to see what the fry look like. Then I'll know if the female is a hap or peacock. Of course, I guess they could have cross bred, right? Geez, I'm giving myself a headache. Bed time.

bra8ndy8

11-12-2007, 09:16 PM

LMAO!!! Haps and peacocks.....are on the same shape scale..and hard to tell apart. The Electric blues female should be more silver....I'll try and get a pic of mine ( I have 5) or you can google them. But he is a very BEAUTIFUL FISH! One of my favorites!! I have 3 males right now!

Jim2982

11-12-2007, 10:14 PM

Well I really hope he's the father. He's definitely the most colorful fish in my aquarium. The female's got kind of a silvery cast in the light, but she looks brown with the lights out or under the rocks.

fishyjoe24

11-21-2007, 11:56 PM

he bisexual, there is actualy a fish that can change it sex. i'll do a search it was talked about on miami ink when a guy was geting a fish tattoo.

biggin

11-22-2007, 12:02 AM

Lots of fish can change sex....

Happens a lot in live bearers.

I have seen it talked about in some cichlids

kewlkatdady

11-23-2007, 12:12 PM

I've never heard of a cichlid changing sex...

I have heard of people making a mistake when judging the sex to start with though.

I have heard of sub dominant males taking on some the female characteristics, but never actually changing genders...IE losing his manhood.