We have eggs!

[Tracie6283]

So for the last fee days our German blues have been very colorful, and very protective of their corner. The mama has been so pink she's almost purple on her belly. Lights off tonight and a couple hours later I look and boom, eggs! What do we do now? This is the first go round and I've heard they more than likely will eat the eggs. Anything we can do to prevent that?

 

[reefdiver]

I read that it good to move them to another tank if you have any other fish. I'm not sure of the time frame though.

 

[jetajockey]

The only way I've ever kept my rams from eating their eggs is to take them away. Some pairs were good enough to keep them till they were free swimming but none of mine ever kept their fry alive for more than a few days at the most.

 

[Tracie6283]

What's the best way to move them? We have sand as the substrate so it should just be a matter of scooping right? And how long til I should move them?

 

[redsea]

Congrats on the eggs!

 

[Tracie6283]

Welp, replied to the thread before I looked in the tank. Looks like mom and dad got hungry.

 

[zooking12]

Well, for future reference, maybe cichlids are smarter then we thought. Maybe they prey on their eggs when they know that there would be no room for them and their fry. Just a theory, though.

 

[jetajockey]

It's easiest to put lots of flat objects in the tank so that you can remove the one they choose to spawn on. If the eggs/wigglers are in a sand pit you can scoop them out or suck them out with a turkey baster.

 

[Tracie6283]

How long after they lay the eggs should I move them? Also should I move only the eggs and not the parents? Hopefully they spawn again soon. I'd really love to have some gbr babies!

 

[jetajockey]

in my experience, the issue was the parents themselves. I'd leave the eggs in for a day and move them, try not to let the eggs come out of the water, so transfer them to a container and keep it submerged. When you transfer them to a hatching tank, the tank should be the same water they were taken out of so there isn't a shift in params.