I LOVE hybrids, I have a few in my 55 Gallon :) But the one thing I hate is when someone says "You shouldn't keep hybrids, it's ruining the hobby" My answer always is "Are interracial baby's ruining the human race?" Seems to always shut them up lol
I've got a few "dull" fish in my 240 gallon, they're still my pets so to answer "what would I do with them"? I would do my job to keep there water clean, keep them healthy and well fed just like I do with all the others.
The problem that comes with hybrids are when the retailers label them as pure fish. There really is a lack of knowledge in the industry and the ignorance is passed on to the customer. Most people will never flood the market or make a business from fishkeeping or breeding fish...its just a hobby. I've kept every cichlid under the sun but I can appreciate a good looking hybrid. They do make there place in the industry and they give the consumer what they are looking for (Dragon blood peacocks for example...try to find a deep red or pink cichlid naturally). As long as we don't release thousands of hybrids into the lakes, then there is nothing to worry about. All the popular hybrids are farm or tank raised and are produced for the consumer. I used to sell so many hybrid Parrot fish....best fish I ever sold in the business. They were colourful, hardy, and could be mixed with almost anything....I could never imagine not selling them if I was in the business again. Hybrids are here to stay and they have a special spot in the hobby.
If that combo results in fry they will quickly become your favorite fish. That's what happened to us. Our first batch of fry was an OB male and an unidentified female Peacock.
I love hybrids. They are beautiful some of the most beautiful fish. They are living things. God bless you for making this video and standing up for the hybrids.
I love the hybrids! I have a 150 gallon tank and just ordered my first 2 batches of small fish.. I plan on buying 40 cichlids. Several different ones, and I am sure I will end with some hybrids. I ordered most of them from your store. Thanks for the great videos!
Cross breeding and hybridisation are different things. True hybridasation is between 2 different species and typically results in infertile progeny. eg crossing a horse with a donkey to get a mule. crossbreeding is is between parents of the same species but with different characteristics and traits. eg crossing a bull dog with a shih tzu. However they are both dogs but the traits are mixed yet the offspring are fertile and can be further bred. the majortiy of all domestic animals are crossbreeds which have been selectively kept and further bred to meet certain things we humans deem acceptable to our needs.
Finally an educated stance on the other side of the hybrid contro!! Totally respect your opinion bro!! Killing or "culling" the fish is harsh! I do not keep hybrids but then again I only keep ca SA cichlids. Great video bro!
Phenomenal approach to a touchy subject. I like to entertain the idea of matched breeding and hybridization. Life is to short to get your panties in a knot over crossbreeding. What are the odds that all these people that get bent out of shape over crossbreeding are mating with an exact "true" blood line as themselves. Do you care enough to keep fish bloodlines true but what the same for humans I have recently paired a Sulfur head(male) with a bi color 500 (female). I am very excited and cant wait until they start developing their own "character". I would be very interested in a video of cross breed projects and results.
John, I appreciate all your videos! Not only are they very informative but most importantly you show your passion for what your do! I highly respect you as a breeder and tropical fish saler. I bought two OBEB Ciclids and man they are some bad as. Fish. Currently I have a 55 gallon tank with a variety of tropical fish that many are shocked to see which include 12 different Africans, 6 South Americans, 2 red tetras, 3 black skirt tetras, 2 diamond skirt tetras, 3 black neon tetras, 1 red tailed bala shark, 1 bottom feeder (cleaner.. Forgot the name.. Must be a hybrid! Lol) and finally my cray fish with plenty of minnows and ghost shrimp. I love it! All fish are surprisingly good with each other even when I had a small 3" bass that I safely released back to the wild. Although my tank may not be large enough for these guys to spawn, I would like to breed in the future once am able to manage multiple tanks.. My question is; IF by coincidence my fish spawned, what are the possibilities that my African would breed with South Americans? Thank you for your time and knowledge John. Joseph (FL)
I have been watching your videos for awhile now. I came here tonight to see your opinion on hybrids! I have noticed on a Facebook forum where it seems like these hybrid fish are criminals and need to be killed. I am a longtime dog lover and have respected the purebreds. My dog is a mutt! I love him dearly. He's a rescued dog and is the best thing ever! Anyways, I took some Deep thought into switching my 60 gallon community tank to an all cichlid tank. I have mbunas. Bought them from a local fish breeder. Being new to the hobby he guided me on what fish to put together. I bought 2 of his mature fish and 8 fish from a grow out tank. They are establishing their territory and I do believe the young are establishing their bond with each other. Pairing up, should we say. I foresee hybrids in my future. I am the new hobbyist who just wants a pretty fish in my show tank. I didn't know this pretty 'calico' marked fish were called OB's and are hybrids! Now I know why I can't find one of those! What upset me and brought me to tears tonight is the conversation on the forum starting out as, "What do I do with my hybrids?" Only 2 responses and they were, "well, how big are they?" And, "use them as feeder fish. I guess if you don't want to cull them then keep them until they die." My heart nearly broke and I find this is most people's opinion on this forum. I will be removing myself from this group. Thank you for the informative videos and thank you so much for the new found respect I have for you! You're the reason I took the leap to get into the cichlid hobby! Hugs and much love you and your family!
