Randy lil Zebras!

[BoBzz]

Well since My B-Day disaster im down to three pseudotorpheus zebras(2xCobalt Blue,1xRed) which have not left each other alone in almost 3 weeks now each tryin to out do the other in courting colors and gestures and are getting quite aggressive. I am desperatly trying to find a group of females for them as i am quite ready to breed them, but i cant quite tell which are actually females almost everyone i find has at least 2 egg spots and what with the endless variety of zebra colors i dont want to end up with more males! So if anyone has a definete way of sexing these damn randy lil Bast@$%s it would be greatly appreciated

[jonah]

Your zebras are two different species, if they crossbreed their fry will be worthless. Red zebras are Maylandia estherae and cobalts are Maylandia caillanos. Probably the only real clear way of sexing them is by venting, a process of picking them up and looking at what they're packing down under :oops: .

The funny thing about these species is that wild male red zebras often look just like cobalts, a light blue color. One of my cobalts killed my male red zebra when they hit breeding age. Sometimes the domestic male red zebra does look lighter, more like a light salmon color, but that isn't always the case.

[Woot]

Well since My B-Day disaster im down to three pseudotorpheus zebras(2xCobalt Blue,1xRed) which have not left each other alone in almost 3 weeks now each tryin to out do the other in courting colors and gestures and are getting quite aggressive. I am desperatly trying to find a group of females for them as i am quite ready to breed them, but i cant quite tell which are actually females almost everyone i find has at least 2 egg spots and what with the endless variety of zebra colors i dont want to end up with more males! So if anyone has a definete way of sexing these damn randy lil Bast@$%s it would be greatly appreciated

Egg spots aren't a good way to determine male or female, I got lucky and found a place to get my blue cobalts where the guy could vent them for me. If you can't vent them its pretty much a gamble on what ya get.
Just curious, what sized tank are you keeping them in?

[BoBzz]

Thanks for the replies! i may be able to vent the mbunas(if the people i know are working the day i go) Im keeping them in a 55G right now but hope to up it to a 75 next summer. Do egg spots have anything to do with it? For example if they have a hell of an arse load of them is that usually a male? and does less give me a better chance of a female?


p.s The cobalt is actually a powder blue sorry for the mix up.

[CUTTY]

I WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU IT TOOK ME SOME TIME AND ALOT OF QUESTIONS BUT I THINK I FOUND OUT A WAY TO SEX THEM BESIDES THE NOT SO GOOD EGG SPOTS THE MALES TEND TO TURN A REALLY LIGHT BLUE IN THE DOMINATE MALE THE FEMALES TEND TO FAVOR A LESS OR MORE DULL BLUE COLOR LIKE GRAY CAUSE I WAS SEARCHING FOR A FEMALE AND TOOK MY JUDGMENT TO THE PET STORE BOUGHT ME A BLUE COBALT WHICH WAS AS CLOSE TO GRAY AS POSSIBLE AND TWO WEEKS LATERS SHE HAS A MOUTHFUUL OFF EGGS

[CUTTY]

AND ALSO IF YOU HAVE NEVER VENTED A FISH BEFORE YOU WONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR I KNOW BEEN THERE DONE THAT