hollyfish2000
Members
My rainbow cichlid pair have laid eggs again! Same rock. Dad is guarding. Here we go again. Hopefully with a little better outcome this time and less panic on my part!! 
Rainbow cichlid Drama Part II
- Thread starter hollyfish2000
- Start date
dogofwar
CCA Members
It usually takes a couple of tries... Good luck!
Matt
Matt
minifoot77
Members
they will get it right eventually
Spine
Members
You can siphon the babies out and raise them separately if you want but that's time consuming.The parents will get it right eventually I would leave the headache of raising kids to them,lol.
Andrewtfw
Global Moderators
If you get frustrated to the point where you want to get rid of them, call me.
Seriously though, like everyone else said, it takes a few tries and you will likely have better success leaving the babies with the parents.
Seriously though, like everyone else said, it takes a few tries and you will likely have better success leaving the babies with the parents.
F8LBITE
Members
good luck!
hollyfish2000
Members
Ha, Andrew! Keep your paws off my cichlids! Really, the dad is positively gorgeous. And he's gotten so much bigger since I got him -- only a little while ago.
This time, Dad is doing all the guarding of the eggs. I'm rarely seeing mom except at feeding time. This is different than last time. Dad seems less vigilant than last time, too, in terms of guard duty. But the tetras seem to remember the drill and are staying on their side of the tank. All quite fascinating to me . . .
This time, Dad is doing all the guarding of the eggs. I'm rarely seeing mom except at feeding time. This is different than last time. Dad seems less vigilant than last time, too, in terms of guard duty. But the tetras seem to remember the drill and are staying on their side of the tank. All quite fascinating to me . . .
jonclark96
Past CCA President
Good luck with this batch. They will get it right eventually.
hollyfish2000
Members
We've got wrigglers! I checked the tank first thing this morning, about 6:30 and Dad was still guarding eggs, which looked bigger and about to "pop." By the time I fed about an hour later, there was a mass of wrigglers safely tucked away at the base of a nearby java fern. That was fast! Dad is still doing ALL the guard duty. Is that normal? Mom makes an appearance only at meal time and seems completely unconcerned about the babies. Last time, she was doing all the work.
minifoot77
Members
maybe she is getting back at him this time
hollyfish2000
Members
I think the conversation went something like this:
Girl cichlid: STOP! Enough of the twitching and shimmying and showing me that dam* rock. If you want kids so bad, I'll lay the eggs. But you have to raise 'em. I'm sick of kids right now and I'm going off for some "alone time" behind the driftwood . . .
Boy cichlid: Uh, OK.
Girl cichlid: STOP! Enough of the twitching and shimmying and showing me that dam* rock. If you want kids so bad, I'll lay the eggs. But you have to raise 'em. I'm sick of kids right now and I'm going off for some "alone time" behind the driftwood . . .
Boy cichlid: Uh, OK.
hollyfish2000
Members
Daddy is still doing all the work. He even runs Mom off when she gets close. Hmmm. This is not how it went last time.
He moved the wrigglers from the base of the java fern to the base of the sword in the same vicinity. How in the world do they do this? They pick them up in their mouths, I assume . . .
He moved the wrigglers from the base of the java fern to the base of the sword in the same vicinity. How in the world do they do this? They pick them up in their mouths, I assume . . .
minifoot77
Members
yes they pick them up with their mouths
hollyfish2000
Members
Update
They've been free-swimming now for a few days. Dad is doing ALL the work. Mom is being chased away and, it turns out, for good reason. I caught her snacking on a few of her babies. WTF? First time she did all the work, second time he did all the work. Will they eventually figure out it takes both of them?
Dad is doing a good job of guarding while not hurting anyone. I plan on snagging some of them babies and seeing if I can raise them on my own. Is there a certain time I should leave them with Dad before I do that?
They've been free-swimming now for a few days. Dad is doing ALL the work. Mom is being chased away and, it turns out, for good reason. I caught her snacking on a few of her babies. WTF? First time she did all the work, second time he did all the work. Will they eventually figure out it takes both of them?
Dad is doing a good job of guarding while not hurting anyone. I plan on snagging some of them babies and seeing if I can raise them on my own. Is there a certain time I should leave them with Dad before I do that?
Spine
Members
A lot of time it looks like they are snacking but they usually spit them out.
hollyfish2000
Members
Actually, I do think Mom was eating them as she's not guarding them at all . . .
Today I snagged about six fry with a brine shrimp net. I put them in the 30 gallon tall that I have set up as a grow out tank. (Do you know how ridiculous it is to have six tiny fry in a 30 gallon tall??!!)
We'll see how it goes. I wanted to try my hand at raising a few myself.
Today I snagged about six fry with a brine shrimp net. I put them in the 30 gallon tall that I have set up as a grow out tank. (Do you know how ridiculous it is to have six tiny fry in a 30 gallon tall??!!)
We'll see how it goes. I wanted to try my hand at raising a few myself.
hollyfish2000
Members
Drama is over. Dad was doing a great job and had about 30 young un's left. I did some pruning and dad retreated to the back with the babies. That's the last I saw of them. He's out and about now, frolicking again with the girl. Both are vividly colored and clearly have made up (he spent the last three weeks chasing her away from eggs, wrigglers and fry). Sigh . . . . Well, I assume I'll have new eggs soon. Just wish I'd get to see some of them grow up.
The few I snagged and put in the "grow out" tank didn't last a day. Disappeared, unfortunately.
The few I snagged and put in the "grow out" tank didn't last a day. Disappeared, unfortunately.
