Dwarfism in fry

[nicos apistos]

Hi,
About a year ago I bought a pair of Ap. Agassizi fire red and they bred the next day, Only 3 fry survived as I did not have micro-worms and other food ready. One fry (roughly a centimeter) just died, the other two just bred. I was really surprised because the fry are only about an inch. The male is clearly gaining color on his tail fin and the female is about half an inch looking like a regular female fire red. I was wondering If I did not feed them enough or if my water quality affected them. Maybe if created a new species called Midget Dwarf Cichlids. :tongue:
Thanks,
Jose

 

[Mike Wise]

We in the US call such fish "runts". It is caused by poor feeding/poor maintenance. They most likely are not a new strain. Sexual maturity does not depend on size, but more on age. Fortunately, even runts can produce normal fry - if the fry are properly care for.