New Red Zebras

[tgrogan]

I went to the new PetCo that just opened up and they had the best fish area of any big chain I've been to so far, including the PetCos in MD.

I went there looking for glass tops for my 55g because trying to take those other pictures really sucked due to limited exposure light. I have more lights, but the existing hoods made it impossible to use. While I perused the area I took stock of the offerings both live and dry.

Pretty soon I could hear the barking of that 'little' monkey whispering in my ear. I ignored it and continued to walk around. As time went on though, the little monkey's tummy was grumbling, and I finally gave in and fed it.

I had been looking at some Red Zebras, something that I had often thought about getting but refused due to my Cobalt Blues. Since I had taken those all to Scales, they were no longer a hinderance, and the monkey was hungry.

I thought they would be especially nice since I 'knew' the males would turn blue and then I would have a nice mix of color in my tank.

"I'd like some Red Zebras," I said to the manager.

"How many," He asked.

"All of them," I said (there were only 5, and I thought that this would be a good mix for breeding later).

So I came home and added some rocks, and floated the fish and then put them in, fish only, no water.

It was after this that I decided to learn a little more about them and discovered that alot of the Hobby population is made up of Red x Red, that is, the males were red too..sort of.

So now I am a little bummed and wondering if my males will change. One article I read seemed to indicate that the blue males are apparent right after they are released by the mother. Does anybody know if this is true?

Mine are about 2 inches long and all are orange. Some are a little darker than others, but I am curious about knowing when to expect a change if it is going to happen. Please relate any experiences you have had that might help.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

I went to the new PetCo that just opened up and they had the best fish area of any big chain I've been to so far, including the PetCos in MD.

I went there looking for glass tops for my 55g because trying to take those other pictures really sucked due to limited exposure light. I have more lights, but the existing hoods made it impossible to use. While I perused the area I took stock of the offerings both live and dry.

Pretty soon I could hear the barking of that 'little' monkey whispering in my ear. I ignored it and continued to walk around. As time went on though, the little monkey's tummy was grumbling, and I finally gave in and fed it.

I had been looking at some Red Zebras, something that I had often thought about getting but refused due to my Cobalt Blues. Since I had taken those all to Scales, they were no longer a hinderance, and the monkey was hungry.

I thought they would be especially nice since I 'knew' the males would turn blue and then I would have a nice mix of color in my tank.

"I'd like some Red Zebras," I said to the manager.

"How many," He asked.

"All of them," I said (there were only 5, and I thought that this would be a good mix for breeding later).

So I came home and added some rocks, and floated the fish and then put them in, fish only, no water.

It was after this that I decided to learn a little more about them and discovered that alot of the Hobby population is made up of Red x Red, that is, the males were red too..sort of.

So now I am a little bummed and wondering if my males will change. One article I read seemed to indicate that the blue males are apparent right after they are released by the mother. Does anybody know if this is true?

Mine are about 2 inches long and all are orange. Some are a little darker than others, but I am curious about knowing when to expect a change if it is going to happen. Please relate any experiences you have had that might help.

Thanks.
[/b]

ya i know that..i never buy fish from chain..i buy dry goods from them though..cheaper ! i am that cheap. i buy fish from LFS or someone iknow

 

[AndyNarwhal]

I have bred M. estherae before and all my males were blue right from release. Actually they were brownish at first but became blue as they get older. The females were red. I have also bred from a strain with red males and both males and females were red at release. According to the cichlid-forum profiles the red males are unconfirmed in the wild but are very common in the hobby.
Andy

 

[tgrogan]

So I have been observing them for awhile and they have grown out a little, I have only had them for a couple of weeks. Anyway, I have noticed one difference so far within the group.

Some of them have several eggspots which are small, some others have fewer, larger eggspots. Does anyone know if this can be used as a gender determination?

 

[daniel]

The eggspot difference could be a good indication but it is tough to tell. Once they reach 3" you might be able to look at their vent to determine sex. They should be able to start breeding around that size... if you have both sexes. Are any of them blotched at all? I ask because with OB red zebras the males get a shimmery white sheen, especially in the fins, kind of like a "frost". The dominant male would start showing this around 2" total length probably.

Your best bet is probably to just feed them like crazy and watch for females to hold, or vent them. Good luck,

Daniel

 

[myselfdotcom]

So I have been observing them for awhile and they have grown out a little, I have only had them for a couple of weeks. Anyway, I have noticed one difference so far within the group.

Some of them have several eggspots which are small, some others have fewer, larger eggspots. Does anyone know if this can be used as a gender determination?
[/b]

could you post the pictures?

 

[tgrogan]

Well, they are grown up now and I have been able to confirm that I have 1 male and 4 females. Two are holding right now, one held earlier but either ate them all before release, or released prematurely and all were gone.

They are in a 55g by themselves.