I understand the frustration, I've seen similar things on forums. The funny thing is most people don't truly believe what they say on forums, they just say it because they can and because they wana mix things up. Head over to my forum at kgtropicals.com, I promise you there wont be anything like that on mine:-)
I'm new to the cichlids world and I love them!! I didn't know what a hybrid was now I have one gorgeous peacock hybrid and was steered by my fish store guy to buy it. Now im looking for hybrid more then any . Love the videos they really help get started with cichlids. Keep up the good work.
Agreed! I think it's a stupid argument when people hate on hybrids because they think it's "unnatural." Perfect example of crossbreeding fish (even so they are not cichlids) are tiger musky and tiger trout. Which do crossbreed in the wild. Love the videos! I am currently in the process of watching all your videos and enjoy learning about Africans from you. Thanks!
My most striking fish that always gets people’s attention is my OB. I’m not kidding when I say it’s the most amazingly colorful OB I’ve ever seen including all the pics on the net.
Thanks for the input Shane. Theres certainly nothing wrong with anyone who prefers "pure bred" cichlids, (which when you think about it "pure bred" could be considered an oxymoron, everything has evolved from something) my whole contention is with discarding fish just because they are unwanted.
Nobody stop the evolution man !!!! i dont have hybrids in my tank, but last week i saw an OB AULO and look amazing never seen a ob alive just in vids but really really beautiful.
I like you more and more with every video you and lisa put out... it couldnt have been said any better or plainly or truthful... wish you still ran a store... much love to you and lisa... hybrid love from vidor texas
Thank you so much, I have always loved hybrids, but just saved my FIRST batch due to curiosity of outcome, my cheware bread with my albino zebra and I was able to catch her and let her spit them when she was ready, and now it's like Christmas waiting for the results. I also have a blue zebra who loves breeding with my lab and jalo reef. Also an OB peacock (pink and purple) female breeding with my red peacock. I've never sought out babies to hurt or kill them, only ever to catch and separate, but this is my FIRST saved batch and your video just gave me a HUGE hope. You are amazing!!! Keep up the beautiful breeding.
Great Video! Thanks for sharing so much wonderful information. I too have hybrids, but didn't know what to call them when people asked me what kind of cichlids I had. I love them because of their beauty and different coloring in each of them. They are all unique and individual..
Great video -- I have an albino female who is holding for the 2nd time . She mated with a red top zebra . The fry from the first batch are beautiful . Only 3 of them have made it and they all look different . Thanks again for the video .
I have a a hongi that crossed with a Red Zebra and made some really cool looking red zebra hybrids that have eyebrow markings and black tails. Very cool looking. I will keep 1-2 and sell what I can and give away the rest. Last resort should be culling any fish hybrid or purebred. Your advise is always a valuable tool as I learn more about cichlids.
Excellent video. I agree 100%. I love my Hybrids and I don't care that they aren't "pure" strains. They are stunning, beautiful fish that I am PROUD to have in my tank. And I agree, they ARE the most talked about fish in the tank because they are unique and beautiful.
Awesome video on this. I actually just saw a thread on FB about this 2 days ago and there was one guy who talked down on hybrids. Keep up the great work, I'm learning a lot.
I agree with you jhon. Few days ago one of my local pet shop keeper said al of my cichlids are cross breed. They are not worth anything. I have to kill the fry or let not this happen. I was confused but now I am clear and keep what ever they breed. Thanks for your helpful suggestion.
This is by far my favorite video, hybrids are awesome, any living fish is awesome. I feel your honesty and love for your fish and your trade. Keep up the good work and thanks for teaching my family and me with your videos.
personally, I think you are one of the coolest people on the internet. love watching your cichlid videos keep up the good work. im fairly new to the hobby and feel like I got a good handle on the hobby from watching your vids.keep preaching my friend!!!!
Just picked up 2 gorgeous blue dolphin crossed with a dragons blood peacock, and I must say it is a stunner, never seen these before but they are a new hybrid favorite to me now
I have a yellow lelupi cichlid that has been courting a cherry red zebra. The cherry red zebra is holding right now. Hope they make it! Can't wait to see what the color and shape look like.
wow....I like what you said. And I love to just watch them in their tank. And when I saw a yellow lab with an orange cichlid, I though they would have eaten them by time I got back from out of town a few weeks ago. But I was feeding them one day and saw some dark across the 55 gal. tank and then I got closer and sure enough there were babies and the orange lab was running all the rest away. But when I left the yellow lab had them in her mouth, I could see she was holding but wasn't sure. So I took all the big ones out clean the tank and go all the babies and put in a 10 gal tank. And Yes someone did tell me to feed them to the big fish but I don't want to do that I want them to grow. And so for none has died but one that I know of and that one fell on the floor by the tank and I didn't see it until the next day. But I can't wait to see what they will look like so far they look yellow....lol I love the different colors of the cichlids.
The first time I read a hybrid thread so many people were posting to kill any hybrid batches!! Its nice to hear the exact opposite. Thanks for this video.
