# Baby Africans Help



## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Hi, my OB Peacock female had babies in her mouth (and a few which escaped and were swimming in my main tank). I set up a 10gal using water from my main tank netted the mom and gently squeezed her mouth to release the babies into the 10gal. I then put the mom back into my main tank. 

I have had baby Jack Dempsey's before and when this happened i put them in a mesh separator in the same tank and none survived. I'm really hoping that I will be able to raise these ones this time. There are about 15 fish 1cm long and I have so far fed them a few drops of liquid fry food and i crushed a very small amount of food to powder and put it in for them. 

I'd greatly appreciate any advice to help me keep these alive, I expect that they will look pretty cool because the mom is an OB and I'm pretty sure the dad is blueish purple. 

Thanks, 

Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*Pics*

Here are a couple of pics;

Day 1 out of the moms mouth:



















Hopefully it will go smoothly, I'll update the pictures as they grow

-Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*Parents*

Here is the Female;










and here is my best guess as to the male;










I have no idea what the babies coloring will look like 

-Blair


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## thharris (Jun 29, 2010)

The female looks like a marmalade cat trewavasae, where as that other picture is of a male socolofi. I don't think that those would interbreed.

About the babies about to raise some myself, last time the young actaly lived when they were in the main tank.
Sounds like your off to a good start so far!


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

With my yellow lab fry, I just use a breeders net and keep them in the same tank. I do however, use an all plastic one so no one can get at them. I also put some rock in there so the babies can hide. I have raised 3 different batches this way and all has worked out for me, then after about 2 - 3 weeks I put them in the grow out tank.

Your off to a good start! I am sure you will do just fine with the new ones. I use Hikari First Bites for them, for the first 2 weeks, then slowly switch them to other foods.

Congrats.


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

Rocks with holes really help them feel secure, but is not a necessity. Make sure that the pH in the 10gal tank is stable as a pH crash can take them down.
I use the holey rocks which serves both purposes above.

As far as food goes, you can feed them crushed pellets or hikari first bites. I used to feed them the small NLS pellets. Make sure to not overfeed. Feed little and feed often.

HTH


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks for the support 

I think that you are right about the marmalade cat trewavasae Thharris, I actually rescued this fish from my friends tank when he was on vacation and his family overfed his fish and his temp went up so high that 2 thirds of his fish died, luckily I was able to save the rest. The male was my best guess because they had been sticking very close, but I'm not certain at all. I have no other fish like the marmalade cat trewavasae and was actually pretty surprised when I saw the babies in her mouth. 

I have about 6 babies in my main tank with the mom so I'm curious to see if they will survive, my main tank is well populated so I'm skeptical but it would be cool to see them grow in the environment. If i'm unsuccessful I will try a plastic separator next time. 

The ph is currently about 8.2ish, and I'll make sure to keep my eye on it. The nitrates are also a little bit high because I was trying to delay a water change on my main tank when I first noticed the babies (I did a water change on it yesterday) but used the original water to fill the 10gal. The ammonia levels are fine and the ph is good for now. I'll just keep an eye on it all. 

I'll find some rock to put in there to let them hide a bit too. I appreciate the feeding advice. I think that that is a large part of where I went wrong with the JD's since I had the right food but it just floated through the mesh separator I had them in. I think the male may have sucked them though the mesh at night when they would settle near the bottom. With those 2 issues addressed hopefully these Africans will have better luck. 

I really appreciate all the great feedback, thanks!

-Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*Possible Father?*

I was wondering if anyone has a guess on a father, the pics don't do them any justice but here are a few of my 72gal tank.




























Thanks 

-Blair


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## catgoldfish (Apr 21, 2010)

Whoa!!!!!!! Blair love the tank!!!!!!! Great colours. One of those tanks I could stare at forever.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*More!?!*

As of tonight all of the babies in the 10 gal are alive and well. The PH seems stable, and they are swimming around exploring the tank much more. I also have the temperature sitting constant. I fed them every few hours in very small doses alternating between the fry food and crushed food and have seen them eating.

