Good news......and bad

[thomas]

I think one of my peacocks is holding. It's a juvenile (probably a Aulonocara Stuartgranti "Blue Regal") about three inches long. Not sure about the species because I have two different peacocks in the tank. I noticed that this fish had a swollen belly all day long and had been dying to get online all day to ask about it in the clinic. But I had company all day long so I had to wait. Anyway, right before I got on I fed the fish and everybody didn't show up to eat. So wondering what was up, I tracked the M.I.A. and found it hiding in the rocks. It wouldn't come out for nothing, so I was really beginning to worry. That's when I noticed that it's mouth looked kinda funny. Its lips looked really big and kinda like it couldn't close its mouth and then I noticed that swollen area around the back of its mouth. This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I just wish I could've seen the whole process. I was kinda surprised because I didn't think the peacocks would reproduce this young. :D

Now for the bad news. I have two different kinds of peacocks in this tank (a 55 gal.). I have a trio of red peacocks and a trio of Blue Regal peacocks. All are juveniles and none really show any colorations. Other than one trio being lighter than the other(reds). I was planning on splitting these guys up before this kinda thing happened, but I thought I had alot more time. I do plan on keeping these fish, since I can't be sure what they are. :(

Sorry about rambling on so. But I was just really excited. My mother-in-law is in for the weekend and thought it kinda silly that I should get worked up over such a thing. But she just doesn't understand...yet. 8)

[SGypsyMermaid]

watching the miracle of new life in your tank is always exciting. :)

[Cichlid Jeans]

I I was kinda surprised because I didn't think the peacocks would reproduce this young.

I picked up three female H. "sp. 44" juvs from fitch this weekend. Two of them were holding an egg. One spit the egg out in the bag and didn't pick it back up. The other is still holding. All are about an inch long. :lol:

[thomas]

Well, she spit her eggs after about 4-5 days. But on the other hand, the other blue (or the same one) is holding now. Is it possible for this fish to lay eggs again so quickly? Thanks.

[MalawiGuy]

Hi Thomas
No it is not possible.BTW how did you plan on seperating the females?Can you still tel them apart? If so get em seperated before it happens again.They will easily interbreed.I know your havin fun but I wouldnt even raise fry if I were unsure.As you probably cannot house all of them and wont have the heart to destroy them and inevitably they will make it out into the hobby,and there are to many hybrid peacocks out there already.Get em sepperated and start raising something you can trade or sell to cover some of your expenses.

Enjoy and goodluck!

[thomas]

Unfortunately, I can not seperate them yet because I only have the one tank right now. The cool thing is the fish are becoming more distinct every day. At first they all looked alike, but now there is a definite difference. I kinda chose the reds because the females are supposed to more colorful than most. The blue regals are very dark with distinct brown stripes. The reds are alot paler with just a hint of pink or red.

[MalawiGuy]

cool :D

Did you notice any unusual activity by one of the males before the spawning?

[thomas]

No, I did not. I would love to watch this spawning behavior, but I have missed it both times. I kinda wonder if these are even fertilized eggs. Since she didn't hold very long the last time, I wonder if any of the males are sexually mature. The female that's holding is the largest one in the tank and she is probably just over 3 inches.

[MalawiGuy]

Hmm Yeah probably so.She prob. spit em cause they were rotting, although it's also common in new mothers. I guess you'l know soon enough .