subject: 9 Steps To Successfully Breeding African Cichlids [print this page] It is the vivid colors and peculiar mannerisms that make African Cichlids the most popular fish in captivity and it usually does not take long before the owner becomes interested in breeding them. But whats that you ask? How do i do this?
1.With tropical fish generally you can just pair them up and the breeding process takes place but its a little different when breeding african cichlids. With African cichlids, the best method is to have a largish group with a much higher female to male ratio.If you keep only couples the female most often is bullyed by the male even sometimes to the point of death.
2. African cichlids have to be healthy for breeding as the female will go without food for weeks when in the spawning cycle. This means they need to be fed well prior on a varied diet of spirulina flakes, earthworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, and mosquito larva.
3.In order for your breeding colony to flourish, they will need a comfortable environment. Make caves, rocks, crevices and tunnels to provide protection when needed from bully fish. The ideal breeding tank setup is to use no gravel. This will focus the male on the task at hand. The males soon turn there attention to the females and the mating will soon follow.
4. If you want to use plants then i reccomend plastic only and make sure they are firmly attached to the bottom.If u use real plants they will get destroyed.
5. Ususally the mating game will start with the male showing of and dancing untill he attracts one of the females. Then they may appear to wrestle a bit to test strength, this sometimes includes the locking of the mouths. This goes on for a while then the female will lay her eggs then scoop them in to her mouth for safe keeping. It is beleived that the egg patterns around the males anal area trick the female into thinking she left egs in the open , so when she trys t scoop them the male fertilizes the brood.
6. It can take anywhere up to 2 months for the eggs to hatch and even then they will still reside in the mothers mouth. It is a good idea to try and feed her now as she will eat a little so the fry can get to it.
7. So the small fry do not get eaten it is important to separate the female to a separate tank untill shes had her young.
8. Once the small fry are swimming freely the best way to get food to them is by putting crumbled flakes into the end of a straw and the placing the end near the small fry for them to eat.
9.The female will need to regain her strength so its best to keep her separated for a few weeks. And also keep the fry seperated until large enough to fend for themselves.
Follow my guidlines and you will be breeding big beuatiful healthy African cichlids in no time.
by: Simon Edwards
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