This video sort of hit home for me, I recently had a batch of fry that was a hybrid of a Convict and a Archocentrus spilurus. We raised them for 2 months and had to give them away cause the mom and dad spawned a new batch, we took them to a local mom and pop pet store, they said they would take them. We went back the next day and they fed them to a larger cichlid. We were heart broken. However we came home and found one little guy hiding in the gravel. So hes our little survivor.
I've got 2 different hybrids right now have a blue peacock that spawned with a ob and a dragon blood that spawned with an empress I'm excited to see what these fish will look like
Hi John, you and your videos are the reasons I purchased a tank to start an African Cichlid tank. I absolutely love the hybrid guys in your tank. They are beautiful! By the way the 61 dislikes are dwarfed by the 1.1K (&1) thumps up. Keep up the great work.
Dude, You rock! Hybrids are some of the most beautiful fish and so dead on with the "it's not natural" they don't mix in the wild, etc. I so posted your video on all the haters, lol.
Jon..... I'm with you 100%....not only the "hybrid debate" but killing anything that " Is ALIVE"..... for any reason or human pleasure/ ignorance.. I'm a new Mbuna keeper and I've just added some Hybrids. I'm sure you know in these isolated lakes these AWESOME creatures have (of course crossbred). It is what has kept them evolving at a prolific rate for centuries... Thank You Sir....
I couldn't agree more on your sentiments regarding hybrids you have some truly beautiful fish. I don't know about keeping these fish but I find you films on caring for them very interesting. Keep up the good work.
I love how awesome you are about the fish. I have never had any hybrids in my tank yet. I only started with African Cichlids for about a month now and i love them. I really think.. i mean i know what you are doing is such a wicked idea. I just wanted to let you know that. And thanks soooo much for all the information you have shared. Thanks a bunch.
I think you are spot on in regards to the highbreds. How do people think we have all the different species of Africans? You would have to be an absolute moron to think these fish wouldn't crossbreed in the wild. Anyone who would kill these fish simply for being crossbred can't be a real fish or animal lover period. And I don't think your opinion is extreme at all. Thanks for expressing your opinion in a video that will be seen by a lot of people in the hobby. Hopefully you changed a few people's minds. Love the videos keep them coming.
My views exactly.. just because it's crossed doesn't make it any less of a beautiful animal. Love your videos dude, it's because of you that I love these cichlids. You're absolutely great man. Plus, To people that think hybrids are wrong You are a hybrid. You are the result of two different unrelated people (people nonetheless) And so you are a hybrid yourself.
We haven't had any fish that we haven't been able to get to accept prepared fish foods pellets, krill etc. Even our Florida Gar happily accepts pellets. It would be just a little counter productive if we were to have the set up that we do to breed and raise fish but then feed the fry to other fish, forget counter productive it would just be dumb.
My socolofi cichlid just had fry a couple of days ago, she was supposed to be male so I didn’t notice until she was carrying that she was female lol now I have some hybrid fry (not sure who the father is but she’s the only socolofi in the tank) I’m so excited to see how they will turn out as they grow!!
bought an ob peacock the other week, hes prob the nicest looking fish in my tank, why people want to kill these gorgeous fish is beyond me, people who think this way should not be allowed to keep any kind of pet at all, i totally agree with this video...KGTropicals has my utmost respect, keep up the good work john, you are the main man dude, thanks to your videos on african cichlids i can rest easy knowing i can turn to your videos for any type of advice on keeping these species...thanks dude. peace.
Ive recently subscribed to your you tube channel I have found it very informative. Today I watched this video on hybrids and after watching im even more intetested in your series. Face book the forums and the abuse we take because some of our fish arent pure. I enjoy chiclids all chiclids. Thanks for sharing
If anyone doesn't want the fry just do it the natural way and let the female spit the fry in the tank. Sure, some of them will be eaten by the other fish but hey, at least they have a shot at survival.
Thanks for video. It explains a lot about what is sold out there. You buy the fish because of the way they look and how they get along with each other not their genetics.
I just bought an ob peacock, I have a community tank with tiger barbs , guppies and Congo tetras. Is this thing going to eat them all? And my live plants?
John, thank you for sharing your video and opinion on hybrids. They can turn out to be nice looking fish. From a retail stand point, that translates to sales which is what keeps you in business(it's a good thing to watch independent pet shops stay in the game). Your points about people saying they're unnatural, I guess what they are saying is these are man made hybrids. Your point about fish crossing in the wild on their own is an excellent point. This would probably be considered natural evolution, something that has occurred for many years. Long before we as mankind disturbed it with thing like relocating fish for food or game purposes or even in collecting fish from one part of a lake, transporting them to another point were that particular stain or color pattern doesn't occur and accidentally allowing them to escape. The latter can cause a problem, if you have the same species at that location, it can have a negative effect on the native strain of the species, as extreme as that native strain disappearing. Lake Victoria is a well documented case of mankind's error, by introducing the Nile Perch to that lake. Because of the introduction, many of the Victorian Haps are now extinct. Now, back to the hybrids. There was hope of correcting the Lake Victoria problem by reintroducing some of these Haps that have been breed in captivity, but those fish too at times were crossbred. So reintroducing those extinct fish back to the wild can still be a problem, because the true species probably haven't been maintained in captivity. You also mentioned that you believe most africans (I assume you're speaking of Malawians) are not longer purely their species, I have to beg to differ. That Venustus swimming around in you tank looked pretty pure and pretty much like, what a Venustus looked like about 30 - 40 years ago. When I got into cichlids, in the late 70's, hybrids were not accepted. Again, I agree that there a some nice looking hybrids now days, but the education of and on hybrids is very important to the integrity of the hobby. p.s. - I'm honestly not a fan of hybrids.
