How Do I Breed Cichlids?

Question

Hi everyone. I am from the Philippines.I have bought some Blue Ahli cichlids plus some others. However, I am very much interested in raising & breeding them. Can anyone help me? Since I am new to this hobby, I don't know much about their compatibility.How do I know about my cichlids whether they'r male or female? Your advice will be greatly appreciated.Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

It is very easy to sex Hap Ahli cichlids (although more likely you have Hap Fryeri, they are often confused and Ahli's are rare). Males are the lovely blue that people buy them for, females are dull brown-grey in color. If all of your fish are still young then it will take some time before the colors change, and you can't sex them until then.

These fish are best kept in harems of 1 male to a few females, to distribute breeding and aggression, but many people have success just keeping one of each, since they are a pretty mild species.

There is not much for you to do for breeding. Take care of them properly and they'll breed - these cichlids are not challenging at all for this. In truth, I don't know why everyone is always in a rush to breed fish when they haven't even kept them before! Why not just keep and enjoy them first?

For tank size, these fish should have a 4 foot tank to grow into, though you can get by with a 3 foot tank for a while. Nothing smaller should be attempted. The tank should be decorated with a nice mixture of open space and rocky cover. In a pinch you can use pvc piping for caves as a cheap and light weight alternative to rocks.

For compatibility they should be kept with other milder haps or Aulonocara (peacocks), or certain mild mbuna like Lab. Caeruleus. If breeding is your only concern then the most ideal setup is a species tank for just the Ahli, but if you're new to the hobby then again I must stress - concentrate on just keeping them first and don't worry about breeding so much.

In addition for breeding you'll need additional fish tanks for growing them out to a reasonable selling size. You should also make sure before you end up with hundreds of fish on your hands that you can actually find homes for them.

The best cichlid website on the web right now is this one:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com. Go there, you'll see.

Answer 2

How To Breed Cichlids

Answer 3

Very well put Ghapy. Let me add that your Sciaenochromis Fryeri(blue ahli), will do best in a 55 or bigger. If you want to breed, a species only tank would be best. Sand bottom, slate rock caves. Clean water, good food and the right male/female ratio, and it will just happen naturally. Males are blue females are drab(color starts at 1.5 inch plus).

Answer 4

Hi and welcome to the hobby. Your Blue Ahli's are african mouthbrooding cichlids and not too hard to breed at all. Here's a link with basic info about them including care, keeping and compatability:

http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/African/BlueAhliInfo.asp

Here's two more links that have some breeding information on them:
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/electricbluehap.php
http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/african-cichlids-malawi/blue-ahli/100021.asp

Hope that helps

MM