# met. estherae or the red zebra



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

I just bought a group of 6 met. estherae 1 male of the blue morph and 5 females I was wondering about water temp,conditions and how big they need to be and specs on getting them to breed any help will be apprecciated


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## jonah (Jan 19, 2005)

About 3 1/2" is when I saw my first zebra spawn. Some will spawn earlier, some later. Keep the water around 78-80 degrees F, pH above 8, and do a lot of water changes. Regular, large water changes will keep up the water quality and will make them grow faster. 

I can trigger spawning in most of mbuna by doing a water change with water slightly cooler than the tank water.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

I love these fish! These fish thrive at a temp of about 24-27 degrees and at a pH of above 8.
They will breed very easily at these conditions and their tank should be no less than 55g.
Good luck with breeding them, they need to be at least 2 and a half inches before they can breed.


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## jonah (Jan 19, 2005)

The other suggestion I might offer is that you keep them by themselves, or at least away from similar species. The red zebras I've kept in the past weren't really choosey about who they mated with.


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## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

I am keeping them in a 30 gallon as they are only 1"-2" so I turned the 30 into a species tank and they are still hiding underneath the flower pots and rock work but they are a cool fish


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Like jonah said, they may be aggressive so don't keep them with other similar mbunas, but it can be done in a large tank.
M.auratus are tough enough to withstand the aggression, but if you want to breed them then this isn't recommended.


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