Kezza

will be vigilant and get 2nd and 3rd opinions

cheers ears!! I'm 99% sure of their peratage.....he was pretty frisky!!

just striped 2 of my females - and now have a brood of 40+ healthy looking free swimming fry.....still aways to go just to make sure they are not a product of Xbreeding (parents from a mixed tank), but if anyone is interested in a batch in a couple of months time please just PM me your interest and I'll ear mark some for you, depending on interest will depend on the available amount I guess?.....I really don't want to get in to shipping them about the country so it will be on a pick up/drop off basis (West Auckland)....anyhoo...the offer is there folks - free of charge or perhaps a swapsies for W.H.Y.?

good stuff Dane!!.....looks like a mean set up mate.....just don't be tempted to get your spear gun out for target practice ! anyone know if Surinamensis (South American) and say Socolofi (African) can be tank mates?....I've got a few juveniles swimming about in my tank you'd be welcome too if the can cohabitant KeriBoi!

all good mate....the mating rituals have been very species specific but I've never seen the actual money-shot as it were......will defo see what comes of the 3 x females Redtops that are currently holding and will certainly make them available to anyone that wants some....what sort of age do you think I could grow fry up to in a 32lt "neon" tank.....I've had 15 or so P.socolofi go to about 3months with regular water changes without incident....should I be able to tell beyond reasonable doubt in that time frame if they are mixed or pures? might try and squeeze in a 100lt tank somewhere....I see this is a very steep and slippery slope!

hadn't seen this awesome thread before posting the below pics earlier today in a different thread - appologies!

thanks for that...really enjoying watching this hobby mature.....great time suck and a good way to give some lessons to the kids about life in general. anyhoo....I have striped fry from the P.socolofi, L.caeruleus and L.trewavasae previously, but have also just let nature take it's course and let them spit in to the main tank....last Socolofi spawn in to the main tank yielded a good 10 or so survivors(?).... also a few Redtop fry that amazingly enough made it thru the gauntlet and seem to be survivors swimming about in rubble as well. I was expecting a much higher mortality rate and could easily get out of hand if the current trends continue....in a month or so I'll break down the tank and get rid of all but the mature adults...agaaaaaiiiiiiiin!.....it's a mixed tank obviously and can't be 100% on perantage, so might just turn them in to tucker for the adults or send them down the porcelain roller coaster rather than chancing mixed breeding by adopting them out....would like to see them go to a good home or two - what do the experts reckon about the above? Currently have the 3 Redtop females in a separate tank and will strip them out in a couple of weeks, but I just don't have the room to go the whole hog at the moment....would certainly like to in the future thou. I like the idea of a male and female display tank but as I said before this might be getting out of control for the set up I have.....is there a way of ensuring they wont bred?....fish contraception? still pretty newb at all this!

just some recent piccies I thought I'd share.... This lad has been a busy boy....woke the other morning to find 3 of his 4 females holding....crazy action in the dark hours!!!

just wanted to say "thanks" to Tropheus for taking time out to show me his set up today...awesome doesn't really describe it....certainly something to strive for. Cheers Mike! PS...hope that Redtop male delivers the goods for you!

sweet as Ryan...thanks for taking the time!! so it seems I should get rid of everything but the Redtops and retire on the profits?.... :roll: re: the 2cm socolofis'....you are quite right I may have it wrong but there is a distinct difference in appearance (both in colouration and anal fin edging) ....3 of them look exactly like their dad and 3 look like their mother?....that is what I was going on.

thanks for that advice...appreciate it mate! I was told right or wrongly when I was setting the tank up in the first place that "over stocked" Malawi tanks tend to be less aggressive? thoughts?

thanks for that and you would be more than welcome to any excess trewavasae as they become available.....at this stage I would be keen to move 2 of the males if you are keen?....I'm planning on having a sort out over this coming weekend...got space?....lol

ok this is what Ive got in my display tank and need some advice/opinions about what I could/should do now that the fish are growing up and their 400lt tank is starting to feel a little "over crowded", although there doesn't appear to be any major conflicts and zero mortality (apart from a bunch of lemming style demosoni that tried to liberate themselves from the tank...grrrr....) and there is plenty of love going on with female socolofi and e.yellows holding regularly...basically I'd like to know what you guys and gals would recommend. I do like the idea of having mixed sexes in the tank rather than all male anyhoo....take it away please..... trewavasae (Redtop) - 3m / 3f - 6cms caeruleus (E.Yellows) - 2m / 4f - 6cms greshakei (Ice Blue) - 7 - 5cms (hard to sex - any clues?) demasoni - 1m / 1f - 3cms (had more but they seem to like jumping out of the tanks - stoopid fish) Socolofi - 2m / 4f - 6cms Socolofi - 3m / 3f - 2cm (juveniles from a successful spawn) borleyi (Kadango) - 3m / 3f - 6cms In my daughters 32lt tank OB Peacock (Hybrid) - 15 fry - 1 cm Depending on advise I receive, I except there might be a few spare cichlids looking for new homes.

