# Venustus + Peac0ck = babies?!



## ThatFishKid (Aug 9, 2008)

Can someone please tell me how closely related Venustus and peac0ck cichlids are to each other. Recently, my male venustus has been, for the 1st time, showing his bluish phase and been VERY aggressive to all cichlids in the tank except for my female peac0ck. also, the peac0ck has darkened quite a bit, staying partly hidden in the same area as the venustus, and seems to be "presenting" herself to him sometimes. are they close enough to actually breed? or is this just a weird fluke?
(P.S: if they COULD breed, that would be a seriously cool fish.)


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## ThatFishKid (Aug 9, 2008)

By the way, if there is any question, here is the peac0ck.
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/cichlids/20834-hap-id.html


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I hope no babies. There are enough cichlid hybrids around already. I think they are different enough that you won't get any living fry, but you really never know. Its pretty common for males to try to spawn with anything female. Females are the picky ones, but they will "make do" when there is no male of the right kind.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i don't think that they are close enough to interbreed;but almost anything is possible..my nephew thinks that his longfin albino bushynose male may have bred with an L-136b..that would be an awesome looking fish;but i am not real crazy about freak hybrids..


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

ThatFishKid said:


> ...how closely related Venustus and peac0ck cichlids are to each other....are they close enough to actually breed?


They are close enough to breed and produce viable hybrid fry. Mbuna's, peacox [intentionally misspelled], and haps are genetically closely related to produce offspring. On another site there was a pic posted of a dimidichromis compressiceps X labidochromis caeruleus hybrid (or malawi eye biter X yellow lab cross).

The likelihood of such hybridization depends on certain variables (namely, species involved and availlable gender ratio among the species).


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