# I have auratus babies!



## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

I started off with 2 auratuses about a year ago, they had 20 babies and both died, and now I have 19 adult auratus in the same tank. Two of them became pregnant about 3 weeks ago and so I put them both into a small 10 litre tank. But for over two weeks none of them spat. I removed one female and the following day the other spat! 15 fry, exact replicas of their parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles. I then put the other female into the 10 litre tank with her sister's fry still present. She tried to mouth brood her sisters fry probably because she thought they were her own babies, but they all swam away. Eventually though they accepted as a foster mum and about 5 entered her mouth, the other 10 couldn't fit because her mouth was so full. Two days after she spat too, and I've put her back with her brothers and sisters. I'll send some pics in soon. Even though I've been breeding cichlids for so long, here is my question, and I'll be very impressed who ever answers it because it beats me. 
One of the fry looks like the shape of a bannana, almost as if it's whole spine has been bent. I thought mabye it got squashed in its aunts mouth because there were so many in there, or maybe it's a mutation or something. Also one of them only has one eye. I don't think it's an injury because I can't imagine what inflicted it. Can anyone have a guess as to how these abnormalities occured? Also I think I have another mutation, but for the better. One of them dosn't have a straight vertical line but an almost dapled evenly broken line, Very attactive, I hope that I can breed it when it becomes an adult and create a new strain. Finally I've been thinking about creating a hybrid. I've read it in books but does anyone know if it's possible to cross an M. autatus with an M. chipokke. C


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

Congrats !
post up some pics and let us see those pretty babies of yours


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

i bet your fry are suffering mutations from interbreeding


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

Congrats! Cant wait to see the lil' swimmers.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

fishboy said:


> i bet your fry are suffering mutations from interbreeding


I'd have to agree. Typically shows up as random mutations or deformations in the same batch, but not the same mutation.


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## Lisachromis (Jan 19, 2005)

I suspect the bent spine and one eye fry are results of too much inbreeding (Maybe you should try to find an unrelated male?). And yes, chipokaes can interbreed with auratus.


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