Great video nice topic because I just did a video of that very question, I didn't get no krazy comments but was good to see what ppl think love the hybrids you shown, I wouldn't sell them either!
I have a one of a kind sunshine ob hybrid cichlid no one in the Internet world has one 😀and I feel the way ain’t no way no how mines only lol great video...
Great video mate and am fully in agreement with you. I have just been kicked off a U.K. facebook cichlid group for moaning about the owners censoring members comments regarding hybrids, they were even deleting posts that in anyway mentioned none pure bred fish. Subsequently that is how I found your video before they deleted that too. Ridiculous ! ;)
I totally agree with you on the topic of hybrids. While the fish in nature may attempt to breed with their own species they will cross breed if there are certain conditions. So hybrids are naturally happening and as you said is part of the reason we have 2000+ species in the lakes. While I prefer to have a more pure bred Mbuna tank I welcome hybrids in my Peacock and Hap tank. I wonder what people think about line breeding to get a certain coloration? I see that all the time online.
Leaving fry in your community tank and "letting nature take its coarse" isn't culling. When you let them spit in your tank you're at least giving them a shot. Believe me none of this makes me lose any sleep, I sleep good my friend and I don't recall calling anyone a murderer.
Oh its cool haha. Yea ive ran into 2-5 places that have most of them were just missed informed by someone else who may have lied or been miss informed but yea somewhere down the lie someone was lied too.
Sorry for the delay. I misread your last question, I thought you asked is it ILLEGAL to breed them and my answer was no. I didn't realize you said is it legal. It is absolutely LEGAL to breed hybrids. Sorry for the confusion.
African cichlids hybrids are beautiful fishes that comes different colors varieties. They are natural and may does exist in the wild either rare or common. I used to have hybrid fishes and birds before and is was no accident for the two different parent breed together. I love them either pure or hybrids.
Omg John GREAT vid. You addessed a fear I have, cuz I have a mixed tank. Im new to cichlids so I was uncertain if they'll interbreed, but either way, im keeping my fry :D
i agree it does happen in the wild , but i think a pet store should list hybrids as hybrids , because this is something i would (and many other people) would like to know if say , trying to get a breeding group together
john u rock man..i ve had my red zebra breeding with albino zebras and it was an awesome batch of fry...and its fun and interesting..just as humans cross breed same do all creatures and its a gift of mother nature
I love hybrids I don't care what anyone says, as long as their taken care of properly that's all that matter for me. My Strawberry Dragonblood mix is my all time fav had him for almost a year now
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I LOVE hybrids, I have a few in my 55 Gallon :) But the one thing I hate is when someone says "You shouldn't keep hybrids, it's ruining the hobby" My answer always is "Are interracial baby's ruining the human race?" Seems to always shut them up lol
yes
multi-ethnicity is fine but too often your mixed race baby grows up Fatherless. kinda silly to compare human beings to fish though.
@@ronriggs9954 ur mom has a fat ass,
Ha
I have a yellow blaze lithobates and a female OB peacock breeding right now
I've got a few "dull" fish in my 240 gallon, they're still my pets so to answer "what would I do with them"? I would do my job to keep there water clean, keep them healthy and well fed just like I do with all the others.
I love hybrids. Send me a few.
You rock!
Those fish are beautiful. Mutts of any kind have always had a special place in my heart.
If you have the them and dont want them PLEASE fell free to send them to ME !!!!!
Hybrids are great! Im currently growing out some Super Vc-10 x Ruby Red Peacock! Can't wait for the colors to start popping up!
The problem that comes with hybrids are when the retailers label them as pure fish. There really is a lack of knowledge in the industry and the ignorance is passed on to the customer. Most people will never flood the market or make a business from fishkeeping or breeding fish...its just a hobby. I've kept every cichlid under the sun but I can appreciate a good looking hybrid. They do make there place in the industry and they give the consumer what they are looking for (Dragon blood peacocks for example...try to find a deep red or pink cichlid naturally). As long as we don't release thousands of hybrids into the lakes, then there is nothing to worry about. All the popular hybrids are farm or tank raised and are produced for the consumer. I used to sell so many hybrid Parrot fish....best fish I ever sold in the business. They were colourful, hardy, and could be mixed with almost anything....I could never imagine not selling them if I was in the business again. Hybrids are here to stay and they have a special spot in the hobby.
The pink ones are why I got into Africans. Certain individuals are roughly the color of my dream saltwater fish (which I can't get.)
