BAS FISH ANSWERS PROTOTYPE QUESTION & ANSWER

[robertprice]

The Board is considering starting a BAS Fish Answers Column for all reasonable Fish and Aquarium questions (Freshwater, Saltwater, Foods , Equipment, etc.). Whatever you want to know, we will try to give you a professional or expert best answer. We want to encourage you to participate, so I am proposing that those who ask questions get more points than those who answer. Over the summer we will decide if and how often the person with the most points accumulated in a certain time period gets an award of some kind. Below is a sample question and answer. (Note: this will start on a trial basis and a decision on whether to keep it will depend on the amount of particpation.)

EXAMPLE QUESTION:

Can you keep 2 pregnant cichlids in the same tank? (Read the question and pick the Best Answer.)

[robertprice]

Cichlids get gravid, not pregnant. (Livebearers get pregnant). If by pregnant you mean mouthbrooding, the answer is a qualified yes with many African Mbuna and Peacock mothers if you put them in a big enough tank not to fight. They will usually not bother each other's fry. The fry need to be near the same age or the older ones may attack the smaller ones, especially if different species. In a small tank the mothers may attack each other. I would be more wary with many of the bigger, more vicious Haps.

With Central American Cichlids, the answer is almost always no. Most are aggressive and territorial and will not each peacefully lay their eggs without interacting unless it was a huge tank. Also, they usually need the males to breed properly. Any two cichlids that need to wait for eggs to hatch will probably not get along together. South American cichlids are not likely to give birth under such conditions either. It disturbs their natural biparental mating process at best.


References:
Robert Price, Ph.d, Zoology (personal experience and education)
2 pregnant cichlids in same tank. AC Tropical Fish

VOTE AS BEST ANSWER _____ VOTE NOT BEST ANSWER______

[robertprice]

If you put two pregnant cichlids together they will eat their own fry and kill each other.



References:


VOTE AS BEST ANSWER-------- VOTE NOT BEST ANSWER_______

[dsuperman]

best answer = #2