what to do with the babies?
- Thread starter fish_chic
- Start date
What you should do with them depends on what they are. If they're not purebred - and by this I mean even if you're not sure of who the father is - then you really shouldn't let them grow up to adulthood. If you know for a fact they're pure, then you could let them grow if you like, but without a separate tank to use as a growout tank, most of them won't survive in the main tank.
Well, if you want to raise them up then you'll have to separate her or the babies will get eaten in the main tank. Because they're auratus though, you may find that they're hard to get rid of when you want to, since they're such an aggressive but common fish. Just something to take into consideration 
thanks for the help, actually i just went to feed my fish she has dropped the babies ( i knew it was going to be soon) anyway i can't see any of them but one who is tucked under a rock. so maybe some will survive but all well if they don't i know there will be more in time. maybe i will eventually get a grow out tank but i will have to wait on that.
Even then...without intent originally to sell them, they may still be dispursed at some time. What happens if you decide to clear a tank out years from now, and you've grown attached to that hybrid fish...are you really going to be able to cull it instead of giving it away with the rest of the group?
You'd likely be able to tell they're hybrids (or if not, post pics of them and get some feedback) once they get some size on them (1.5-2" maybe). Sometimes its hard to tell though, which is why its safer to just not keep them off the bat if you're not positive of who mommy and daddy is. Just my opinion
Sexing them as juveniles is difficult. With the fish you have, male auratus change colour as they mature, females stay yellow. You know obviously that one is a female, but unless you saw them actually spawning, you can't be sure of the other yet. Kenyi are the same way...females stay blue, males change to a goldy yellow as they mature. Red Zebras are hard to sex to an untrained eye, but typically males will have a blue tint to them (unless of course they're the natural blue males, then its obvious) Other mbuna are very difficult - like the labs. They're basically impossible to sex visually unless you see a female holding or a male spawning.
All-male mbuna tanks are an incredibly bad idea. Even an all-female tank may not work with the aggressive species you have in there. For the harmony of the tank, its really best to have a 1male, 3 female ratio typically for most mbuna species...any babies they produce often get eaten if left in the tank anyway, very few will actually survive long.
Sexing them as juveniles is difficult. With the fish you have, male auratus change colour as they mature, females stay yellow. You know obviously that one is a female, but unless you saw them actually spawning, you can't be sure of the other yet. Kenyi are the same way...females stay blue, males change to a goldy yellow as they mature. Red Zebras are hard to sex to an untrained eye, but typically males will have a blue tint to them (unless of course they're the natural blue males, then its obvious
) Other mbuna are very difficult - like the labs. They're basically impossible to sex visually unless you see a female holding or a male spawning.All-male mbuna tanks are an incredibly bad idea. Even an all-female tank may not work with the aggressive species you have in there. For the harmony of the tank, its really best to have a 1male, 3 female ratio typically for most mbuna species...any babies they produce often get eaten if left in the tank anyway, very few will actually survive long.
In theory, no, if you don't keep any of the babies the hybrid thing isn't an issue. You'll have to try and see how keeping one of each species works out...solo fish can be very unpredictable. They may co-exist fairly 'peacefully', or they may declare war on every tankmate they have. Be prepared to remove fish if necessary.