first off....happy new year! Took the kids out to Butterfly Creek (Mangere, Auckland) yesterday and to my surprise there was one big 'ef-off African display tank set up with all manner of species - t'was truly awesome..... if you haven't seen it and you get the chance, just do it! Anyone know the specifications of the tank?? Impressive!!

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/the-crafty-catfish-kidnap/4424540/ cool online clip

those are my newbie thunks as well Lynn....when the conditions are right they do their thang!! also happened to stumble across 3 Redtop females at Jansen's (3 Kings) this morning that just had to come home with me....very helpful and friendly bunch down there as it happens so have introduced them to the tank and all is good with the world. Was also given a bunch of "Marble Peacock" fry which are in my holding tank and doing well...mostly hugging the substrate but most are also going for the odd swim about the joint.....I don't know much about these....any advise appreciated?

thanks for info....appreciate it! a couple of my P.socolofi have bred successfully and the females would be no bigger than 5cms.

thanks ladies and gents..... I think what spurred on a hefty dose of "getting jiggy" with it in the tank over the last 24 hours is yesterday I broke the tank down and got rid of all the brown algae that had formed on the schist and rearranged the rock work plus a good o'l 50% water change...t'was like dumping an industrial size quantity of viagra in to the thing! As Afrikan said the TV didn't even get switched on last night...soo much going on!! Anyhoo quick question....at what stage do juvenile Africans turn in to mature adults?

Evening...a few pix of my tank inhabitants! A few of these are showing up at feed time?.....guess they passed the test of natural selection...good strong genes these suckers!!! Liking the way these huas are colouring up....striking! Dems getting down tonight! this fella has been working the room tonight!! still looking for a couple (3) females?...anyone?.....currently have 2 males, 1 female.....not good odds.....keen but always getting interupted!

Hollywood Fishfarm.....something like $10 each

thanks.....no catfish! should I?? and what sort? All of the fish in the tank often "graze" over the schist which has the brown algae...as per the pixs....I don't mind it and is easy enough to keep the glass clean, but if there is something I can/should do to not promote it's growth I'm all ears... Is green algae a better source of fodder for the little tike's?

thanks for all the positive feedback!! probably a newbie question that I've manage to overlook but the only algae the tank supports appears to be "brown"? is this OK for Mbuna? I'm using the tubes that came with the set up...one is "blue" and the other is "yellow".....ol' bluey is on pretty much 10-12 hours per day and I very rarely employ the yellow as the blue one really sets the tank off nicely from a aesthetic point of view. any advice appreciated.

cheers y'all!.....appreciate all the advice when getting set up a few months back! Hi ya Lynn.....they'd be around the 4cm mark i'd guess....and also colouring up nicely....will try and snap a pix or two this evening.....brilliant orange fins and dark blue bodies....awesome contrast!

hi all...managed to snap a few pixs of my tank and some of it's inhabitants the other night and thought I'd share 'em....comments welcome!! 300lt African community tank, 405 fluval which is keeping the water pretty sweet....30% water change weekly and all the tests are bang on! will be adding to the rock work in the next wee while just been flat out on other projects. someone was asking about these blokes a few weeks back? they are just starting to colour up and are pretty neat fish in my opinion. Anyone know of any 5-6cm fems available??? Mum Dad one of Johannes + Lynn's offspring....coming along very nicely thank you!!!!! from the reading and general opinion these fellas get pretty stroppy?....so far they would be even mellower than the E.Yellas? anyhoo...work to do.

A few weeks back I asked the esteemed panel here for some advice on a holding P.socolofi....anyway took all on board, convinced Ms. 3year old she didn't require her pet neons and returned them to the shop freeing up a 32lt tank.....nice! Moved mum in to the spare tank by herself for a week then did the ol' stripping technique....batter-boom....12 yolk sac attached fry swimmin' about the joint....nice.....put mum back in the main tank to recoup...she is doing nicely. anyhoo....2 weeks on and there are still 12 free swimming fry (4mm in length I guess) going about their business eating "Brian shrimp" (as their adoptive mum ms. 3 year old calls them) flake and all is well. so basically..thanks for all your help....appreciate it. now I just need another 20 odd tanks!.... :evil: ....it's a slippery slope!