Cool Behavior

[vince0]

As some of you may know, i have a couple breeding pairs of cichlid, angelfish and rams. over the last few months of breeding in my community tanks, i have noticed the parents moving fry/eggs/wigglers around the tank as either they need more safety because im guessing the fry are starting to venture out, or im spending too much time staring at them, probably making them feel uncomfortable. (in all honesty, i would probably move my children if i had any, to a safer spot if i had a giant head peaking through my windows haha)

has anyone else experience quirky behavior that is worth mentioning? i just think its so cool when i see my rams or angels pic up miniscule fry in their mouth and spit them back out a few minutes later, i always think the parents are eating them lol

[GaryofMontreal]

Years ago, I stole eggs from my hard to find Nanochromis transvestitus pair. I had a small spawn to raise artificially, but I hatched a dozen or more. I checked in the tank, and there was Mom with three times as many fry of exactly the same age. Her group was doing better than mine, so I added mine in. She accepted them, and they were the size of their siblings within a few days.

When they next spawned, I realized she had prepared two sites a couple of inches apart, and was guarding two egg plaques simultaneously. How's that for hedging your bets?

I have never taken any cichlid's eggs since.

[mdfa.ca]

I used to have two store-bought female bettas last year, Cherries and Cream (if you guessed one was white and the other red, you're right!:laugh:). Unbeknownst to me, Cream had some kind of infection that had made her blind. While doing a routine water change one day I touched her and scared the living daylights out of her. Literally. She dashed off from my finger and promptly passed out on the bottom of the tank. I thought she was dead and felt awful but then realized that she was still breathing, albeit very slowly and shallowly.

I completed the change quickly and hoped she would be ok. To my surprise, Cherries came over and nudged her a couple of times. She then stayed with her until Cream came to and hovered over her for the rest of the day, even nudging her toward food when it was time to feed. These two were totally unrelated and not really great friends before this incident. It totally blew me away. Sadly, Cream succombed to the infection and never recovered. She died a week later. Cherries is still with me.

[vince0]

im with you on not taking eggs away from cichlids, or even other fish if i don't have to. who knows what instinctual behavior we are taking away from the fish when we hand raise them?

on a side note, i came home at lunch today to grab a sweater, and saw that my american flag fish spawned a huge spawn, there much be 40 + eggs on the bba on this piece of wood in my tank, biggest spawn so far!

i would have pulled the eggs if i had a spare breeder net set up, but right now the one that is set up is patiently awaiting eggs from gary!

and also, in the same tanks, my german blue rams are guarding wigglers, which they have moved from the original location where they laid their eggs, anyone know gestation time for ram wigglers, so i can time myself with the brine shrimp... eggs were laid thursday night, they were wigglers when i came home sunday evening

[mdfa.ca]

Congratulations, Vince! I may be inquiring about some flag fish fry to purchase, when they are big enough.

[vince0]

haha id have to make an attempt at raising them, the male does a fairly good job of watching over them, but they never seem to last more than a few days in the tank.

over the next few months as i get more organized and start setting up breeding tanks, im really considering raising these so i can have more of them. for some reason the only ones i see in stores are females... probably cause the males look so amazing.