Firemouth owner question

[MSMenagerie]

I have a breeding pair of Firemouths that I've raised since they were quite young. Their first spawn was about 4 weeks ago which did not produce anything, the eggs turned white, but didn't appear to be a fungus, just not fertile was my guess, but not certain. I wasn't prepared and they just spawned again this morning. I read not to treat with antifungal if the parents are being allowed to raise the eggs/fry. I also had a pair of Angels lay this morning. Something must be in the water! My questions are these:
1) Should I or not, treat the tank, say with MarOxy or Methylene Blue for fungus on the eggs? I do plan on the parents raising them for awhile.

2) What temp should the water be at? I have it at 80F.

3) The Firemouth laid less eggs than last time, less than 100. She didn't eat much between the last laying and this one. I tried quite a bit, but they hid alot and were skiddish, which they weren't until the first spawn. How should I entice her to eat more to bring her into better condition??? I offer her quite a variety- cichlid floating pellets from Hikari, live grindal worms, freeze dried tubifex, spirulina, shrimp pellets... not all at once of course!

Thank you for your time in responding!

 

[Allivymar]

Hiya MsMenagerie and welcome to Aquariumadvice!

I've never bred firemouths, although my angels have a small bunch of babies almost ready to find new homes The majority of the cichlids have similar breeding behaviors, so lemme see if I can help:

Don't treat the tank with Maroxy or Methblue. If you are parent raising, once the parents get the hang of things they will keep the eggs clean and aerated. I've been following a thread elsewhere, where some folks are trying Pimafix (a new product similar to Melafix but for fungus) that you could use IF you need it; it seems to work and is safe for all fish; doesn't mess with nitrifying bacteria like methblue or maroxy either. Most cichlids don't get the fertilizing thing right for a few breedings, so you may have mostly white eggs for a little while. They will catch on tho *grin*

80F is a fine temp.

Hrmm. Not sure about the eating thing. Have you tried fresh or frozen bloodworms? Tis the number one conditioning food for most cichlids. I do wonder why they are so skittish and aren't eating, although I suspect, as I believe you do, the reduction in nutrition intake explains the fewer eggs.