African Cichlids: Colors and Sexing

A viewer recently asked if I would film a video discussing how to tell the difference between male and female African cichlids, and how quickly will they show color. This video covers those topics.
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[@philipramsden4975]

Great vids. I've been keeping African cichlids for a little over 13 years and I always learn something new from your videos

[@dannyhectare4295]

Hello sir, I know this is late but I have a question for you. I got my peacocks today and i noticed two out of the 3 had minor fin damage, Im not sure if its from other fish pecking at them or fin rot( or if they are the same thing) what would you suggest or i do should i wait?

[@philipramsden4975]

@@dannyhectare4295 more than likely from other fish. Keep an eye on them and see how they're behaving. If one is being a bully, remove him from the tank for a few weeks. I purposely keep all males as it reduces aggression in the tank

[@dannyhectare4295]

@@philipramsden4975 ok thank you, on one its the ventral fins and the other is the pectoral fin and slight anal fin, the damage on both arnt real bad, they seem happy today but I will keep an eye out. If they get worse do I just isolate and use salt?

[@AQUAFUNK]

This is a great video. you putting out a lot of very very useful information that will help people when they're picking out there fish. I know I've always shied away from Africans because I like to buy my fish small and cheap and I've always been fearful of what I'm going to end up with

[@TazawaTanks]

Thank you. I appreciate you comment!

[@jimrandall6309]

I always thought the mail's tot and bottom fins are pointed and longer

[@jackjill521]

Excellent topic and video!!!! Thanks for taking the time to make and bring it to us!!!

[@TazawaTanks]

jack jill Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate you always watching acne commenting.

[@AngelicaGarcia-nh6vg]

Hi there I was wondering if you were maybe in adopting my cichlids

[@ErnestAquatics]

Great video man! Lots of great info!

[@TazawaTanks]

Ernest Aquatics Thank you!

[@jarrydhyman4143]

How do you determine mbuna from peacocks and haps?

[@melissairving9671]

What do you mean by spitting them out

[@puirYorick]

A very good summary, Zenzo. It's a complicated business to explain all the factors of trying to sex fish. You touched on the issue of dimorphism but there are more complex examples too. I remember learning in HS Biology about precocious parr, which are male salmon that have adopted a reproductive strategy to retain the appearance of juvenile fish which means the dominant males will ignore then as rivals. They look like small females so the huge aggressive males tolerate them as they sneak into a spawning dance to fertilize some of the eggs. So there are three distinct adult body styles in these salmon (and trout) species: normal males and females that leave their home stream to feed and grow larger and, cheater males that look like juveniles but never risk the open lakes or oceans while waiting safely at home to breed any returning females. On average the population of each species becomes more heavily populated by the offspring of the tiny cheater males. I would guess that some cichlid species also have a form of this kind of sexual *trimorphism* going on but it may be less obvious to human observers because we're not that good at telling the sexes apart in the first place.

[@TazawaTanks]

Very true. I recently watched an episode on The Blue Planet II, where a male cuttlefish took on the resemblance of a female to sneak past the male.

[@HaYNFishKeeper]

Braddah Z.... great vid on Color of AF when are u gonna go live? Gotta do a live feed soon, have a blessed day, much love and aloha🤙🏽🐠🤙🏽

[@TazawaTanks]

Right on man! As far as a live feed, I don't think I will do one on my channel anytime soon. Maybe Facebook live or something like that.

[@HaYNFishKeeper]

Tazawa Tanks sounds good braddah!

[@NishaNisha-wi5th]

Hey how many months does it take a morph fish to breed?

[@therealfeedmetal]

This is the hard part for me. Going to the store I do. Hard to tell when a lot of the males even lose their color in the tanks they have. Once in my tank they usually start coloring up fast but I'm still in the dark till then lol

[@thejudge9983]

Great information for a newbies like me..

[@QueeBlackkk]

GREAT VIDEO

[@Zachary360Games]

So it’s pretty much a gamble when your at the store?

[@TazawaTanks]

Sometimes. It depends on the store.

[@Idkwhereiamrnorever]

How can i can tell what type of cichlid i have. Is there a reliable source you would recommend?

[@TazawaTanks]

I would try some Cichlid forums or Facebook groups.

[@Idkwhereiamrnorever]

@@TazawaTanks Ok cool I'll try looking some up and see what i find.

[@Smass1234]

sir can i put 5 male chichilid with 3 female chichilid in same tank?

[@D04137]

sugumar raj no

[@fishworldcichlidz8241]

Nice . Video Thanks for sharing

[@aleksanderpedersen6798]

Very cool! I have Blue Cobalt Cichlids and are sexually mature. My male is constantly chasing my females and I’m not sure if they are trying to breed or fighting for territory. Any ideas?

[@davidlieberman6512]

Awesome video as usual! But I do have a question for the fish fam and for you. Is biohome all it's claimed to be?

[@TazawaTanks]

Thanks David! As far as biohome, I wouldn’t know as I have never tried using it. I guess the idea is that it can house both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, but I just use whatever media is accessible and had surface area.

[@justpeachy3583]

Question, I bought a Peacock about a couple of inches long. It has ALL the color pigmentation of an adult fish. I have a feeling this is unnatural. What's up with this and what do you think? I love your channel by the way, I subbed!

[@TazawaTanks]

I’m glad you enjoy my channel! If it is only 2”, it’s very likely that the fish was “juiced” (given hormones that unnaturally give off the male coloration). Observe for a few weeks. If it fades, most likely this is the case. If not, you’ve hit the jackpot and have a great looking fish that developed early.

[@justpeachy3583]

@@TazawaTanks Yep, I figured that was the case. I'm not expecting this fish to be a natural beauty. It's too colored up to be natural. Just gotta move on and persevere and find that natural beauty somewhere. Thank you so much for your help. Keep those vids coming!

[@gabdelavega1431]

Can you show more pictures of the fish while you talking to understand more....

[@tommy2tone8650]

Nice video Zenzo.

[@TazawaTanks]

Thomas Medina thanks bro!

[@roshanshrestha6997]

It would be better if u have shown male or female

[@Ghosh-Arghadip]

Thank you so much Zenzo. You're the best 🤘

[@TazawaTanks]

Arghadip Ghosh You’re welcome!

[@leoncolwell383]

Real informative 👍

[@TazawaTanks]

Thank you!

[@dennisruedel]

Hi Zenzo, I enjoyed your video. Agree with all points. I think for me I by having a tank full of male haps, it gets a little frustrating at times with sub-dominate male haps not fully coloring in even after they have almost reached their full size. Anyways thanks for sharing

[@rathman4601]

Do you sell your fishes? if so, how would one see your stock?

[@TazawaTanks]

I only sell them wholesale locally and at my fish club.

[@GFL_Tech]

Great Video Brother! Any suggestions for a new channel?

[@TazawaTanks]

Sure! My advice is to find content that viewers will enjoy, and be consistent on KZbin. Good luck!

[@joanvirgil6299]

Enjoy your video always.

[@TazawaTanks]

Joan Virgil Thank you!

[@acescalemodeling]

what about egg spots on peacocks? Do males only have them or both?

[@TazawaTanks]

I have had females with egg spots.

[@acescalemodeling]

@@TazawaTanks thx, I'm trying to sex my otter point and I have gotten mixed answer so far.

[@KGcichlids]

Great info as always!

[@TazawaTanks]

KG cichlids Right on brother!

[@invain143]

Nice..

[@mikemink5867]

You have a lot of information. However since you have examples, it would be much more helpful to show photos and show the difference, not just profess your knowledge. Show the difference, don't just talk about it.