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Rainbow Cichlid drama!!!

hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
So I'm back with rainbows! Thanks to Abby, I got one very large male and two probable females. Well, he immediately picked his favorite (red eyes) and they began building a nice little nest. The single gal (gold eyes) was dedicated to stealing him and I actually tried to pull her out to give them some peace, but she wouldn't get caught. Next morning, sure enough, there are a bunch of eggs on a rock. But it's being guarded by Wife #1 with no hubby in sight. The unfaithful mate is on the other side of the the tank cavorting with the single gal. Oh my!! The eggs that were laid had an unusually large number of "bad ones" so maybe that's why he's being fickle. In any event, as long as no one is getting hurt, I'll let it play out.
 
xny89

xny89

Administrator
Staff member
I ended up keeping 3, and it turns out to be two males and a female. The very day that Holly took the other 3, the female picked her mate and one rock was covered in eggs. They're still viable and mom and pop guard them like hawks. I reckon that having 6 sharing a 45 gallon tank with angels, rams etc. was just too crowded for them to breed in the past.
 
xny89

xny89

Administrator
Staff member
rainbow parents with eggs.jpg
rainbow%20parents%20with%20eggs.jpg.html
 
FishEggs

FishEggs

Well-Known Member
I have a group of 6 in a 55 and i've only seen them spawn once and eggs were gone after 1 day. maybe i'll have to try dividing them up and see what happens.
 
hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
Matt (fisheggs) -- in the past, the most I had in a 58 was two pairs and the tanks was thickly planted with sort of two clear areas for each. Even then, I think in pair is best.

And, no, I don't live for drama. I like peace and harmony in my tanks. But no one is getting hurt, so all is well in my book. Bullies get pulled. My hard and fast rule!!
 
xny89

xny89

Administrator
Staff member
Well, the parents continue to defend the rock that "had" eggs. Note "had". Eggs are gone --> D'oh! Looked around for fry, but haven't seen anything, but I did put some plastic plants in the area for hiding places. Gotta look up the egg gestation period.
 
hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
I'm trying to recall but I think it's like a week for hatching? My Wife #1 continues to now be a single gal. Her eggs are gone (most were not viable). Wife #2 is now guarding eggs with the fickle husband, who appears to be a bit of a dead beat dad. About half of those eggs aren't viable either. I don't remember ever having that situation before. Is the boy a dud? Any thoughts?
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
hollyfish2000 said:
I'm trying to recall but I think it's like a week for hatching? My Wife #1 continues to now be a single gal. Her eggs are gone (most were not viable). Wife #2 is now guarding eggs with the fickle husband, who appears to be a bit of a dead beat dad. About half of those eggs aren't viable either. I don't remember ever having that situation before. Is the boy a dud? Any thoughts?
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I don't think it's as long as a week. More like 4-5 days. Often, the parents will move the wriggers elsewhere, like in a pit they've dug in the substrate. They also may hang them from floating plants,

I wouldn't worry about the boy being a dud. I think that's very unlikely. It being his first time, maybe he just needs more experience. Same for Abby's fish.
 
xny89

xny89

Administrator
Staff member
My pair continues to act as if the eggs are still there, protecting the area from all the others. I keep using a flashlight to look into the plants I put in near the eggs, and see nothing. One of the plants I put in has a large plastic base. I've seen the female working around it and wonder if they haven't moved the wriggles under it. Only time will tell. This is fun.
 
xny89

xny89

Administrator
Staff member
Well, there is a reason the parents continue to patrol one side of the tank. They've gotten very very aggressive:

 
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