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Rainbow cichlids breaking my heart

I'm sure you're all tired of this saga by now . . .

Daddy was guarding free-swimming fry for the past week. Numbers were dwindling, but still OK. Saturday morning around 7 a.m. the babies were out and fine. When I checked the tank again a few hours later, babies had gone missing and Dad and Mom were frolicking again (he'd previously been running her off). No sign of babies since.

Sigh. . . These two have been an egg/wriggler/fry making machine for the past two months or so, but haven't managed to get any fry past two or three weeks old. I still like them, though.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
They will figure it out eventually. Do you have anything else in the tank? Sometimes a pair will do better guarding a batch of fry together against others in the tank instead of just beating on eachother.
 

dogofwar

CCA Members
Are there any other fish in the tank? Sometimes a threat - real or apparent - is needed to cement the parental bond.

Give 'em time. They'll figure it out :)

Matt
 
Tank also has tetras, cories and BN plecos, so Dad has them to push around . . . I was actually thinking of removing the tetras, but not a good idea?

and I was planning on removing fry -- eventually -- but since it had only been a week and dad was still diligently guarding them, I wasn't planning on acting yet.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
I'd leave the tetras in the tank. I have a similar situation right now with a pair of HRP's. I had them alone in the tank and all they did was pick on eachother (even with a big batch of fry swimming around). I threw 5 danios in the tank this weekend, and as soon as one of the fry became a snack, mom and dad were side by side keeping the babies safe.
 
Mom and Dad are happy with each other again, but I hope they don't make any babies until this after this weekend. I want to change filters (replacing the 205 secondary filter with a new 305) and some rescaping, too. I don't like to do either with eggs/wrigglers/babies in the tank.

I'm still thinking of removing the tetras. I think I'm just bored with the green fire tetras and the rummynose. I guess I need something new swimming around. Maybe flame tetras or black neons or something different . . .
 

toddnbecka

Members
My oblongum pair ate their free-swimming fry when they were preparing to spawn again a number of times. I finally moved them to another tank to allow the fry to grow out after their 5th spawn. They spawned a couple more times, but in the 55 with Synodontis multi's and large African cichlids the eggs didn't last long. When they were moved into a 29 of their own (many months later) they spawned again, and are still sharing the tank with all of their growing fry. The largest are about 1" now, and some will be moved to other tanks as soon as I move out the 2" cutteri fry.
 
We have eggs -- AGAIN. Same rock, but different parent now doing the guarding. We're back to Mom doing all the work and driving Dad away. (Last two batches were all Dad.) At least this time, they don't appear to be hurting one another and Dad is not being driven away viciously (and he's being allowed to lurk nearby). So maybe she'll relent and let him play house with her this time. I've tried explaining to them that it takes TWO parents to do this right, but they are ignoring me.
 
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