If that combo results in fry they will quickly become your favorite fish. That's what happened to us. Our first batch of fry was an OB male and an unidentified female Peacock.
I love hybrids. They are beautiful some of the most beautiful fish. They are living things. God bless you for making this video and standing up for the hybrids.
I love the hybrids! I have a 150 gallon tank and just ordered my first 2 batches of small fish.. I plan on buying 40 cichlids. Several different ones, and I am sure I will end with some hybrids. I ordered most of them from your store. Thanks for the great videos!
Cross breeding and hybridisation are different things. True hybridasation is between 2 different species and typically results in infertile progeny. eg crossing a horse with a donkey to get a mule. crossbreeding is is between parents of the same species but with different characteristics and traits. eg crossing a bull dog with a shih tzu. However they are both dogs but the traits are mixed yet the offspring are fertile and can be further bred. the majortiy of all domestic animals are crossbreeds which have been selectively kept and further bred to meet certain things we humans deem acceptable to our needs.
Finally an educated stance on the other side of the hybrid contro!! Totally respect your opinion bro!! Killing or "culling" the fish is harsh! I do not keep hybrids but then again I only keep ca SA cichlids. Great video bro!
Phenomenal approach to a touchy subject. I like to entertain the idea of matched breeding and hybridization. Life is to short to get your panties in a knot over crossbreeding. What are the odds that all these people that get bent out of shape over crossbreeding are mating with an exact "true" blood line as themselves. Do you care enough to keep fish bloodlines true but what the same for humans I have recently paired a Sulfur head(male) with a bi color 500 (female). I am very excited and cant wait until they start developing their own "character". I would be very interested in a video of cross breed projects and results.
John, I appreciate all your videos! Not only are they very informative but most importantly you show your passion for what your do!
I highly respect you as a breeder and tropical fish saler. I bought two OBEB Ciclids and man they are some bad as. Fish. Currently I have a 55 gallon tank with a variety of tropical fish that many are shocked to see which include 12 different Africans, 6 South Americans, 2 red tetras, 3 black skirt tetras, 2 diamond skirt tetras, 3 black neon tetras, 1 red tailed bala shark, 1 bottom feeder (cleaner.. Forgot the name.. Must be a hybrid! Lol) and finally my cray fish with plenty of minnows and ghost shrimp. I love it! All fish are surprisingly good with each other even when I had a small 3" bass that I safely released back to the wild.
Although my tank may not be large enough for these guys to spawn, I would like to breed in the future once am able to manage multiple tanks.. My question is; IF by coincidence my fish spawned, what are the possibilities that my African would breed with South Americans?
Thank you for your time and knowledge John.
Joseph (FL)
I have been watching your videos for awhile now. I came here tonight to see your opinion on hybrids! I have noticed on a Facebook forum where it seems like these hybrid fish are criminals and need to be killed. I am a longtime dog lover and have respected the purebreds. My dog is a mutt! I love him dearly. He's a rescued dog and is the best thing ever! Anyways, I took some Deep thought into switching my 60 gallon community tank to an all cichlid tank. I have mbunas. Bought them from a local fish breeder. Being new to the hobby he guided me on what fish to put together. I bought 2 of his mature fish and 8 fish from a grow out tank. They are establishing their territory and I do believe the young are establishing their bond with each other. Pairing up, should we say. I foresee hybrids in my future. I am the new hobbyist who just wants a pretty fish in my show tank. I didn't know this pretty 'calico' marked fish were called OB's and are hybrids! Now I know why I can't find one of those! What upset me and brought me to tears tonight is the conversation on the forum starting out as, "What do I do with my hybrids?" Only 2 responses and they were, "well, how big are they?" And, "use them as feeder fish. I guess if you don't want to cull them then keep them until they die." My heart nearly broke and I find this is most people's opinion on this forum. I will be removing myself from this group. Thank you for the informative videos and thank you so much for the new found respect I have for you! You're the reason I took the leap to get into the cichlid hobby! Hugs and much love you and your family!
I understand the frustration, I've seen similar things on forums. The funny thing is most people don't truly believe what they say on forums, they just say it because they can and because they wana mix things up. Head over to my forum at kgtropicals.com, I promise you there wont be anything like that on mine:-)
Actually all dogs came from breeding and cross breeding wolves your argument is invalid.
+Sarpa salpa please do not compare crossing a dog and a wolf to hybrid cichlids please
I'm new to the cichlids world and I love them!! I didn't know what a hybrid was now I have one gorgeous peacock hybrid and was steered by my fish store guy to buy it. Now im looking for hybrid more then any . Love the videos they really help get started with cichlids. Keep up the good work.
Yes it was, I think I was pretty clear in the video about how I feel about killing the fish.
Agreed! I think it's a stupid argument when people hate on hybrids because they think it's "unnatural." Perfect example of crossbreeding fish (even so they are not cichlids) are tiger musky and tiger trout. Which do crossbreed in the wild. Love the videos! I am currently in the process of watching all your videos and enjoy learning about Africans from you. Thanks!
My most striking fish that always gets people’s attention is my OB. I’m not kidding when I say it’s the most amazingly colorful OB I’ve ever seen including all the pics on the net.
