in my tank if noticed 2 babies they managed to survive and i'd like more i'm guessing who the couple is but I'm not sure. I think that one of the mothers has some in her mouth so i put her in a 20 gallon by herself should i put the suspect male in there too??
2006-11-22 01:38:28 · 4 answers · asked by Apryl A 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
NO, do not put the male cichlid in with a holding female. He will harrass her unmercifully trying to get her to spawn again and again. Make sure that there are plenty of hiding places in the 20 gallon for the fry (babies) when the mother releases them. They will eat very fine flake food almost immediately. Start them on frozen baby brine shrimp (BBS) too.
After the female spits the fry, keep her from the male and feed her good for a couple weeks. She has gone for about 3 weeks without eating while holding the eggs and fry so if you put her back with him right away, he could induce spawning again and she could be at risk of starving while holding the second batch.
To feed BBS, put some water from the tank in a cup and put a cube of frozen BBS in it to thaw out. When it is thawed, use a turkey baster to gently squirt some in the area where most of the fry are congregating. Feed the fine flake food (crumble it up and drop into a cup of water) the same way, with a baster.
Some young males will not develop egg spots on their anal fin until they are mature and if there is a dominant male in the tank maybe not even then. If the dominant male is very agressive, some of the younger males will even adopt female coloration in some of the African species.
I think what Ghapy meant was: Eggspots are not a reliable way to determine sex, sometimes the females have them and sometimes a male will not.
Most of my females have 2-3 very small spots on the anal fin. My males all have up to 8 larger spots.
I don't know what a "false male" is, but if you have a "real" male in the tank he will put any fish that even remotely resembles like him in its' place quickly.
2006-11-22 05:28:22 · answer #1 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No I would leave the male where he is. You didnt notice that the female had her mouth full of eggs until you noticed the babies? The female will hold the babies in her mouth until she cant even keep it closed all the way. The babies will adventually leave her mouth and when scared will return to her mouth. Once you have noticed that they have all left her mouth tho I would get her out of the tank from the babies. Or make sure she is very well fed. You figure she hasnt eaten for a month since she started carrying the eggs in her mouth. The males or the ones that have the spots on thier tails and the reason why is so that the females will think that the spots are more eggs and when she tries to pick them up that is when the male will release his sperm into her mouth to fertilize the eggs that she is already carrying.
2006-11-22 09:54:16 · answer #2 · answered by hersheynrey 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
egg spots are not a reliable way of determining gender - males can have them and females might not have them.
2006-11-22 12:56:33 · answer #3 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
there are false males also
2006-11-22 13:21:02 · answer #4 · answered by great white fisherman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