African Butterfly Cichlids Have Eggs!

[Crystal]

My African Butterfly cichlids (Anomalochromis Thomasi) have finally kept a clutch alive overnight.

This is at least their 8th attempt. I (finally) managed to remove all the BN pleco fry from the tank and it seems to have succeeded.

I did try to attempt to raise the last clutch myself when I noticed the plecos moving in, but even with methylene blue most of the eggs got fungus. Out of 5 wigglers I only have 2 remaining fry, which are 2 weeks old and doing great.

They are in the 90g planted community tank. There is another male and 2 females in the tank. Interestingly enough, if you isolate the breeding pair to their own 20g, they don't get along - only in the presence of others of their kind would they call a truce and breed. They ignored the various dithers and other fish in the 90g unless they get within 8" of the eggs.

Please forgive my blurry pictures (and the dirty glass - Honest, I cleaned it last week!).

Female with eggs: she is in the shade so you can't see most of the iridescence.

Breeding male: He is shy and hard to get a picture of.

Non-breeding Females: They are very drab compared to the breeding female, but it gives an idea of what her colors are.

[Wingin' It]

That's awesome! Congrats!

Such a darling little fish!

[Eugene]

Cool I have 7 of the same in a 3ft fully planted tank and it look like they are getting ready.On an off note I have had multple clutches of angelfish eggs and Bujurqui gold and last rainbow hatch out without methyl blue.

[Crystal]

They ate this clutch and one more since. They can't seem to get past the stage where the wigglers tails start to break free... Then again, there isn't much open sand in that tank, the sand is almost completely covered in micro chain-swords.

I may have to pull the next clutch just before the wigglers tails appear, just so I have some fry to look at.

If the parents tend the nest, they don't lose many eggs to fungus; if I put the eggs in another container in the same tank the fungus goes rampant even when pulling the fungused eggs out.

Methylene blue slowed the fungus when I pulled the last clutch which the plecos were after, but I still only had a few eggs avoid fungus.

I found my male got really territorial after the 8th clutch, he keeps 3/4 of the 90g free of the other fish. I think I may try moving the pair to a planted 20g and see if they will remain paired without fighting.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Crystal

[ckmullin]

congrats

[rachel]

It's been 2 months since the cichlids laid the eggs. Did this round turn out better for you, and how did you do it?

[rachel]

It's been two months, how did this batch off eggs turn out

[ForzaJuventus]

Right on! Good for you.

[Crystal]

Unfortunately, they still haven't got to the free-swimming stage yet. The last batch was just about free swimming, but they disappeared one night.

They stopped laying eggs about a month ago - the male was being an idiot and trying to chase the female away from the eggs and now she is ignoring him.

I think I may have to seperate them for a bit until the male deflates his oversized ego.

They are more territorial than blue rams, but they could care less about other species. They completely ignore the cories and danios.