Thanks for the input Shane. Theres certainly nothing wrong with anyone who prefers "pure bred" cichlids, (which when you think about it "pure bred" could be considered an oxymoron, everything has evolved from something) my whole contention is with discarding fish just because they are unwanted.
Nobody stop the evolution man !!!!
i dont have hybrids in my tank, but last week i saw an OB AULO and look amazing never seen a ob alive just in vids but really really beautiful.
I like you more and more with every video you and lisa put out... it couldnt have been said any better or plainly or truthful... wish you still ran a store... much love to you and lisa... hybrid love from vidor texas
Thank you so much, I have always loved hybrids, but just saved my FIRST batch due to curiosity of outcome, my cheware bread with my albino zebra and I was able to catch her and let her spit them when she was ready, and now it's like Christmas waiting for the results. I also have a blue zebra who loves breeding with my lab and jalo reef. Also an OB peacock (pink and purple) female breeding with my red peacock. I've never sought out babies to hurt or kill them, only ever to catch and separate, but this is my FIRST saved batch and your video just gave me a HUGE hope. You are amazing!!! Keep up the beautiful breeding.
Great Video! Thanks for sharing so much wonderful information. I too have hybrids, but didn't know what to call them when people asked me what kind of cichlids I had. I love them because of their beauty and different coloring in each of them. They are all unique and individual..
Great video -- I have an albino female who is holding for the 2nd time . She mated with a red top zebra . The fry from the first batch are beautiful . Only 3 of them have made it and they all look different . Thanks again for the video .
I have a a hongi that crossed with a Red Zebra and made some really cool looking red zebra hybrids that have eyebrow markings and black tails. Very cool looking. I will keep 1-2 and sell what I can and give away the rest. Last resort should be culling any fish hybrid or purebred. Your advise is always a valuable tool as I learn more about cichlids.
Excellent video. I agree 100%. I love my Hybrids and I don't care that they aren't "pure" strains. They are stunning, beautiful fish that I am PROUD to have in my tank. And I agree, they ARE the most talked about fish in the tank because they are unique and beautiful.
My pleasure!! Thanks for watching and for the compliments!!
Awesome video on this. I actually just saw a thread on FB about this 2 days ago and there was one guy who talked down on hybrids. Keep up the great work, I'm learning a lot.
Love your hybrids, well done, awesome video....
Michael Sutherland Thanks my friend:-)
I agree with you jhon. Few days ago one of my local pet shop keeper said al of my cichlids are cross breed. They are not worth anything. I have to kill the fry or let not this happen. I was confused but now I am clear and keep what ever they breed. Thanks for your helpful suggestion.
This is by far my favorite video, hybrids are awesome, any living fish is awesome. I feel your honesty and love for your fish and your trade. Keep up the good work and thanks for teaching my family and me with your videos.
I'm glad you label your Hybrids. I wouldn't recommend calling people idiots even if they don't have the best opinions. Hoping to make a order soon.
personally, I think you are one of the coolest people on the internet. love watching your cichlid videos keep up the good work. im fairly new to the hobby and feel like I got a good handle on the hobby from watching your vids.keep preaching my friend!!!!
my orange blotches hybrid when he gets excited he turns different colors. love them ♡♡♡
Hybrids are the most beautiful cichlids.Thats how we have the colors and breeds we do now! I totally agree!!!!
Just picked up 2 gorgeous blue dolphin crossed with a dragons blood peacock, and I must say it is a stunner, never seen these before but they are a new hybrid favorite to me now
I have a yellow lelupi cichlid that has been courting a cherry red zebra. The cherry red zebra is holding right now. Hope they make it! Can't wait to see what the color and shape look like.
wow....I like what you said. And I love to just watch them in their tank. And when I saw a yellow lab with an orange cichlid, I though they would have eaten them by time I got back from out of town a few weeks ago. But I was feeding them one day and saw some dark across the 55 gal. tank and then I got closer and sure enough there were babies and the orange lab was running all the rest away. But when I left the yellow lab had them in her mouth, I could see she was holding but wasn't sure. So I took all the big ones out clean the tank and go all the babies and put in a 10 gal tank. And Yes someone did tell me to feed them to the big fish but I don't want to do that I want them to grow. And so for none has died but one that I know of and that one fell on the floor by the tank and I didn't see it until the next day. But I can't wait to see what they will look like so far they look yellow....lol I love the different colors of the cichlids.
The first time I read a hybrid thread so many people were posting to kill any hybrid batches!! Its nice to hear the exact opposite. Thanks for this video.
This video sort of hit home for me, I recently had a batch of fry that was a hybrid of a Convict and a Archocentrus spilurus. We raised them for 2 months and had to give them away cause the mom and dad spawned a new batch, we took them to a local mom and pop pet store, they said they would take them. We went back the next day and they fed them to a larger cichlid. We were heart broken. However we came home and found one little guy hiding in the gravel. So hes our little survivor.
I've got 2 different hybrids right now have a blue peacock that spawned with a ob and a dragon blood that spawned with an empress I'm excited to see what these fish will look like
I had my Ruby Red Peacock mate with my Albino and the where the most beautiful Cichlids in my tank.Great Vid....
