I think my Cichlid is pregnant?

Question

I have a 30 gallon tank, with two african cichlids. One is a sunshine peakock, and another is a yellow lab. Each of them are about 4-5 inches long, and the yellow lab is acting strange. Like it won't eat, and I notice below the mouth there is a lump thing, as if it has something big in it's mouth. The other cichlid is acting perfectly fine. Thank you for helping.

Answer 1

I have Africans and have had many of them crossbreed, and many of other species of African cichlids will crossbreed also, so this is not unheard of. Most likely your lab is holding fry (being that almost all Africans are mouth-brooders). I would remove her into another tank and wait for her to release the fry, when she dose, remove her and just leave the fry in there. If those two fish did in fact crossbreed, then you should have some interesting fish to raise.

Answer 2

Right on Monster, and I agree. My yellow labs have just spawned successfully just two weeks ago, and I now have 15 fry in my 15 gallon tank :)

The clue is the throat area like you saw. This is a mouthbrooding fish. The enlarged throat area indicates a female holding eggs. It will not eat either as you've seen. It will make passes at food, but if you watch close enough, you'll see it doesn't actually eat. Incubation time is about three weeks.

I also have a strong feeling what PeeTee said may be true as well. Without the presence of a male Yellow lab, it's unlikely this fish cross bred. It's carrying allright, I'm sure of that, but most likely inferitle eggs. If the other fish that is not a lab did fertilize them, you will have a batch of x breeds that are worthless to sell. You can only keep them, but you won't get much to sell.

Here's my fry in my 15 gallon set up for what it's worth.

http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa25/knottypeater/?action=view¤t=110407_1915b.flv

http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa25/knottypeater/?action=view¤t=110407_1915c.flv

This is the best shot of my female that was holding a few weeks ago I could get. I don't know if you will be able to see her mouth and throat clearly enough. I isolated her to my 20 gallon tank and let her spit her fry there. I then moved the fry over to the 15 once my Taiwan Reef Albino females spit their fry in the 20.

http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa25/knottypeater/?action=view¤t=093007_1558a-1.flv

Answer 3

I think she is pregnant. My sister has had many preggy Cichlids and when they are preggers they can't eat. as time goes on you will see her opening her mouth over and over and will see little black dots in her mouth there have been a few times before she spit them out that we could see the eyes in her mouth. From watching my sister with her fish if your fish is not pregnant but it is losing color i could mean that you are giving it too much meat I know the blues shouldn't have much meat in their diet. I am sure she has babies though since the latter doesn't seem to be your problem. we don't have room for the babies and they always end up being a snack so we don't normally see them only when it gets close to her dropping the babies can we spot them in her mouth.

Answer 4

No such thing ever as a pregnant Cichlid. And a Peacock (Alounocara sp.) can't cross breed with a Labeotrophius. There may have been an attempt, but you are short one yellow fish of having enough. I can promise there are no fertile eggs in the Yellow's mouth. (Unless you have a pair of Cuckoo breeding catfish in there too. Look them up in your Funk and Wagonals)

Answer 5

It probably is pregnant. you should take it out of the tank and put it in a tank by itself. It will then spit out the babies and eat. It won't eat now because it knows the other cichlid will eat the babies if it lets them out of it's mouth.

Answer 6

Of course it's not pregnant! It has a tumorous growth in it's mouth! It can't eat because it can't fit any food through: it will soon STARVE to death. They can't breed because they are two different species and that kinda defies the laws of nature for species to interbreed.

Take notes of what the fish is doing/looks like a go to a fish store (not crappy Petsmart or Petco-they are idiots) and ask for a remedy.

Answer 7

Well first make sure that cichlid is indeed a female and yes i do believe your cichlid is pregnant if she is a female

Answer 8

i dont even know what a cichlid is, but congratulations if your cichlid is pregnant. name the baby isabelle!! its because isabelle is such an awesome name and the beautiful me was named isabelle. also, M. is friends with isabelle!!

Answer 9

yes it is probably but take it to the vet to make sher