I had left a few babies with the mom in my main tank and I honestly have no idea how many there are. I spotted 3 swimming by themselves today in the tank but its hard to say. They make so many hiding spots in the tank I've gone weeks without being able to find fish. I think I have 6 clwn loaches, 6 pleckos, and 2 chinese algae eaters in there but I rarely can see more than a few at a time. I'm hoping that since there are a fair number of spots to hide that the babies in there will live too.

I think that other pairs of my fish are breeding as well, one may actually have fry already. It certainly would explain why my electric blue, which is one of my bigger fish got the crap beaten out of him and is missing scales. I'm going to monitor it, but I may need to pull a couple fish out.

So far so good though


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

catgoldfish said:


> Whoa!!!!!!! Blair love the tank!!!!!!! Great colours. One of those tanks I could stare at forever.


Thanks I appreciate it, I get catch myself getting memorized watching them quite a bit


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

The babies are moving around in the tank a lot more and are showing patterns much more clearly. They are all still alive, unlike my electric blue who died today . He got beaten up pretty badly by my other fish even though he was my second largest, i tried to revive him but wasn't able. 

I'll get some more pictures of the babies up in a day or two, everything with them seems to be going well though. They are growing faster than I expected . 

-Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Babies Day 4




























and RIP buddy










-Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*Is this mouth full of babies?*

I've had my eye on this fish for a while now but haven't been able to get a look inside its mouth. I think its packed with babies though, I'm on the fence about trying to net it and putting the babies (if there are any) in with the others. Also if i could get an ID on the fish I would appreciate it.










I had thought it was a male, but now I'm not so sure. Sorry about the frontosa throwing his head in the frame.

Thanks,

-Blair


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I was right, spotted a few babies near it, netted it and got 20 babies into the 10 gal with the other 16!!!!! I hope that they will survive as the water is slightly different, (i did a water change on my main tank last Tuesday and the water in the 10gal is from the main tank prior to the change). Water quality in the 10gal is still all good though, the new batch are about 1/2 the size of the ones from last week and are all hiding right now. 

I'll get some photos up later today


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

Blair917 said:


> I was right, spotted a few babies near it, netted it and got 20 babies into the 10 gal with the other 16!!!!! I hope that they will survive as the water is slightly different, (i did a water change on my main tank last Tuesday and the water in the 10gal is from the main tank prior to the change). Water quality in the 10gal is still all good though, the new batch are about 1/2 the size of the ones from last week and are all hiding right now.
> 
> I'll get some photos up later today


I think they will be fine. These fish are tough


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks I hope so, they seem to be doing well. 

They are swimming all around exploring the tank now and chasing after food when I last fed them. I've been feeding small quantities often as suggested and it seems to be working really well, the first batch have grown noticeably already . 

I tried to take some pictures just now but they didn't turn out very well, they look like the first ones anyways but about half the size.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I have a new batch of frontosa fry to go into my 10 gal in the next week or so and want to grow the first 2 sets of babies up so today I set up my 25 gal and got a new heater and filter for it. I'm not sure what i'm going to do with all the fish yet, but its fun watching them grow in the mean time. I took some new pictures (sorry about the poor focus) to give an idea of the growth this far, the coloring is starting to come in nicely.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Here they are as of the 1st of March




























The pictures don't show the coloring very well, or the patterns but give a bit of an idea at least.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

awesome looking tank!!! are those fry that you have...are they fulleborni...the female looks like it.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

thanks bingerz, the fry are hybrids. The mom is in a picture on the first page, i rescued her from my friends tank and don't know for sure what it is. I hope they will end up looking similar to fulleborni, they have different coloring and patterns and as they get bigger they are getting way more colorful.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

post some pictures every now and then. im a huge fan of fuelleborni...i'd like to see how they're colors turn out. are you thinking about selling any? 

i have some spots to fill in my tank and i was thinking about filling it with more fuel. but...i think i might add some acei just to add more color. it'd be good to know where i could find some uncommon patterns. right now...the only place that i know that sells fuellebornis are king ed's. if my laptop was working...i'd post a few pictures of mine. approx what size are your fry now?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