Hi John, you and your videos are the reasons I purchased a tank to start an African Cichlid tank. I absolutely love the hybrid guys in your tank. They are beautiful! By the way the 61 dislikes are dwarfed by the 1.1K (&1) thumps up. Keep up the great work.
Dude, You rock! Hybrids are some of the most beautiful fish and so dead on with the "it's not natural" they don't mix in the wild, etc. I so posted your video on all the haters, lol.
Jon..... I'm with you 100%....not only the "hybrid debate" but killing anything that " Is ALIVE"..... for any reason or human pleasure/ ignorance.. I'm a new Mbuna keeper and I've just added some Hybrids. I'm sure you know in these isolated lakes these AWESOME creatures have (of course crossbred). It is what has kept them evolving at a prolific rate for centuries... Thank You Sir....
I couldn't agree more on your sentiments regarding hybrids you have some truly beautiful fish. I don't know about keeping these fish but I find you films on caring for them very interesting. Keep up the good work.
I love how awesome you are about the fish. I have never had any hybrids in my tank yet. I only started with African Cichlids for about a month now and i love them. I really think.. i mean i know what you are doing is such a wicked idea. I just wanted to let you know that. And thanks soooo much for all the information you have shared. Thanks a bunch.
I think you are spot on in regards to the highbreds. How do people think we have all the different species of Africans? You would have to be an absolute moron to think these fish wouldn't crossbreed in the wild. Anyone who would kill these fish simply for being crossbred can't be a real fish or animal lover period. And I don't think your opinion is extreme at all. Thanks for expressing your opinion in a video that will be seen by a lot of people in the hobby. Hopefully you changed a few people's minds. Love the videos keep them coming.
You my friend are my hero. I love hybrids just as much "pure strain"
Right on brother!!
Got my first O. B. 8 yrs ago and til now have them. My favorite
They are beautiful. I love them!
My views exactly.. just because it's crossed doesn't make it any less of a beautiful animal. Love your videos dude, it's because of you that I love these cichlids. You're absolutely great man.
Plus,
To people that think hybrids are wrong
You are a hybrid.
You are the result of two different unrelated people (people nonetheless)
And so you are a hybrid yourself.
We haven't had any fish that we haven't been able to get to accept prepared fish foods pellets, krill etc. Even our Florida Gar happily accepts pellets. It would be just a little counter productive if we were to have the set up that we do to breed and raise fish but then feed the fry to other fish, forget counter productive it would just be dumb.
My socolofi cichlid just had fry a couple of days ago, she was supposed to be male so I didn’t notice until she was carrying that she was female lol now I have some hybrid fry (not sure who the father is but she’s the only socolofi in the tank) I’m so excited to see how they will turn out as they grow!!
Some of the nicest mbuna I have came from the assorted tank at my local fish store...
Love this video! Saw my first peacock today, it was a hybrid and I bought and LOVE IT!
bought an ob peacock the other week, hes prob the nicest looking fish in my tank, why people want to kill these gorgeous fish is beyond me, people who think this way should not be allowed to keep any kind of pet at all, i totally agree with this video...KGTropicals has my utmost respect, keep up the good work john, you are the main man dude, thanks to your videos on african cichlids i can rest easy knowing i can turn to your videos for any type of advice on keeping these species...thanks dude. peace.
Ive recently subscribed to your you tube channel I have found it very informative. Today I watched this video on hybrids and after watching im even more intetested in your series. Face book the forums and the abuse we take because some of our fish arent pure. I enjoy chiclids all chiclids. Thanks for sharing
If anyone doesn't want the fry just do it the natural way and let the female spit the fry in the tank. Sure, some of them will be eaten by the other fish but hey, at least they have a shot at survival.
Your video was great. I have a few hybrids and they are some of the most beautiful fish you could imagine.
Thanks for video. It explains a lot about what is sold out there. You buy the fish because of the way they look and how they get along with each other not their genetics.
I was thinking they looked like sulfur heads Protomelas spilonotus "Ovatus" Mara Rocks, I used to have a gorgeous one 25 years ago. Sweet memories.
I breed hybrids! I love them and always can't wait to see what they look like!!
I just bought an ob peacock, I have a community tank with tiger barbs , guppies and Congo tetras. Is this thing going to eat them all? And my live plants?
John, thank you for sharing your video and opinion on hybrids. They can turn out to be nice looking fish. From a retail stand point, that translates to sales which is what keeps you in business(it's a good thing to watch independent pet shops stay in the game).
Your points about people saying they're unnatural, I guess what they are saying is these are man made hybrids. Your point about fish crossing in the wild on their own is an excellent point. This would probably be considered natural evolution, something that has occurred for many years. Long before we as mankind disturbed it with thing like relocating fish for food or game purposes or even in collecting fish from one part of a lake, transporting them to another point were that particular stain or color pattern doesn't occur and accidentally allowing them to escape. The latter can cause a problem, if you have the same species at that location, it can have a negative effect on the native strain of the species, as extreme as that native strain disappearing. Lake Victoria is a well documented case of mankind's error, by introducing the Nile Perch to that lake. Because of the introduction, many of the Victorian Haps are now extinct.
