ok together??

[ralph]

obliqs and ruti island i dont think they'll cross, but some of you more experienced will know. thanks!!

[samak]

Hi ralph, the obli-thick skin can cross breed with almost every kind of vic and the hybrids nyererei/thick skin are numerous in the hobby so better to keep em in different tanks.
xris

[ralph]

thanks xris, i would have never thought. females looking so different. thats what forums with experience are for. ive got a 30L with pcock fry in it. which would do better in it? its gonna be awhile before i can get another 55 going. once again thanks!

[samak]

hi? if yu can, try to keep only one of the both species and get rid of the other if yu don't have place. The thick skin is very common so yu will have no problem to find new ones when yu get another tank.
Xris

[ralph]

astatotilapia latifacsiata are what i purchased. i had to do that over the IN. here in idaho falls pcocks are hard to find.mbuna is all they sell.never see vics in lfs period. unless by mistake,mislabled. i seperated them aafter reading your reply. giving them up was not an option. after these get breeding the lfs might get some. if theyre nice. i guess i should have written "zeb obliqs".
thanks!

[SGypsyMermaid]

just about any of the vics can interbreed, but because the a. latifasciata are so very different from other vics, imho, it's pretty safe to use them as tankmates for other vics so long as you have sufficient mates for each species. if any hybridization occurs, you should be able to pick out the hybrids pretty easily. alternatively, either species should be okay with peacocks.

[ralph]

already split up. get this; at about 3/4" i got a ruti holding! idont know if its eggs or sand but either way im wanting it out. at that size i want her eating. ideas experience?? most anything else ive bred so far; socofili, elec yellow, zebras upthewazoo,pcocks wont breed at that size. ive seen the behavior but its appeared to be "practice". ive got a male about 1 1/4" and color switches on and off like a light.gets near a female starts shak'n and colors.coooool. ive got a dozen of em if that means anything in a 55. basically im thinking to strip her so she feeds. feedback?????

[SGypsyMermaid]

it's very common for vics to start spawning at a small size. i've never noticed any problems as a result of this.

[ralph]

really,?? i dont know why vics arent more popular,? color, seemingly easy to keep, not as aggressive as ive heard... yet.
and breed immediatly! what do zeb obliqs prefer rocks? caves? flower pots?

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by ralph
really,?? i dont know why vics arent more popular,? color, seemingly easy to keep, not as aggressive as ive heard... yet.
and breed immediatly! what do zeb obliqs prefer rocks? caves? flower pots?

not sure...haven't gotten my latifasciatas to spawn, yet. :(

[stubedoo]

Everything I've read says they like plants for cover.

[Matt V]

sgm - for my own edification... since i'm about to get some latifasciata... how long have you had yours and what are their tankmates? any theories on their lack of spawning?

i hope they don't need plants.... i hate plants... that's why i keep mbuna :D they make plants go away! :twisted:

[samak]

Hi, they can spawn on every substrate but have a slight preference to planted tank.
Xris

[SGypsyMermaid]

i've had them for over 2 years. right now they have lithochromis rufus as tankmates in a 50 gallon breeder with a rockpile. previously, they were in a tank with peacocks, acei, and exasperatus. i've added additional males to the group cuz i read somewhere that more than one male was needed to trigger spawning. still no luck, though.

[Matt V]

i'll let you know how i do with mine. i'm picking them up in a couple of weeks. apparently the ones i'm getting have spawned before - at least some of them. we'll see what happens when i get them in my tank...

[StructureGuy]

I have one male and two females in a 180 gallon tank with lots of rocks and only a few anubias. They spawn constantly and I no longer raise the fry since no one around here wants them anymore. I've had them for maybe 4 years now but they didn't spawn for me until they were about two years old.

I've never thought of them being a big cross-breeding risk, although anything can happen under the right conditions. I know a friend had them with some Hap 44's and they did hybridize quite readily with them.

Kevin

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by StructureGuy
I've never thought of them being a big cross-breeding risk, although anything can happen under the right conditions. I know a friend had them with some Hap 44's and they did hybridize quite readily with them.

Kevin

yeah, i would avoid keeping them with other vertically striped vics, but vics with different markings should be relatively safe so long as each group has sufficient mates. you could probably pick out any hybrid fry pretty easily.

[ralph]

thanks for the replies! after i get enough going ill have to mix em in my 125 just to see.... for now ive got em with cyps in a 55. dont see anything crackn there. theyre getting on fine with each other. wheres all this hiddeous aggression ive heard of??? i think ill be gettn more vics.