The larger batch of fry are about 1.5" and the smaller batch are just under 1", I'll sell some once they are a little bigger. I'm going to try and get some pictures that show the coloring better.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)




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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

My fish were hungry and begging for food, so I took some pictures;







































































I can't get pictures that show the patterns or coloring very well, but here are some. I think once they are a bit bigger it will be a lot better, also I'm going to change the food I'm giving them in a week to food with color enhancers.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

bingerz said:


> i think i might add some acei just to add more color. it'd be good to know where i could find some uncommon patterns


I've got a group of 6 yellow tails, i think one of the females might have babies in her mouth right now, i think that one of my fronts might as well. I'm keeping an eye of them and have a tank ready to put the fry into.

The yellow tails are cool because they stick together for the most part, you could always do both too. How big is ur tank?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

https://picasaweb.google.com/107001678310843365582/Mar4201104#5580462587902700626

Here is a video that shows the patterns better than the pictures do. I'll upload more pictures and another video in the next week or two.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I found out today that the larger batch of fry are marmalade cat trewavasaes, I researched them a bit and found that the male fish looks different and I have one. It is in a few of the pictures of my main tank posted a few posts ago. I'm not sure about the smaller batch yet though.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

thanks for putting up that video...you've got me stuck now!  damn, i don't know what im gonna do. im sooo tempted to pick up a few a your fry!!  i'd like to have a marmalade cat swimming in my tank. i've still got some time though...i'm waiting for the bacteria in my tank to grow so i could put more fish in. i took some water in for a test at the LFS last fri and they told me to wait before i put more fish in. that my nitrite/nitrate lvls were too high. i went to roger's aquatic today and one of the guys gave me a bag of some filter water to get my bacteria up. im curious at what my water readings are at now after i put that stuff in. btw..i've gotta 33 gallon. 

also another reason why i wanna get the acei, is i read they swim higher in the tank. my fuells and red zebra always get scared whenever i walk up to the tank. i figure if i get some acei's maybe it'll show them they don't have to be so freaked out. 

i've started getting interested in fronts too....but i don't have the kinda tank space for them. i've seen a big one....and i dunno. that's big! if you had a 30gal tank...and you housed like 4-5 of them fronts...how long would you say it would take for them to outgrow that tank?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I wouldn't put fronts in a 33gal, they are really cool fish though. You should get a test kit for your water and then you can check ur own ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph, and kh. Spikes are common when first setting up and a tank, so its a good idea to monitor them regularly. I use cycle and waste control in my tank to help treat the water and do water changes every other week. I have my ph around 8.1-8.2 and my kh about 220ppm, my nitrate and ammonia levels stay at next to nothing. 

How long has your tank been running? How many fish do you have in it?


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

it's been running for 3 weeks already. i was thinking about getting a that api test kit, but 30 bucks...i don't know if i wanna dish out for it right now when i could get it done for free. you got me thinking though. maybe i should.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

oh yeah...ive got 3 fulleborni and 2 red zebras.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

If I were you I'd get the test kit, then monitor the water and when the spike comes down add more fish. The kit will be helpful and last a long time.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

finally got my computer up and running. here's are some shots of my tank and fish.

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/member-photo-video-gallery-17/my-fuelleborni-red-zebras-13631/


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

ur tank's looking good bingerz!

here are some pics of the male and female parent fish today.



















here is my duboisi i was telling you about in your thread bingerz,










I moved everything around in my big tank today and took pictures of a few of my fish, the water hasn't cleared entirely from cleaning but not too bad 
































































I will clean the grow out tank tomorrow and take pictures after that. They have grown quite a bit.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

lol, my fish are all rattled that i moved everything in the tank and churned the gravel. They are all going crazy making new caves and nests.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

dang, why do you do this to me!!? i like that orange one!! my wife started calling me fuelleborni cuz im so obssessed with them! :lol: your fish look really nice! dang! keeping fish is soo addictive! my fuels are OB...but i don't see any orange just blotches...and i'm wondering, is this their color now....or is it just a matter of time/and color enhancing food....before the colors start coming out?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

My fry all have some colour already but as they get bigger their colour will get brighter as well. I try to stay on top of water changes and keep my ph and chemistry stable. I'm sure you will see more color soon, give it some time. You could always try different food to see if it helps. what are you feeding now?