Now, back to the hybrids. There was hope of correcting the Lake Victoria problem by reintroducing some of these Haps that have been breed in captivity, but those fish too at times were crossbred. So reintroducing those extinct fish back to the wild can still be a problem, because the true species probably haven't been maintained in captivity.
You also mentioned that you believe most africans (I assume you're speaking of Malawians) are not longer purely their species, I have to beg to differ. That Venustus swimming around in you tank looked pretty pure and pretty much like, what a Venustus looked like about 30 - 40 years ago.
When I got into cichlids, in the late 70's, hybrids were not accepted. Again, I agree that there a some nice looking hybrids now days, but the education of and on hybrids is very important to the integrity of the hobby.
p.s. - I'm honestly not a fan of hybrids.
My OB Peacock had 26 babies, no clue who daddy was. Today I figured out it was the Borleyi, googled OB Borleyi and I'm excited!
I enjoy hybrids just simply the beauty and difference that can b created.
my pleasure, glad to help!!
Great video nice topic because I just did a video of that very question, I didn't get no krazy comments but was good to see what ppl think love the hybrids you shown, I wouldn't sell them either!
Brilliant video 👏👏
I have a one of a kind sunshine ob hybrid cichlid no one in the Internet world has one 😀and I feel the way ain’t no way no how mines only lol great video...
Would like to see a video on how to breed some of these neat hybrids, OB's, Goldens, etc.
I love hybrids my Green Terror and Parrot fish just cross breed and I'm still waiting for the babies to hatch. Can't wait to see them. :D
I feel the same way, if they look awesome i don't care if it's not full breed. Awesome video man.
my first bunch of cichlids I bought is hybrids. love them lol
Great video mate and am fully in agreement with you. I have just been kicked off a U.K. facebook cichlid group for moaning about the owners censoring members comments regarding hybrids, they were even deleting posts that in anyway mentioned none pure bred fish. Subsequently that is how I found your video before they deleted that too. Ridiculous ! ;)
I totally agree with you on the topic of hybrids. While the fish in nature may attempt to breed with their own species they will cross breed if there are certain conditions. So hybrids are naturally happening and as you said is part of the reason we have 2000+ species in the lakes. While I prefer to have a more pure bred Mbuna tank I welcome hybrids in my Peacock and Hap tank. I wonder what people think about line breeding to get a certain coloration? I see that all the time online.
My pleasure
I think you said exactly the right things about this subject I agree thumbs up to you
I am with you o that 100% before my mom passed on january we had tons of animals!!!
Leaving fry in your community tank and "letting nature take its coarse" isn't culling. When you let them spit in your tank you're at least giving them a shot. Believe me none of this makes me lose any sleep, I sleep good my friend and I don't recall calling anyone a murderer.
Amen Brother
Oh its cool haha. Yea ive ran into 2-5 places that have most of them were just missed informed by someone else who may have lied or been miss informed but yea somewhere down the lie someone was lied too.
Sorry for the delay. I misread your last question, I thought you asked is it ILLEGAL to breed them and my answer was no. I didn't realize you said is it legal. It is absolutely LEGAL to breed hybrids. Sorry for the confusion.
You just said what I was thinking about hybrids in the way that I wanted. Thank You Subscribed :-)
I see tears.true animal lover right there "respect"
OB's got me into peacocks and I've never turned back at having any other breed of fish in my tank!
African cichlids hybrids are beautiful fishes that comes different colors varieties. They are natural and may does exist in the wild either rare or common. I used to have hybrid fishes and birds before and is was no accident for the two different parent breed together. I love them either pure or hybrids.
Omg John GREAT vid. You addessed a fear I have, cuz I have a mixed tank. Im new to cichlids so I was uncertain if they'll interbreed, but either way, im keeping my fry :D
i agree it does happen in the wild , but i think a pet store should list hybrids as hybrids , because this is something i would (and many other people) would like to know if say , trying to get a breeding group together
My african cichlid female just bread with a strawberry peacock cichlid so I cant wait to see what grows from them for hybrids
wrigleys spearmint duh!!! whataya think!!!
man you got some sick fish bro. I personally love hybrids.
john u rock man..i ve had my red zebra breeding with albino zebras and it was an awesome batch of fry...and its fun and interesting..just as humans cross breed same do all creatures and its a gift of mother nature
I got an ob recently as my first peacock. Love it so much I just ordered 2 females to breed him with. May one day have a ob tank!
i have an ob but im not sure if its a male or female
+Toxidkitty search on RUclips for venting fish. I know minebecause the person who I bought it from told me.
I have one hybrid didn’t know they were unwanted but he was all alone just sitting In the tank and looked depressed I bought him just for that reason!
I love hybrids I don't care what anyone says, as long as their taken care of properly that's all that matter for me. My Strawberry Dragonblood mix is my all time fav had him for almost a year now
Billy that's "Vinny" the Venustus. He is the king of that tank!!!
Thanks man, I've got plenty more videos in the works..
I agree hybrids are beautiful !
Thanks brother!!