Hemichromis stellifer wild pair with fry

[dpien]

Hi all, very pleased with my wild H. stellifer and fry! Just wanted to share this:

 

[Ekona]

Congratulations! and thanks for sharing. They look to be a peaceful pair? I tried to breed wild H. cristatus once, but the male was so aggressive I simply could not have the pair together in the same space (30 breeder with tons of hiding places for female.) I separated them with a plastic mesh divider for a month, until the female was ripe. Removed divider and same thing. Too bad, as they were just gorgeous fish, but I couldn't breed them and have never tried with Hemichromis again.

 

[dpien]

Congratulations! and thanks for sharing. They look to be a peaceful pair? I tried to breed wild H. cristatus once, but the male was so aggressive I simply could not have the pair together in the same space (30 breeder with tons of hiding places for female.) I separated them with a plastic mesh divider for a month, until the female was ripe. Removed divider and same thing. Too bad, as they were just gorgeous fish, but I couldn't breed them and have never tried with Hemichromis again.

Thanks!
These 2 had already paired up before I got them, perhaps this is why they are so peaceful. No aggression at all. I removed most of the fry today to raise separately, although the parents had shown no aggression towards the fry either. You should try again sometime if you see a nice pair of a pure form of Hemichromis - they are very nice fish.

 

[will i am]

Great looking pair!

 

[Captain Jim]

Hi all, very pleased with my wild H. stellifer and fry! Just wanted to share this:

Do you ship any fish? I would like new blood for my red jewels!

 

[viejo]

I certainly wouldn't recommend mating these pure strain fish with fish of an unknown provenance. Lamboj seems to suggest that hemichromis species are reluctant to cross species lines but I'm sure that this is not written stone. Where are you located dpien? I would be interested in pure strain stellifer and any other pure form of red jewel (especially cristatus).
BTW ekona, my cristatus were pussycats but the stellifer I had for a time were nasty buggers .

 

[Captain Jim]

No argument on mixing strains, even though it would or could be an improvement. I promise not to mix,..will you sell/ship some of your stellifer on this promise? Dpien?

 

[viejo]

I would be interested also. Captain Jim: I am diligently searching for true cristatus, I had them coming out my ears a couple of years ago.

 

[Ekona]

I wish I had been able to breed the ones I had because they looked exactly like these - just really cool.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23681876@N06/2257046780/ - not the best photo of the species, but the one that most closely resmembles the pair I had.

Good luck with your search for them again.

 

[Captain Jim]

Going to pick some red jewels on Sunday morning..I'll show what I have. Possibly turquiose jewels also. Strain of reds passive compared to others I've had.

 

[viejo]

I wish I had been able to breed the ones I had because they looked exactly like these - just really cool.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23681876@N06/2257046780/ - not the best photo of the species, but the one that most closely resmembles the pair I had.

Good luck with your search for them again.

I had them also. They would spawn but the eggs refused to hatch. I still suspect that these represent true cristatus but am in the minority with this assessment .... P.s. See my avatar.

 

[viejo]

This is the fish generally accepted as true cristatus

 

[Captain Jim]

Not a lot of "body spots", and yellow around gill plate spot being the tells?

 

[viejo]

They usually show a yellow mid-lateral stripe as shown if getting adequate yellow pigments in the diet. Probably varies with locality however. Also a large mid-body spot surrounded with yellow.
Faint vertical stripes on body.

 

[viejo]

Captain Jim - Check your PM.