breeding cichlids

[sushi*roll]

When I get batteries for my camera I will take a picture them, but for now..

I have 2 african cichlids they are both the same breed (but I dont know what kind), blue and black in colour. I'm very sure that one is female (she moves rocks around all time, creating a nest), the other one I'm not sure about, he/she does nothing special.

Is it possible I have a female and a male and they just aren't breeding because the conditions aren't right (ie too small of tank, not correct spawning temp. or something like that).

If so, is it easy to breed them if I do the things to make them comfortable.

If it turns out I have 2 females, would it be possible to introduce a male to breed with them without them wanting to attack him. (I've tried adding other cichlids with these two and they are very aggressive, but im wondering if it's because they were of a different species).

 

[SinisterKisses]

Moving rocks does not mean female. Males dig just as much, if not more.

You need to post pics to be able to tell, but without knowing the species, here's the best I can say. If you do happen to have a male and a female, bad news. I'm assuming these are probably mbuna, and mbuna are not pairing fish. They are harem fish; one male needs multiple females to help disperse breeding aggression. With only one female, he'll likely kill her.

If you have two males, bad news. One will be dominant, and the other subdominant. One will likely harass the other one to death. Mbuna are not a fish that can really be kept in pairs.

If you have two females...slightly better news. Females are typically less aggressive, but not necessarily. Again, two fish is not a good idea. Even with females, one will be dominant and one subdominant. One will likely kill the other.

And the worse news...these are in a 20gal tank, yes? Much too small for Lake Malawi fish, especially mbuna. Again, will need to know the specific species, but most mbuna need about a 4ft (55gal or so) minimum-sized tank.

 

[JRB__]

Hey sushi,
like kisses said digging etc is not just a female trait. My M. Interruptus is a black and blue cichlid and from what I've read its the male of this species that will prepare a nest/site and then lead the female back to it to lay the eggs etc. Does your fish look anything like this...?

 

[sushi*roll]

They look very similar to the fish in that picture

 

[sushi*roll]

Both of them have grown up together. My friend had a 100 something gallon tank with a bunch of cichlids, she and her boyfriend broke up and she got rid of her fish. I took 2 and put them in my 20 gallon (untill I can get my 50 up and running). They've been fine together for a couple months now, but I'd like to think about breeding them if i could later on.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Did she have them with other cichlids before? A 100gal tank is a LOT bigger than a 20gal tank and would make a difference also.

A 20gal is too small, so upgrade asap. Then add more, it's that easy.

 

[sushi*roll]

ya she had them with many other cichlids (all different species) but they all grew up together so that's probably why they weren't aggresive towards eachother.

Like I said before once I get my 50 gallon up and running I might try and breed them (depending on what sex they are, I doubt I'll be able to introduce any new fish to breed with if they turn out be both female/male), I'd really like to get a pair of breeding convicts again.

I googled lake malawi cichlids and im pretty sure mine are johanni cichlids.

 

[SinisterKisses]

They weren't aggressive in her tank because her tank was MUCH larger than yours and she had other cichlids in there to help keep aggression down.

Keeping them as a pair is a very very bad idea. You need to add more, or you're going to end up with one very unhappy and probably dead fish.