Just had my first ever GBR spawn!

[Levi R.]

This is my first time ever breeding fish (egg-laying, that is) and although rams are definitely not the best fish for a newbie to egg-laying, I think i'm doing a decent job. Could I get any tips? This male and female absolutely didn't get along in the beginning. He would chase her ALL THE TIME. I bought them just about two weeks ago, and I was worried he would over-stress her. After separating them for about 5 days, i decided to introduce him back to their 20 gallon tank. Weirdly, she harassed him for about a day and a half, until he finally decided to man up and fight her back. That was three days ago, and they finally got along and started cleaning their rock yesterday. Really excited for these babies, I am going to feed them egg yolk and powdered fish flake until they're old enough to take BBS. I'll keep you updated, and again, some tips would be cool!

[Colin_T]

The baby fish should be big enough to eat newly hatched brineshrimp as soon as they can swim.

Sticking two fish together doesn't necessarily guarantee success. Fish have friends and enemies and don't always get along. Just because two fish have produced a batch of eggs, doesn't mean they will get along, make good parent, or not eat the fry when they hatch. They might even eat the eggs before they hatch.

If you want a breeding pair of cichlids, the best thing to do is get 8-10 young fish and grow them up together. Ket them pair off naturally and then you usually get good parents.

Monitor them and if they eat the eggs, don't worry because it's common in new pairs and in captive bred stock. Let them try a few more times. They usually stop eating the eggs after 2 or 3 batches, then eat the fry a few times, then start to look after them. If the adult fish were raised by their parents, then there's a good chance they won't eat the eggs or young.

[Levi R.]

Originally Posted by Colin_T

The baby fish should be big enough to eat newly hatched brineshrimp as soon as they can swim.

Sticking two fish together doesn't necessarily guarantee success. Fish have friends and enemies and don't always get along. Just because two fish have produced a batch of eggs, doesn't mean they will get along, make good parent, or not eat the fry when they hatch. They might even eat the eggs before they hatch.

If you want a breeding pair of cichlids, the best thing to do is get 8-10 young fish and grow them up together. Ket them pair off naturally and then you usually get good parents.

Monitor them and if they eat the eggs, don't worry because it's common in new pairs and in captive bred stock. Let them try a few more times. They usually stop eating the eggs after 2 or 3 batches, then eat the fry a few times, then start to look after them. If the adult fish were raised by their parents, then there's a good chance they won't eat the eggs or young.

Sorry for not replying, i forgot about this. They ended up eating the fry as soon as they hatched, so i decided I would redesign the tank before their next batch. I took out the gravel, replaced it with sand, and replanted their vallisneria that i'm hoping to carpet their tank with. They ended up loving it, are very happy, and had their second batch with me last thursday. The babies hatched on friday and started free swimming midday on sunday. I've been keeping their lights on so the parents don't eat the fry, and i add some green water daily. I also feed them hikari micropellets that i've ground into practically nothing and also some organic boiled egg yolk. They're quick growers and the parents are doing pretty well, they're keeping the babies next to the filter (i assume because of the cleaner water and the microorganisms). I've learned a lot and i'm excited to keep learning. Thanks for the advice.

[Colin_T]

Good stuff, babies

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Levi R.

Sorry for not replying, i forgot about this. They ended up eating the fry as soon as they hatched, so i decided I would redesign the tank before their next batch. I took out the gravel, replaced it with sand, and replanted their vallisneria that i'm hoping to carpet their tank with. They ended up loving it, are very happy, and had their second batch with me last thursday. The babies hatched on friday and started free swimming midday on sunday. I've been keeping their lights on so the parents don't eat the fry, and i add some green water daily. I also feed them hikari micropellets that i've ground into practically nothing and also some organic boiled egg yolk. They're quick growers and the parents are doing pretty well, they're keeping the babies next to the filter (i assume because of the cleaner water and the microorganisms). I've learned a lot and i'm excited to keep learning. Thanks for the advice.
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