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  1. #1
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    Breeding O. Mossambica

    I have definitely got a male, I think. His white throat is like a balloon under his chin ....... going in and out, in and out like a toad's throat ...... the trouble is, as the day has worn on, there seems to be more than one now .... I counted 4 more whose throats seem to be getting white as well, although not as prominently as the first/largest one. From what I've read, the female doesn't have any change in color, like a white throat, so should I take out the others and relegate them to another tank to avoid undue aggression damage to any of them, or should I just ignore them? I did put two black plastic flower pots and there is a flat bottom in them due to the granite sample that is holding them down to prevent them from floating. He seems to be defending the entrance to one of the pots, but I haven't seen him allow another into the pot which might indicate that it's a female.

    I've got one black one which isn't opening it's mouth as much/as far as the others do ...... but I'm not sure that it's a female with eggs, I'll have to wait on some return comments before I go as far as catching it and putting it into another tank.

    Comments/advice are solicited, if you know anything about breeding the Mossambica tilapia
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  2. #2
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    If those are from my gene line, what you describe should be males. The females do not show that coloration. The dominant male will show the most color and will have red markings on the edge of his fins. Really striking. Males are easy to sex when they color up by looking under the hood. Pretty obvious when compared to the female.

    If you drop some food in the tank, a holding female will either not feed, or go for the food and shy away before taking any. I usually will isolate holding females from the rest in their own tank. Once they spit I fish them out and put them back in the breeding tank. Holding females will look like they are constantly chewing something, and their throats will start to bulge out as the eggs grow to fry.
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  3. #3
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    You also have to be very careful about netting a holding female...she will almost always spit the eggs out and that's the end of that!
    JCO
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  4. #4
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    She'll usually pick them back up if she gets the chance. Pretty cool. I just dump her and the eggs into a nursery tank. Key is to get females that spit or swallow eggs out fast so they don't eat the fry. Read my signature. It is there for a reason...
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  5. #5
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    Well, it looks to me that I may have a couple of females, their throats look kinda like there's a bag, pouch or sac underneath the 'chin' behind the mouth, rather than the sleek look that the rest of the fish have ..... if this is an indication of them "holding," it sure took them long enuff to get the idea to breed .....

    badflash, I have one more query ..... would the male show his breeding colors if there weren't any females in the tank, or would the males do this among other males without a female present?

    I'd better buy another heater (I went thru four of them this winter) ..... I might need to set up a nursery tank
    I use the Linux Operating System ...... Free as in beer!
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    Aquaponics - food'n'fish at your doorstep

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  6. #6
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    Yes, males alway vie for dominance, even with no females. They just don't fight as much.

    Net a female and look in her mouth, the eggs are unmistakable. Don't worry about losing a few eggs, Lots more where that came from. This is the only way to learn.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  7. #7
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    Just got a nice spawn from one of my red-red (actually orange) females. You have to love the trade names. See if you can count them:
    [video:2k8b405z]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuVBkN_yXvI [/video:2k8b405z]
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  8. #8
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    Quote Originally Posted by ernie
    Quote Originally Posted by Jackalope
    I have definitely got a male, I think. His white throat is like a balloon under his chin
    What color are the fish you're breeding? It sounds like the male, at least, is black.

    Are you trying to breed for color at all?
    They go from silver/gray striped to black striped -- I'm not breeding for color, I'm just hoping they're breeding .... they are about 6 months old and are just starting to get the idea that they should breed ..... kinda slow on the uptake ...... I'll hafta check and see if I've got some females
    I use the Linux Operating System ...... Free as in beer!
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  9. #9
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    Quote Originally Posted by badflash
    Yes, males alway vie for dominance, even with no females. They just don't fight as much.

    Net a female and look in her mouth, the eggs are unmistakable. Don't worry about losing a few eggs, Lots more where that came from. This is the only way to learn.
    I was hopin that it would mean that there was at least one female in the bunch ..... I guess I'll hafta start looking in some mouths this next week. Gonna be outta town til Tues.
    I use the Linux Operating System ...... Free as in beer!
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    Aquaponics - food'n'fish at your doorstep

    Helena, Montana - Home of the Northernmost Monument to the Confederacy

  10. #10
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Breeding O. Mossambica

    As long as they don't get fungus, they should be OK, but you might want to put them in a breeding net and bubble air under it.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

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