This afternoon mama mbuna released her fry for the final time. Even though
they were all free-swimming yesterday, she decided to take them back into
her mouth for the night, and she was still holding them in her throat pouch this morning; but not any more. A few hours ago she started eating, and she
has been grabbing every pellet that she can. After not eating for twenty
days, I am sure that she is quite hungry. But she will undoubtedly bounce
back to good health, and spawn again in about another forty days.

Concerning the fry, I looked around the tank just before beginning this message. There are a lot of places to hide in the rocks, including a lot of dark spots, but I was able to locate five of them.

The ongoing big question in my mind is exactly how eager are the adult
mbunas to eat the fry? When I was breeding Copadichromis borleyi a few years ago, there was no doubt that they would not hesitate to eat their fry; but these mbuna seem to be a little more tolerant, and at times, not even interested in the fry. To date, mama mbuna has had four spawns, and I have
yet to actually see one of the adults eat a fry. Well, if there are still
10-12 fry a month from now, then I guess that will prove my theory that
mbuna -- at least the mbuna that I have -- are not as aggressive towards
their fry.

I am still amazed that mama mbuna had such a large, healthy spawn. This is definitely her best spawn to date.


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The ongoing big question in my mind is exactly how eager are the
adult mbunas to eat the fry? When I was breeding Copadichromis
borleyi a few years ago, there was no doubt that they would not
hesitate to eat their fry; but these mbuna seem to be a little more tolerant, and at times, not even interested in the fry. To date,
mama mbuna has had four spawns, and I have yet to actually see one
of the adults eat a fry. Well, if there are still 10-12 fry a month
from now, then I guess that will prove my theory that mbuna -- at
least the mbuna that I have -- are not as aggressive towards their
fry.

perhaps they are not as hungry as they might be in the wild? since they're not as hungry due to regular and bountiful feedings, they wouldn't seem to be interested in chasing small food ;)

)\/(ark


* Origin: (1:3634/12)

On 10/29/09, Jeff Snyder quoted mark lewis: Mama Mbuna's Final Release
Of Fry.

perhaps they are not as hungry as they might be in the wild? since they're not as hungry due to regular and bountiful feedings, they wouldn't seem to be interested in chasing small food ;)

Hello Mark. It's nice to finally see someone else posting in this echo. Carol was keeping me company for a while, but either got too busy, or maybe bored with my mbuna tales. Sadly, it seems that I am about the only one who is interested in trying to keep this echo alive. I've been trying to post in it about as regularly as I can.

Regarding your observation, well, if what you are saying were true, then I would think that my Copadichromis borleyi would have reacted in the same way, but they didn't. Those fish slaughtered all of the fry, whereas my mbunas haven't . . . at least not yet. I checked this morning, and I can still see some of the little guys hovering in their same spots as yesterday. I doubt
that I will ever be able to see and count all 10-12 of them, or however many she had, because there are simply too many hiding places.

As usual, I'll keep everyone posted regarding how this latest spawn fares.

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perhaps they are not as hungry as they might be in the wild? since
they're not as hungry due to regular and bountiful feedings, they
wouldn't seem to be interested in chasing small food ;)

Hello Mark. It's nice to finally see someone else posting in this
echo. Carol was keeping me company for a while, but either got too
busy, or maybe bored with my mbuna tales. Sadly, it seems that I
am about the only one who is interested in trying to keep this echo
alive. I've been trying to post in it about as regularly as I can.

it is very hard to see those following along when they do not post, eh? ;)

i've been reading this echo for over 10 years... well, when there's any traffic
in it... in fact, i posted plans for building a wooden aquarium not too long back... my aquariums are all running fine and clean with some "standard" fishing minnows from the store... about $1US/dozen :)

Regarding your observation, well, if what you are saying were true,
then I would think that my Copadichromis borleyi would have reacted
in the same way, but they didn't. Those fish slaughtered all of the
fry, whereas my mbunas haven't . . . at least not yet.

it was a thought and one that possibly won't apply to those others you had (have?)...

I checked this morning, and I can still see some of the little
guys hovering in their same spots as yesterday. I doubt that I
will ever be able to see and count all 10-12 of them, or however
many she had, because there are simply too many hiding places.

i used to get corydorus' like that... i had one good egg laying female that used to just line them up on the glass and the long frond leaves in the tank...
when i realized they were eggs, i'd carefully scrap them off and place them into a "birthing net" container to hatch... after keeping them in there for some time, i'd let them out... cory's are kinda like herd animals... they want to group together and move like a herd of cows :)

As usual, I'll keep everyone posted regarding how this latest spawn
fares.

i enjoy the reading but i don't have the story telling abilities of yourself and others...

)\/(ark


* Origin: (1:3634/12)

i've been reading this echo for over 10 years... well, when there's any traffic in it... in fact, i posted plans for building a wooden aquarium not too long back... my aquariums are all running fine and clean with some "standard" fishing minnows from the store... about $1US/dozen :)

Hello again Mark. Yes, I believe I recall reading your piece on building a plywood-based aquarium. Since I was a kid, I've always stuck with the normal glass aquariums. I've never felt comfortable with switching to the newer plexiglass tanks, as they scratch easier than glass tanks -- although I must say that after a number of years, my glass tanks are also filled with
scratches where the algae just loves to grow.

it was a thought and one that possibly won't apply to those others you had (have?)...

