How do I know which one of the red zebra cichlids is my baby frys mom is

Question

I have 10 african cichlid 3 are red, 3 is white, 3 is yellow and 1 with yellow green stripe but i don't know which one is the fries mom. can you help me identify who is its mom,thank you

Answer 1

Well the answer is its impossible to be quite honest. There is no answer. African cichlids encompass 1,000's of species. Im assuming they are mbuna from lake malawi (as these are most available in retail stores) as well as the most popular. The female will hold the fertilized eggs in her mouth and will look like her face has turned into a shovel type appearance. She will not eat for 21-31 days. If you did not notice a fish not eating/ being reserved/ and a face that is distinguishably diiferent then the others then you are out of luck. It is also very possible for cross breeding to occur. The females are often SMALLER then the males and less colorful, often the female can look like a completely different fish in comparison to a dominant male. Just pay more attention next time, they are almost guaranteed to breed again.The male will quiver in front of the female. Any fish you see shaking side to side spastically in front of another fish will MOST LIKELY be a male  (aka the male will be doing the quivering)..however the mating ritual is a story in itself so do some research if youd like to know definitive patterns...hope this helps  

Answer 2

Which one was fat but isn't now? I hate to tell you this but if you have a fish die in the next day or so-that was the mom.Some times after a birth the mom will pass on.

Answer 3

The female will be the one exhaustively defending the brood and "nest" if you will.  The male won't give a rat's fat a##.  Pay no attention to the person who said the female will die.  I've never heard of such a thing and I've had Africans for years, both Malawians, as you have and Tangs.  Even a few Victorians........

Answer 4

take her to the maury show!

Answer 5

i really dont think you can=/

ive had the same problem..

females are usually much larger than males, and not as colorful...

maybe that helps?

i know, its really hard, i tried to help as best i could tho(:

Answer 6

A few things don't quite make sense here.

How do you have all these Africans, and you don't even know what species you have?

How is it, you have fry in with the adults, and you never noticed that bulge in the females mouth, and the fact she passed over food?

At this point, it's going to be difficult to say who they came from if they are free swimming, honestly.  This is only compounded more by not listing your species and what s*x they are too.