# Odd Spawning Behavior?



## malawi4me2 (Jan 18, 2005)

Here's a topic for all y'all serious Malawi cichlid breeders...
Today, I was lucky enough to actually get to watch my cichlids spawning! :mrgreen: One of my female _O. lithobates_ was spawning with my male _C. borleyi_, but then she left him and spawned with my male _C. mloto_ for a while, and then went back to the _C. borleyi_. Each time, the pair(s) would circle and the male would nip at her anal fin, then she would lay an egg and pick it up and then nip at the males anal fin. She has a mouthfull of eggs now, and since she has produced healthy fry before (from a spawning with the _C. mloto_), I assume the eggs are fertile. 
Here's the question: Is it normal for a female to spawn with two males? I have never heard of this behavior, has it ever been documented by anyone else? Why would she be doing this? :?


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## Lisachromis (Jan 19, 2005)

I would assume she'd be doing this because she feels that both those males have good genes. That's the problem with aquariums sometimes, you get unintentional crosses.....


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

*Re: Normal Spawning Behavior?*

None of my malawi females do this, but one of my males sometimes shares two females.
One of my female oscars shares my 2 male oscars though, one male digs a nest one end of the tank and the other the other end. She then drifts between two nests depending on which oscar is more ready to display the cortship ritual. I've had spawnings before but if it wasn't for my nocternal catfish that I don't know how many I have because they all hide during the day behind masses of bog wood which they breed in, then i'd have loads of oscars.


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## Lisachromis (Jan 19, 2005)

Alot of Malawian males don't care about the species of female they spawn with. I've had to get rid of a few species of fish as the males I had, would interfere in the spawning of all the species in the tank and try to spawn with that female. They were also very aggressive. Since I did not want crosses in my tanks, the hyperdominant males had to go.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Actually for the genes of the cichlid to be improved, it's best to breed the hyperdominant ones because their genes are more valuable in the gene pool and for the strain to improve, mating cichlids with dominant males and females is a must. That's how natuaral selection works in the wild.


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