someone said they were breeding? They are digging in the rocks too. Acting very strange.
2006-11-27 09:32:24 · 8 answers · asked by stephen_jamie 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Breeding
Blood parrots will attempt to breed in an aquarium and some pairs attempt to breed very frequently (every few weeks). What most people find is that a pair will court, clean a nest site and then lay eggs. However, the eggs don't hatch in many cases. The parents will continue to care for the eggs for several days until the eggs turn white with fungus and then the parents will likely eat the eggs.
Interestingly, recently more and more people report that their blood parrot cichlids are successfully breeding.
2006-11-27 10:33:59 · answer #1 · answered by may_hate_myself_in_the_moring 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spawing Characteristics
It is pretty easy to recognize spawning behavior. Two fish will pair up and spend alot of time together. You will notice the male doing what I call "The Sex Dance". He will move up to the female, turn his body sideways and shimmy his body making rapid tail and fin movements. This behavior can go on for days. Eventually they will build some sort of nest, usually a pit in the substrate under a rock or driftwood. They will then defend the area from other fish in the tank.
Parrot Cichlids are substrate-spawners, meaning that they lay their eggs on the ground or on a hard surface like the leaf of a plant or on driftwood. Eggs that are not fertilized will turn white with fungus. It's the job of the parents to eat the fungused eggs so it does not spread to the fertilized eggs. It's a common occurrence for all the eggs to be eaten because most males are sterile and the eggs are never fertilized.
Parental care then consists of guarding the eggs, fanning them to provide oxygenated water, then caring for the hatchlings (called wrigglers) which eventually become free swimming fry. Parrot cichlids are often devoted parents and the length of parental care may extend for weeks or even months. They are biparental, meaning both parents take care of the fry, though their exact roles may vary. In some South American species, there is a mixture of substrate spawning and mouthbrooding. We call these delayed mouthbrooders: they lay the eggs on the substrate, guard them for a while, and then pick up the young and mouthbrood them. This is exactly what Parrot Cichlids do.
Caring for the Fry
Once the fry have hatched, you should leave them with the parents. If possible, removing the tankmates will reduce stress on the parents and allow more of the fry to develop. The fry will feed on their attached yolk sacks for about two days, then you will needs to provide them newly hatched brine shrimp. These can be purchased at most fish stores. After you notice the parents are no longer tending to the fry, you should remove the fry from the tank and put them in a 10 gallon aquarium to finish raising them. If you do not remove the fry, most of them will get eaten when parents are ready to spawn again.
Hope this helps.
2006-11-27 10:17:58 · answer #2 · answered by dolly 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They could of been breeding and the digging in the rocks is to lay their eggs. I dont know much about fish sex so i cant comment on the whole laying on their sides...Good Luck.
2006-11-27 09:35:37 · answer #3 · answered by Danelle 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine sometimes laid on their sides. I am not sure why. They weren't sick and didn't die, they just laid on their sides. What I can tell you for sure is that they are diggers. They like to move gravel and make a open hole for themselves. Which is why a lot of websites about Blood Parrots will say not to use sand because they like to dig. That is a very normal behavior. I wouldn't worry about that
2006-11-28 16:53:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should keep the fish seperate for 3-4 weeks to make sure that you prevent desease, most stores don't isolate their fish before selling them.
2006-11-27 10:08:55 · answer #5 · answered by Tree 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like they are in shock. If they aren't dead.
Did you let the bag float in the aquarium water, before you
put it in? You should do this for several hours. If not they
will go into shock, and they can even die.
2006-11-27 09:48:56 · answer #6 · answered by Kerilyn 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apparently they are really shy and like to hide. You might give them something to hide inside or behind.
You might want to join this group
http://parrotcichlid.com/topics.php?op=viewtopic&topic=17&PHPSESSID=25b7a3434e49950eba6c0a5c00f16066
2006-11-27 09:42:44 · answer #7 · answered by $Sun King$ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