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

im feeding them this hikari floating pellets...but im thinking once it's all finished, im gonna buy me some of that NLS food to bring out their colors. one of my fuells, the orange is coming out. it's not completely orange, it's splotched with black. but...i hope the orange comes out more. post more pictures whenever. i'd definitely like to see their growth!!


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Here they are as of today, the coloring is coming through more noticibly and the smaller batch are catching up in size.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

cool!! i like the orange/brown/rust colored one in the front of the shots. the other gray ones look like they have purple in their dorsal fins. i think im just gonna stick with the acei...tomorrow im gonna look for some, maybe pass by rogers and pauls and see what they've got. i bought more rocks today...and put it in....tried to make more hiding places. but...it still feels like there's alot of aggression in my tank. i can't imagine putting anymore fuels in here. im starting to feel like my tank is small. whenever they chase each other...it's like they run out of room to run. i wish they would just use the rocks i gave them to lose each other....they're all trying to swim all out in the open.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I think as long as you don't go too crazy populating it and keeps lots of hiding spots you should be fine. When you add the fish i would suggest adding a few at once at rearranging the ornaments in the tank just before introducing the new fish. That way the existing fish are all worried about making new nests and claiming their territory and are less likely to be fixated on the new fish. It also helps to give the new fish a better chance to claim their space and fit into the hierarchy in your tank more quickly. 

Good luck, let me kno how it goes


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I know the fish look greyish in the pictures but most of it is from how the light is reflecting in the pictures I think. I'll keep playing with setting and try to get some better ones. I am using a really good digital slr but unfortunately i haven't made it past the automatic mode, if anyone knows good settings in terms of aperture etc. for taking aquarium pics I.'d love the info.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

i just read your message and i just happened to do that. i bought more rocks yesterday and i put it in last night...and this morning, i bought my acei's at rogers. i got five of them. they're alot smaller than my original fish...but it seems like they're doing fine in there. i'll post up some more pictures later.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Right on, I'm glad it seems to be working. I think that you will like them! I saw the pic of your tank in the filter thread with more rocks I think, it was looking really good.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

thanks!! i took some pics throughout my tank setup and im thinking about making a tank journal....but it seems like alot of work to just sit down and type out.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I separated a batch of eggs today and am going to attempt to raise them, I have them in a shot glass in my 10gal which I filled with water from my main tank. It's sitting under the 25gal with the other babies in it.














































I hope the eggs hatch, i'll keep a close eye on them over the next few days.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

cool!! that's exciting! hope they hatch!! the tank shot above...what fish is that, dead center...blue body, yellow underbelly...pointing up at a 45deg. angle?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks bingerz, that fish is an Aurora cichlid (Pseudotropheus aurora). I got 3 off a member who was downsizing and they change in color a bit, around feeding time and at night they get really excited, turn really bright in color, and swim around like mad


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I dont think the eggs are gunna work, im pretty sure i needed to get a tumbler going for them , I'll wait it out tho


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

what's a tumbler do? btw...any recommendations for an autofeeder?


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

I think that the eggs are a no go, i think its called a tumbler but its a thing that uses air and "mixes/moves" the eggs constantly like they would be in the moms mouth. 

I'm not too sure about auto feeders, I've never personally used one. The ones I've seen have seems pretty straight forward, and some canopies have spots for them to be installed. If you find one you like let me know because My work shifts are about to get really crazy so it could be handy.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

*New pics*

They have now nearly outgrown the 25gal, I should let some go if you are interested PM me or email me at [email protected]. The color is a lot brighter in real than in the pictures.





































