Labidochromis caeruleus Babies

[Psilocybin]

Hello, I know that Yellow labs aren't exactly "dwarf" cichlids, but I had to post this somewhere.

Last night before I went to bed, I checked on my holding female Lab in her floating breeder trap. I noticed that the bulge in her throat was gone, I thought "thats odd," then I checked out the sprigs of hornwort in the trap, and there were 15 pairs of eyes. WOOHOO

This is my first time ever rearing fry. I have a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides in another tank who are good at laying eggs, but I haven't seen any fry yet. Now I finally have some cichlid babies to raise.

The tank that they were in is a 30gallon, with 7 Yellow Labs, 2 Tiger Loaches, 2 African Butterflys, and 1 Butterfly loach. The dominant male (Cornelius), knocked one of the females up (who I was certain was a male for the longest time) 3 weeks ago. I bought a floating breeder trap a week ago, and caught the female 2 days ago. She released the fry on her own at 23 days since conception (at least I think it was 23 days). I transferred her, and the fry over to a bare-bottom 10gallon with lots of floating hornwort. I'll keep the mother by herself for a week...fattening her up before I release her back into the community. As soon as she is out of the tank, I'll release the 15 fry into the 10gallon (they are still in the breeder).

The fry eat flake food readily, and had they're first meal of it last night. All I have to do now is wait for them to grow up. Quick Question, are Malawi mbunas rapid growers, or will I have to wait a few months for them to grow out to 1 1/2"?

 

[Psilocybin]

Here are some pictures

this is the 10gallon they are currently in.

Here is the clearest close-up picture of the fry so far.

I count 14 of them in this shot, (I remember while taking this picture they were all at the bottom except for one, so that makes 15).

Here is a shot of the mother, she needs to fatten up before I stick her back in the 30gallon.

Here is Cornelius the happy father in all of his glory...

He has colored up nicely, bright yellow, with dark black stripes. He is the only Lab in my tank with black in his anal and pectoral fins.

 

[Randall]

Labidochromis caeruleus

Dear Psilocybin a.k.a. Cornelius,

I'm no expert on Malawi mbuna, but why keep mom and fry cooped up in a small breeder trap? Now that she's released her fry, I think you're right in keeping her out of the community tank for a week, so that she can eat in peace and regain her strength. But why not place her and the fry in the 10-gallon tank you already have set up for them? From the photo, I see you have adequate filtration and some floating plants. I'd add some small rocks or clay flower pots and some more plants, to give the fry adequate cover, and release the entire family now.

To answer your question, yes Malawi mbuna are fast growers, it will take longer than just a few months, however, for them to reach 1.5". To maximize growth rate, it might be a good idea to feed the fry a more varied diet (not just flake) of several small meals per day and perform a partial water change at least once per week.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn