Labidochromis Caeuleus

[coconutman39]

i seem to have a female and male Labidochromis Caeuleus and i was hoping that they might breed. They are in my community tank and seem to do fine. Any help would be appriciated.

 

[TheeMon]

ok a question then, how you know there a male and a female?

also im told cichlids will pretty much breed no matter what so...

 

[vantgE]

yes from what i hear all you have to do is keep good water conditions no conditioning or water changes or such is really needed you should have no problem breading them

to tell sex i'm not sure but i had two and they were both about an inch when i got them now one is half an inch bigger so i think the littler one is a female cause i heard they grow slower but i'm just guessing the male is suposed to have more of a humpy party above his eyes the feamle will have a smoother shaped head, i think

 

[thecichlidaddict]

As long as you have a male and at least one female they are bound to breed sooner or later. Males are ready to breed at just 2.5" or so, and females even smaller. They are impossible to sex when young, but it gets easier as they get older.

 

[coconutman39]

ok a question then, how you know there a male and a female?

ok i know they are because one has black dorsal fin and the other not. This is what signifies, as i am told.

As far as size for breeding, mine are about 1.5'' each, will they get together?

 

[vantgE]

maybe cichlid addict could clarify i never heard of the black thing i thought those were only the result o different strains being developed accidently

 

[thecichlidaddict]

As far as the dorsal is concerned it is not a sign. Lab. Caeruleus without the black stripe is a different strain altogether. As a general rule males tend to have darker bottom fins (most notably the pelvic fins) then the females, but this is by no means a reliabl method either, this is just a tendancy.

 

[coconutman39]

im just going off of the other thread i started and one of the posts...its in this forum, its called im new at this. u could go check it out...i think its on the top of the second page or bottom of first. If they are 2 diffrent strains, that pisses me off. Stupid lfs.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Oh, and the one without a stripe can also be a hybrid.

 

[coconutman39]

therefore making it compatible with the non-hybred. o yea...one has vertical stripes and the other not.

 

[vantgE]

verticle stripes don't nesecarily mean it's a hybrid, it is again a different strain from what i hear the non stiped ones are more desireable, they also lose their srtipes a bit as they get older

 

[coconutman39]

one has vertical stripes and a non black dorsal and the other no stripes and a black dorsal fin...if they arnt hybreds and 2 diffrent strains...crossbreeding in the future? they seem to be in a follow one another around mood.

 

[vantgE]

they are not real strains such as they have in guppies just a result of amateur hobbysist inbreeding them it is fine and most likely beneficial for these to breed don't worry

 

[coconutman39]

ok good...so i should eventualy expect eggs?

 

[thecichlidaddict]

If they are male and female then I'm sure they'll breed readily enough. Mbuna in general don't hold back.