[DJRansome]

Wanted to provide an update that the Cynotilapia are finally colored up in this tank. After removing many males (maybe 6) the two (or so) that remain stay colored most of the time. :dancing:

All species are spawning except the estherae who is a widow.

 

[GaFishMan1181]

I think hara take a while to color up anyway IME. Unless my group of rusty are keeping mine from coloring up!!! Ha

Glad to hear your tank is looking good man :thumb: .

 

[RRasco]

IME Hara color up very early. I've seen them color up at 1/2" or smaller even. In my Hara growout I have several that color up randomly and one that stays constantly colored up; he's only 2". This is an old pic, I already gave that guy away, another male took his place.

 

[Kanorin]

:thumb:
Fish can be funny like this - I have a male msobo who colored up almost fully, then as my maingano became mature and aggressive (even though 95% of their aggression was conspecific), he turned back to an ugly brown. A week after removing the maingano, he was back colored up. Some males have best color if they are the only male and some seem to have better color if there is another male or two they can exert their dominance over. You never know!

 

[kyboy]

I had sort of a similar experience as Kanorin with my hara. I had suspected that I was sold a bunch of "extra male" haras & then after 10 months, 2 females were holding. I'm guessing that having mainganos as tankmates was probably the reason it took so long for spawns( purchased @2.5"-3.75"). For a while, the mainganos were spawning all the time & now it's the haras; the dom male hara has even taken over as the tank boss. It just goes to show how things can change in the aquarium. The hara had some fry, i kept 11 of them. :fish:

 

[bmweiler09]

Congrats DJ! :thumb:

Now if we could just see some pictures..

 

[GaFishMan1181]

I've had my hara for a while now and they have grown slower than any fish i have ever seen and also have waited the longest to show any colors. So i either have all females or mine must be stunted or something.

 

[RRasco]

High nitrate levels can stunt a fishes growth, the best thing for growing out fish is frequent WCs. Not saying that's your problem, just saying...

 

[GaFishMan1181]

Nitrates are 100% not the problem.

They have been in a 55g with a group of Rusty and Perlmutts for probably 4-5 months with weekly water changes and still i dont have a male showing his colors. Before that i had them in a 30g by themselves with weekly changes for like 2-3 months and i know when i got them the guy said they were around 6 months old so not sure what is wrong with my hara. I got a group of duds. 1 1/4 year old fish that are barely 2" long and grow like snails. My baby labeos that i stripped like 5 months ago have almost already caught up in size to my smallest of the 1 1/4 year old hara.

Sorry DJ i'm really not trying to take over your post but this seemed like a good time to get a little advice.

 

[Floridagirl]

Congrats DJ! :thumb:

Now if we could just see some pictures..

+1. I heard a rumor that you have a camera now... opcorn: opcorn:

 

[Glaneon]

I have 1" Hara's and 1 is colored up. He'll flash it on/off depending on where he's at in the tank, and what's around him.

He's gorgeous! (I should have waited until my tank cleared up, but whatev)

 

[cantrell00]

I have three males that will color up simultaneously. Surprisingly, they take ZERO **** off of the demasoni. Just the opposite. They don't back down from anything. Only one is barely 2". The other 2 are 1.5".

Congrats DJ

 

[DJRansome]

It was not a question of them coloring up young. In the quarantine tank at 6 months they were colored. It was either the demasoni combo or too many males or both.

But as mentioned, now that I've removed a ton of male cyno's they are coloring up well with the demasoni. I just questioned the mix in so many posts...wanted to say I got it to work.

I took another male out today and I still have more than one in there. It's like the clowns in the Volkswagen. :lol:

 

[Glaneon]

Funny.

Good point and I'm glad to hear it. I wouldn't mind having 2 males colored up in my big tank once they get big enough to put in.

 

[cantrell00]

Dennis Miller would be poud of this one...

I took another male out today and I still have more than one in there. It's like the clowns in the Volkswagen.

We all really try to compario scenario A in tank A to scenario B in Tank B but the dynamics of each tank are so specific to itself - it is next to impossible to try & predict what will happen.