HYBRIDIZATION ACROSS LAKES: Just unlikely...

[SGypsyMermaid]

or is it closer to be being impossible? say in a tank with malawian and victorian haps. darwin's dream pond touched on some points that would possibly answer my question--but i don't remember(gotta read it, again) but do any of you guys have any idea?

[Boilermaker]

I'll have to look at this question again in the morning, I don't quite understand it? Could be that its over my head, or that its 1:30 in the morning :)

[SGypsyMermaid]

sorry--question was poorly worded. is there any possibility of hybridization between malawi haps and victorian haps?

[Boilermaker]

I would think so, I'm just basing this on observations in my 125 when I had the FlameBack with the Malawians, The horny little guy was trying to breed with everyone Male and female. I dare say if I still would of had the Lethrinops in there he would of bred.
If he had females of his own species, or other Vics I doubt he would crossbreed.
If your question pertains to the rift lakes who knows, I think thats possible also via air transport by a fish eating bird etc.... highley unlikely though.

[SGypsyMermaid]

lol!! i didn't realize how confusing that question was... :oops: you say that the little devil was trying to mate with both males and females--but how could you tell?--they do the same little quivery dance when they want to mate or when they want to fight. if they do it in front of a female, it means: "haven't we met before?", but if they do it in front of a male, it means: "you wanna take this outside?"

[Boilermaker]

I wish I would have documented it, he would go through the spawning ritual with the Aulo. Benga and the German Red males,
When I did put three female peacocks in the tank two Turkis, one Hongi.
He was particulary fond of the Hongi female and started digging huge pits.
Though I never did see him spawn with her. Things started to get vicious in the tank once I added females so I started thinning. He was the first to go. Wich was a shame because he was worthy of a magazine cover.

No worry on the confusion It was late at night when I read it.

[Boilermaker]

One more thing, I did raise most of the males together from about 11/2" to 2" inch

[Sean]

I will say that I have spawned, unintentionally of course, Pundamilia nyererei Makobe Island female with Aulonocara baenschi male. Just was storing some supposed to be non breeding fish together when we witnessed them spawning and then about 2 weeks later actually got live fry which were promptly fed to a big hungry fish. There was that temptation to grown them and see what they looked like but if they were to jump from one tank to another it wouldn't have been worth it. The way I figure any slightly similar shaped mouthbrooding fish will spawn with another if you don't leave it any other options.

[SGypsyMermaid]

thanks, sean--i was hoping that that was not the case--so i will have to be a little more careful. where i thought that i could get away with single malawian specimens in a victorian tank, and vice-versa--it seems that that may not be such a good idea after all.