How do you tell the difference between male and female electric blue cichlids?

Description. The male electric blue hap sports intense blue coloring broken up by nine to 12 vertical bars on a stocky, elongated body. Females are silver or light blue and are smaller in size than the 6-inch males. Both males and females have orange, red or yellow markings on the anal fin.

How big do Maingano cichlids get?

The Maingano Cichlid is elongated with a rounded snout and a continuous dorsal fin. They have incisor-like teeth that are closely spaced, designed for feeding on aufwuchs in nature. They reach just under 3″ (7.5 cm) in length in the wild, but can get a bit bigger in the aquarium reaching just under 4″ (10 cm).

How can we identify male and female fish?

You can determine the sex of your fish by inspecting its gonads (reproductive organs), which are located towards the top of the gut cavity. Mature female fish will have orange ovaries and male fish will have white testes (see photos above).

Can cichlids crossbreed?

Hybrids are quite common in the cichlid hobby. Almost any Central American cichlid will hybridize with any other. Many of the mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi) will hybridize with each other.

Are Maingano cichlids aggressive?

General info about Maingano Cichlid The tank should have a sandy substrate, piles of rocks, caves, and areas of open water. These fish are very aggressive and territorial and are best kept in a species only tank, however, they can be kept with other Mbuna as long as these aren’t similar in shape nor color.

How can you tell a male from a female Demasoni?

Male Demasoni cichlids have egg-spots on the anal fin, while females may lack egg-spots. Males also grows to a larger maximum size than females. Stress coloration is similar to normal coloration but much paler.

Can two different cichlids mate?

Mating between cichlids from different drainage systems produced very diverse offspring combining the genetic traits of both parental species.” The so-called ‘hybrid offspring’ can feed on different things to their parents and invade new habitats — like swimming into deeper areas of the lake.

How long are fish pregnant for?

Usually, the gestation period lasts for 60 days. However, they can fertilize the eggs multiple times, because they store the sperm from the male for months.

How do you know when fish are pregnant?

As your female fish becomes pregnant, she will grow a bulge at the back of her abdomen. This typically appears over the course of 20-40 days. Does your fish have a red or black spot? Sometimes, when a female fish is pregnant, she will develop a “gravid spot” on the abdomen.

Do female cichlids have egg spots?

Most African cichlids have egg spots. These can either be subtle blotches or clear circles. Egg spots are used as a diversion method for predators. Certain species of synodontis catfish will try to eat the cichlid’s eggs while the couple is breeding.

Why are my cichlids kissing each other?

Mating. Some cichlids press their lips together during courtship. This may seem obvious to humans, but this behavior is much less commonly a sign of affection in fish. This behavior is nowhere near as common as the aggressive, “lip-wrestling” between males.

Can cichlids and gars breed?

Mouth-brooding African cichlid mating occurs something like this: the male digs out a cave (nest) for the female and lures her in by doing this silly fin shaking dance (there’s also a disturbing “kissing” version). She lays her eggs in the nest and he fertilizes them.

How big do strawberry Peacock cichlids get?

Adult Size and Lifespan The female strawberry peacock cichlid is smaller than the male, at about 4 inches. The male, when fully grown, can reach 6 inches or larger.

What is the Maingano Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos?

The Maingano Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos was described by Bowers and Stauffer in 1997. They are endemic to Lake Malawi, Africa were they are found at Likoma Island between Mbako Point and Membe Point.

Can you breed Maingano cichlids in an aquarium?

How to successfully breed Maingano Cichlid in the aquarium environment. Maingano Cichlids are not too difficult to breed in the home aquarium when provided the proper environment. Hobbyists will want to isolate a small group consisting of a single male and 3 to 5 females in a species only aquarium setup.

What is the lifespan of a Maingano?

They can live up can live to around 9 years. The wild colored Maingano has a body that is torpedo shaped with golden colored eyes. There are only two light blue thin horizontal lines on the body but with it also having two more thin lines on the dorsal fin, from a distance it can appear to have several of these thinner lines.

What is the difference between a male and female northern cardinal?

On the contrary, female northern cardinals feature a pale, slightly grey mask on the face. Both male and female cardinals have a wingspan of 9.8 to 12.2 inches (25 to 31 cm) with an average of 30.5 cm. In flight, the males are extremely red, flying or not, but the females show pale red undertails only when they fly.