Cichlids just born?

Question

My electric yellow just let her babies out of her mouth. Should I take the mother out of the aquarium? She hasn't eaten in over a week, and I'm worried that she might try to eat the babies. However, I have another, larger red zebra in the same tank or is also mouth brooding. I don't think she will eat them, but if its ok, I'll take her out too when hers' are born.

When should these begin eating? I have added some tiny tropical flakes in, but they don;t seem interested,

Any help is appreciated.

Also, can I add a small cory cat to help with all the food on the bottom, or may he try to eat or accidentally kill some of them? The pH isn't too high in this tank, and there is no salt.

I have cichlid food for the adults, I just don't have cichlid flakes on hand right now.

I took both the parents out of their regular tank when I noticed they were pregnant. I would have left them in, but the others seemed to be picking on just those 2, and they never had before.

Its not a danio, it is a red zebra cichlid.

cory got attacked.

Answer 1

Yup, I could have told you the Cory wouldn't work. If you want a bottom dweller to help out you should try a synodontis type catfish - they're tough and can handle cichlid aggression. Synodontis petricola are great because they're fast, tough, and stay a reasonable size. You want to keep them in groups. If you're tank is a 4 footer or larger then Multipuncatus are also really cool catfish, again, need to be in groups.

For the babies you should seperate them if you want more of them to live. They stay in the mothers mouth until the yolk sac is completely gone and should start eating pretty much right away. In the tank they'll have more trouble getting food or keeping from becoming food. Sitll, with enough decoration in the tank some will survive.

For food for these guys crush up the adult pellets or flakes into a fine powder. Also go get baby brine shrimp - this fresh and higher moisture food will be more easily eaten by them. It's much easier to get food to them in a seperate, smaller tank.

Answer 2

Cichilds, for the most part do not eat thier own fry, and are generally good active attending parents to thier fry. There shouldn't be much danger for that. If you have other cichilds or a good group of those yellows, the real danger that arrises if you seperate the mother, is bringing her back to the population, she's going to be treated as an outsider. For this reason, I would not take her out.

I don't think the Glo zebra is a mouth brooder to be honest. I'm quite sure they are egg layers. Unless it's a different type of zebra, I'm thinking you mean the typical danio zebra's and being red, that's usually the glo zebras.

For using flakes with the fry, try to crush them up more so you get a finer distribution. You can also add bloodworms and brine shrimp a little later. Adding the cory, I don't see a problem with that.

JV

Follow up:

Ok since the zebra is also a cichild, and we now know you have a male and female yellow, and added a cory, so we don't play tag responses, what is your total population and in what sized tank? Your cory should not be attacked. What I think you're seeing is some inital aggression towards a fish that is smaller in size. Remember, you have cichilds in your tank, and agression is in their nature, even the more peaceful ones have it in them to a limited degree. A cory is a bottom feeding, and it's liable to have wandered into a cichilds territory is all. My purple peacock, it's a breed of frontosia, will chase my mbuna's around but leaves my yellow labs and baenchis alone. Sometimes I cannot figure why he will do this, other then, he sees them as some kind of threat. Mine happen to be in a 180 gallon tank, so space isn't an issue, but more or less just the cichild in him comming out is all. Keep an eye on your cory, I think you'll find that aggression taper off, or unless you have a tank too small....which is why I need to know what size tank, and your total population.

I stand corrected on the cory. As Ghapy indicated, there are better species of Cory you could use. I think I've just been in luck with mine. My Fontosia peacock has only been agressive towards the mbuna's noone's bothered the Bronze and Sterabi cories in there. It might be due to excess space...

Answer 3

cichlids are of the comparable family individuals and could go breed besides in basic terms as a goldfish will decide on any carp they're of the comparable family individuals, it incredibly is extremely no longer likely which you will get fish from diverse families (goldfish+cichlid to illustrate) to reproduce.

Answer 4

Here is a site that explains everything about breeding cichlids as well as raising the fry

http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/breeding_list.php

You should really click on every single link on the site, it is very informative

Hope that helped
Good luck
and congrats


EB

Answer 5

The problem is in their food. Regular tropical foods won't work, you have to buy special cichlid food. If you feed them those, they probably won't eat their children.

And yes, you can add cory cats to your aquarium. As long as you have some hiding places for them to hide in when they feel threatened.

~ZTM

Answer 6

Listen to Evelyn and Ghapy...they gave good direction that is tried and true...the others,.....well ......only......an inexperienced African keeper would even think they could put a South/Central American continent species in with African Cichlids...ROTFLOL