Actually, the correct word there is "had", and it is a sad tale indeed. I've mentioned this before, but I live in the tropics. Unlike folks further
north, we only have two seasons here -- hot and dry, and wet and dry.
Sometimes we experience some droughts and nasty heatwaves here. Such was the case several years ago when I was breeding Copadichromis borleyi -- the Red Kadango variety -- which are also Malawi cichlids, just like my current
mbunas.

At any rate, we had one such extended heatwave, and even with all of the aquarium lights off during the day, the house still got very hot outside of
our air-conditioned bedrooms, which were also rather hot. Well, after
starting out with around three or four Copadichromis borleyi, by the time
that heatwave came around, I was up to 80+ fish in that tank. One-by-one,
they dropped dead from the warm water. There just wasn't enough oxygen in
the water to keep them alive.

So, my tanks sat empty for several years -- until earlier this year, in fact
-- when I finally mustered up the strength to move them all into my bedroom where it is cooler. It was no easy task for someone my age, and working
alone no less.

So, now I have my tank full of mbunas sitting just a few feet away from my computer desk. I easily roll over my office chair to watch them and to feed them.

i enjoy the reading but i don't have the story telling abilities of yourself and others...

For me, telling tales comes easy. After all, I've been a Christian
evangelist for decades, so I have a knack for talking and writing. :)


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OOPS...I made a little mistake there. I meant to type "hot and dry, and
hot and wet", and NOT "hot and dry, and wet and dry".

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Hello Mark. It's nice to finally see someone else posting in this echo. Caro was keeping me company for a while, but either got too busy, or maybe bored with my mbuna tales. Sadly, it seems that I am about the only one who is interested in trying to keep this echo alive. I've been trying to post in it about as regularly as I can.

Hi Jeff, I had a mdical problem just aboutt e time of ths post. Back issues.
I was unbale to read the BBS much due to it.

I'm reading the tale of little fry with glee.
xcarol
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On 11/25/09, Jeff Snyder quoted Carol Shenkenberger: Re: Mama Mbuna's
Final Release Of Fry.

Hi Jeff, I had a mdical problem just aboutt e time of ths post. Back issues. I was unbale to read the BBS much due to it.

I'm reading the tale of little fry with glee. xcarol ---

Hello Carol. It's nice to see you posting here again.

Sorry to hear of your back problems. I fully understand, as I've had back problems my entire life. I inherited scoliosis/kyphosis from my mother, and even wore a back brace for a while, but it was too restrictive, and made me feel like a sardine in a can.

Oh gosh...even my back problems can be related to fish! :)

Glad to hear that you are still enjoying my fishy tales. Mama Mbuna will be releasing her fifth spawn in the near future. Pretty soon, I am going to have to think about putting some of those fish in my two 20-gallon tanks...or I might call up my LFS and see if they are willing to give me some store credit in exchange for some of these fish. We shall see.

So, how are your tanks doing? Anything interesting to share with us?

Thanks!

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Hi Jeff, I had a mdical problem just aboutt e time of ths post. Back issues. I was unbale to read the BBS much due to it.

I'm reading the tale of little fry with glee. xcarol ---

Hello Carol. It's nice to see you posting here again.

Sorry to hear of your back problems. I fully understand, as I've had back problems my entire life. I inherited scoliosis/kyphosis from my mother, and even wore a back brace for a while, but it was too restrictive, and made me feel like a sardine in a can.

Oh gosh...even my back problems can be related to fish! :)

Hehehe! Well, I am feeling better. Minimal pain for me and well in what I
can handle and just going easy.

Glad to hear that you are still enjoying my fishy tales. Mama Mbuna will be releasing her fifth spawn in the near future. Pretty soon, I am going to hav

Maybe I might want to try these in my smaller tank. humm.

So, how are your tanks doing? Anything interesting to share with us?

Lost one of the angel fish. No specific reason. Now there is a smaller one growing to size. Considering adding some other types to the community but havent yet.
xxcarol
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On 11/28/09, Jeff Snyder quoted Carol Shenkenberger: Re: Mama Mbuna's
Final Release Of Fry.

Maybe I might want to try these in my smaller tank. humm

Carol, if you are saying that you might be interested in trying out some
Malawi cichlids -- such as my mbunas -- or even some other African cichlids, there are a few things that you should know.

1) Whether you maintain a community African cichlids tank, or a species
African cichlids tank, due to natural aggression, size, mating habits, etc., you are going to need at minimum, a four-foot long tank of 45 gallons, and preferably larger.

2) If you are not interested in breeding them, then the best route to take
is to purchase all guaranteed males, with as striking a color contrast as is possible. The reason for this is that cichlids of similar colors and body markings are more prone to spar and posture -- to the point of killing each other.

3) If you intend to set up a species tank, then it is best to get at least
four -- or more -- guaranteed females for each male in the tank. To be
honest, a four-foot tank will really only accommodate one male with a harem
of females. Even then, once the females reach maturity, if they are like my lone female, they will be spawning every 30-40 days max.

Actually, even saying that we breed cichlids is kind of a joke, because if
you set up a tank as described above, they will just do what is natural, as long as your water quality is high, and they are well cared for.

Concerning water quality, a weekly partial water change of 25-50% is a must. Also, African cichlids do best in hard alkaline water, which is what we get
out of the tap here, which is why it is so easy for me to care for my fish.

If you live in a place where the water is soft and acidic, you are going to have to condition your water, including when you top off the tank, and do weekly water changes.

Hope the above info helps. If you have any questions, just let me know, and I'll try to respond.

Just let me say that raising African cichlids is a very rewarding
experience. Malawi cichlids are my favorites.

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