What the Heck?

[myunluckyfishies]

So I found a single free swimming fry a few weeks ago and figured out quickly that the fish it was never should have been in there. I found out today that it has happened again! My red Zebra is carrying fry. The weird thing is the fish carrying is a loner. She is always chased away and has a stunted size due to being less dominant. Even new fish introduced have grown larger than her by about 2 inches! She is at LEAST a year older. Is this common for this fish? She never leaves the surface of the water and with a mating pair of Jewel cichlids in the tank that are also at least an inch bigger than her how is she doing it. Ive read up some stuff about the zebra mating and nothing they describe is happening. No wonder this darn tank keeps getting so crowded. I cant keep up, and as bad as it is I'm just allowing natural selection to get to them.

I apologize if my post makes no since. All I'm asking is whats the red Zebra mating supposed to be like? And why are my fish not following it? And maybe how the heck do I stop them? I could have sworn this female was actually a male based on the shape of it. (has that hump on top of its head like most males do, or so I thought.)

 

[Newman]

carrying fry in its mouth? im not very familiar with with cichlids at all, but doesnt the male also carry the fry?

Do you have other cichlids of the same species in this tank? If its only that one thats carrying the fry and the pair of jewels, then maybe the Zebra is carrying jewel fry that she stole? idk, wild guess but cichlids are crazy for caring for young...
But if you do have other Zebras in the tank, that changes everything. that means your Zebra is somehow mating with the other Zebras and you're not noticing it (maybe its at night)

 

[nanu156]

Hey buddy

The female mumba carry the fry. They don't pair, and males frequently chase and beat on females.

The Jewels are river fish from Africa, not lake fish like the mumba/haps/etc. They like their south American cousins are monogamous and egg layers.

I wouldn't worry too much that she is holding. She is cross breading with something (kenyi?? Yellow labs? blue/white/ob zebra? Something in there is fertilizing her eggs) she hides out and acts stressed because she is, with babies in her mouth she can't eat, and she is staying out of the way because a fight will mean that she has to spit the babies early to defend thus killing her young.

She may be staying smaller because she may be holding all the time. They hold for about 21 days and can go back to holding again I believe about a week after they spit.... Most if not all of the young get eaten which is why you don't see evidence of her broods all over the tank.

Hope that helps. If you have another tank you might move her to stop the mating and fatten her up some.

 

[nanu156]

They don't have a long procession with the mating, they swim in a circle and shake a bit then it's done. <5 minutes in total, I'd assume that you go out and about etc enough to completely miss it.