Pregnent cichlid? Pics.

[AdamY]

I can't quite tell if this cichlid is pregnant or not, it's not been eating, for quite a long time. Takes big gulps and tends to hide in the rocks I've provided in my aquarium, all the other fish are doing great.

 

[Sillyfishies]

I can't quite tell if this cichlid is pregnant or not, it's not been eating, for quite a long time. Takes big gulps and tends to hide in the rocks I've provided in my aquarium, all the other fish are doing great.

Actually cichlids can't be pregnant. They'd have to have live babies inside them. They can be gravid or holding though.

In this case, yes it looks like she's holding fry in her mouth.

 

[AdamY]

Wow! I didn't know that, thanks for the reply and knowledge. How long until she lets them go?

 

[Sillyfishies]

Wow! I didn't know that, thanks for the reply and knowledge. How long until she lets them go?

Look up stripping fry on YouTube. Some people don't like doing it, but there's the chance that'll she'll swallow the babies, or spit them and have other fish eat them.

 

[Malawi Freak]

Roughly 21 days she will release them and yes she is definitely holding.

 

[AdamY]

Well I stripped her and put them in my fry tank. There's 8 and 3 are pictured.

 

[Rare]

Nice work.....

 

[Congoman]

FYI it's called mouth brooding. A lot of rift lake cichlids practice this sort of brood care.