my swarm has been reduced to several dozen.
Rainbow Cichlid drama!!!
- Thread starter hollyfish2000
- Start date
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
So about a week and a half ago i divided my group up. I put the first 2 i could catch into another tank and then observed the 2 groups. Very quickly the 2 separate colored up and i got some interesting behavior.
The group of 4 did quite a bit of maneuvering and territory claiming but not much different than usual so i snatched another one out and put it in with the other 2. At that point i was able to tell which were male and female.
Tonight i finally found them spawning. You can just make out some eggs on the left side of the rock.
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I think the other 3 are all males by the way they are behaving. So out of the 6 i had i only have 1 female.
Anyone want a male rainbow cichlid?
The group of 4 did quite a bit of maneuvering and territory claiming but not much different than usual so i snatched another one out and put it in with the other 2. At that point i was able to tell which were male and female.
Tonight i finally found them spawning. You can just make out some eggs on the left side of the rock.
View attachment DSC_0128.JPG
View attachment DSC_0127.JPG
View attachment DSC_0126.JPG
I think the other 3 are all males by the way they are behaving. So out of the 6 i had i only have 1 female.
Anyone want a male rainbow cichlid?
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In my case, I don't have a tank dedicated to them. All the babies are now gone, but the parents are working on a new rock, so I imagine I'll see eggs again soon.
hollyfish2000
Members
came back from a week-long business trip to find single gal guarding a swarm of wrigglers. And to have rearranged my landscaping too! Grrrrr. It's easy to tell the gals apart as they have different colored eyes. The boy is still hanging with Wife #2, who is ready to set up housekeeping together. As long as no one is geting hurt, I"m OK.
New eggs deposited last night. I agree with the color of the area around the eyes - the dom male has red circle, female has greenish circle
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
Out of the 6 that i have 5 have red eyes and 1 has gold eyes. Of course the 1 i'm sure is female has red eyes and male she paired with has red eyes. the gold eye is also male along with the remaining red eyes.
the pair are now guarding a pile of wigglers in a small depression they made next to a relatiuvely deep hole they excavated. i cant get a decent pic of them since they're of course behind some plants. can't wait til they start swarming about.
the pair are now guarding a pile of wigglers in a small depression they made next to a relatiuvely deep hole they excavated. i cant get a decent pic of them since they're of course behind some plants. can't wait til they start swarming about.
13 hour loss of power yesterday causing the tank temp to drop 6-8 degrees. I replaced some tank water with warm water to keep the temp more stable. By the time the power came back up last nite, the eggs were gone.
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
Came home to a free swimming swarm today. Parents still on guard. I'll be feeding Aqua-Pharm's Super-Pro Grow and see how they do.
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
The swarm moved up front so i snagged a pic.
hollyfish2000
Members
The wrigglers became free swimming but only lasted a day. Not sure what happened, but they appear to have all disappeared. Bummer
Holly, That's too bad, but the same happened to me. Let's see how Matt's fry do.
hollyfish2000
Members
OMG! OK, wife No 2 is now guarding a rock full of very viable eggs, but, again, without deadbeat dad helping. This is a bit crazy. I'd really like to move along one of the "wives." Anyone want a female rainbow cichild?
mchambers
Former CCA member
Dad is having fun!
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
I can give you another male, Holly.
My swarm has dwindled. Still have maybe about 2 dozen but it looks like half of what it was yesterday.
My swarm has dwindled. Still have maybe about 2 dozen but it looks like half of what it was yesterday.
Here's what happened to the eggs from the last batch. I thought the parents had eaten the eggs because of the power failure/temperature drop.
mchambers
Former CCA member
Cool! Glad to see you've got a swarm.
Rainbow cichlids are pretty durable fish, probably because they live in enviroments that have a lot of fluctuation in their environmental parameters, including temperature, oxygen levels, and total dissolved solids.
Rainbow cichlids are pretty durable fish, probably because they live in enviroments that have a lot of fluctuation in their environmental parameters, including temperature, oxygen levels, and total dissolved solids.
hollyfish2000
Members
I've always found that large swarms dwindle significantly over time, despite diligent parents. I personally think they fare better if you feed them fry food with a turkey baster (which I used to do).
I don't really want a second male. I don't think the 58 is a big enough tank for two pairs.
I don't really want a second male. I don't think the 58 is a big enough tank for two pairs.
FishEggs
Well-Known Member
my swarm has disappeared.
mine too - I've tried feeding w/fry food, but the tank is just too crowded. I'm thinking of setting up a 37 just for them - got the wife's approval too!
jonclark96
Past CCA President
Woot Woot! It's always good to get approval for another tank!