They range from about 1.5" to 2.5" 

cheers,

Blair


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## Lan (Apr 5, 2011)

Great thread. It was like reading a tank journal. I love your 72, it is inspiring. And I'd never heard of an aurora until now. Nice looking fish!


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks Lan, I appreciate it. Auroras are really cool in my opinion because of how their colurs change, both the brightness and mix of purple/yellow. The drawback I find is that sometimes their coloring is pale and a bit boring, but when they are playing/eating/presenting etc. the color gets really bright. I've never seen them in a store, I bought them off a member who was downsizing. 

I'll put some new pictures of the 72gal up in the next few days. 

cheers


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## Teresa (May 23, 2011)

Hi Blair917,
Love the pictures of your fish. Are they aggressive?
Cheers
Teresa


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## Trouble (Apr 27, 2010)

*You have some pretty nice looking fish. I am very suprised that the regular Cichlid people aren't jumping down your throat on breeding and making hybrids. When I started out with Cichliids and had them I was bombarded on why I should'nt be doing it. I knew nothing when I started, just that they looked so nice and I wanted them. I was going to get out of Cichlids, but still not sure. I have 1 left, a really nice OB and I am having a hard time selling it. I am thinking of now just getting more of them. Oh I have a green terror that I rescued, but would like to get rid of it. I think maybe you need another tank and make sure that each tank has the ones that wont cross, then you can have them all and get more. lol Then you will know for sure who is dating who and sell the babies as what they are. Is that an Auratus in there?*


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks, 

They are not too aggressive, they chase each other around but just as a game. 

There are two types of fish in the 25gal and Im not sure that they are hybrids the bigger batch are trewavasae I believe and I know are not hybrids and the smaller batch I believe may be hybrids but they are a bit small to tell yet. Yes I have a Auratus, I used to have more. 

I never intended to breed them, they just started naturally in my main tank so I pulled 2 batches out to raise to see what it was all about. Very fun and worthwhile!!!


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Here are some new pictures of the baby fish:


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## Teresa (May 23, 2011)

Wow!!!!!
They are pretty cute.
Love the pictures and thank you for sharing.
Have a nice day.
Teresa


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

thanks, and enjoy


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## MNP (May 4, 2010)

Looking a your photos I would suggest your first batch was Labeotropheus fullebourni. The male is striped blue. The female is an OB, i don't think its marmalade.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

The first batch are Labeotropheus trewavasae I believe, I'm unsure about the second batch.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

some new pics...


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

Hi; Looking good, nice pics. They look to be getting more colour. 

I hope I can get better pics of my fairy cichlid fry soon. They are still to small to get a decent pic, although i did post one to show just how small they are.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Thanks, they are slowly getting brighter for sure. I had a look at ur post for ur fairy cichlids, good luck on getting better pics. How big are your breeding fish? I have one fairy and that I've had 3-4 years and its only about 3 inches long.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Here are the parent Labeotropheus Trewavasae, 1female, 2 males


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

My fairy cichlids are about 2 to 3 inches, and less than a year old. I now have 2 separate batches of fry. They are getting bigger and will take a new pic this weekend. I estimate I will have 40 to 50 fry.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Nice, I'm sure you will be successful. I would suggest you put them in a separate tank use a breeding net to protect them. Good Luck!


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

The thing with fairy cichlids is that the colony as a whole protect their young. Even going forward when these fry grow-up and have their own fry the entire colony will protect the newest fry. At least that is my understanding. So far the adults seem to be protecting all the young ones. The only other fish in this tank are two 3 inch BNP which get chased to the other end of the tank if they come to close. So for now I am going to leave everything as it is with the exception of adding some more rock this weekend.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

That's cool, I hadn't known. How are they doing?


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

They are getting bigger each week. Some are still smaller but I think I had a 3rd spawn. The larger ones are staring to show the shapes and finnage of the parents. I will try to get pics soon.


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

glad to hear, i'll look forward to the pics


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## Blair917 (May 10, 2010)

Here are some up to date photos, not to many of the trewavasae males though;


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