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Post by torchstar on Apr 24, 2019 1:11:54 GMT -5
I was woken up Easter morning by the sound of gravel against glass - like a goldfish feeding frenzy, but their tank is in the living room. The Cichlid tank is in the bedroom 5’ from the bed. What a racket! The firemouth pair were moving gravel, uprooting plants and generally going crazy in the tank’s front left corner. I watch the cichlids on my tablet or iPhone via the “CichlidAquaCam” (an IP network webcam) I put up near the tank. Remodeling the tank furnishings went on all day. when I peeked in the tank before bed their were some eggs on the glass! I posted about this on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BwkV75dhhlZ I am so psyched! This is the first eggs ever in my years of keeping fish... |
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Post by Carl on Apr 24, 2019 9:26:24 GMT -5
 Congrats! What species of Cichlid do you have? Carl |
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Apr 24, 2019 11:35:05 GMT -5
Congrats!
It will be fun to watch them grow.
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Post by torchstar on Apr 24, 2019 13:33:45 GMT -5
They are Firemouth cichlids 🔥! I’ve read the eggs should hatch in 4 days, I’m sure water temperature (77°F) is a factor among other things. I think hatching is going to happen soon because the male has cleared gravel from another sheltered spot and the female is reorganizing gravel & plants by the eggs. The eggs (my guess is +/-100) are attached to the tank glass, nine have turned white - the rest are tan color.
I did a 33% water change yesterday to be ready beforehand, I’d hate to disrupt the newly hatched fry or stress the new parents.
To get ready for feeding the fry I am putting together a brine shrimp hatchery. Plus I keep buckets of mosquito larvae already to feed all my fish some live food every day. There are swarms of tiny larvae these days to feed the baby firemouth cichlids when they’re ready. And a couple weeks ago I added the Clay Neighbor’s omnivore food to the cichlid’s diet. Grinding that to powder will be good for their babies as well.
I know it is not unusual for a pair’s first few attempts at spawning to be unsuccessful, but I’ve got my fingers crossed...
And am planning ahead for the little firemouth’s future homes. I currently have 5 tanks & don’t have a much room for another.
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Post by torchstar on Apr 24, 2019 13:34:50 GMT -5
Oops! Posted twice...
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Post by torchstar on May 11, 2019 2:53:27 GMT -5
To make a long story shorter, the Easter (cichlid) Eggs did not yield fry. HOWEVER 10 days ago, much to my surprise I woke up to a swarm of firemouth cichlid fry! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-DouhBo7z I believe they spawned in one of the ceramic “cichlid stone” caves I added (as well as more live plants) to successfully ease the territorial activity - I didn’t want any single cichlid to get picked on. The first thing I did was get the brine shrimp hatchery going. I watched the parents feed the fry by chewing up Repashy Soilent Green gel food into a slurry that leaked out from the mouth and gills. The babies swam through it. I was afraid the other two cichlids would disrupt the family, but a invisible boundary was established but the parents, they never cross it. If the parents see one coming near the demilitarized zone they threaten by flare gills - their colors get intense! It is 24/7 fry care, totally fascinating! https://www.instagram.com/p/BxGyc60BF4o Nowadays the fry are getting much larger and more adventurous. The black bars are developing. The eat larger things. And are making a mess! I’ve been doing 10% water changes and using an Eheim battery powered gravel vac to keep water parameters in line. Adding more caves has helped keep the non parent fish from getting too frustrated. They used to hang out in the family’s cave too but got kicked out. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxOiKQyh2v5 No divider needed so far, thank goodness. I’ll keep you all posted as things progress or a new detail I missed including reveals itself. |
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Post by devonjohnsgard on May 11, 2019 12:03:41 GMT -5
wow,
so very cool.
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Post by Carl on May 12, 2019 11:14:25 GMT -5
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Post by torchstar on May 24, 2019 23:51:48 GMT -5
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxvdp1ggfIY The little ones are growing and getting very pushy about food! They are actively competing with their parents for every little morsel. I think it’s soon time to relocate the parents to the new larger Cichlid tank and leave the babies where they are. They have no problem feeding themselves! |
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Post by devonjohnsgard on May 25, 2019 11:29:52 GMT -5
!!!! So cool.
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Post by Carl on May 28, 2019 11:49:44 GMT -5
Lookin' good! Carl |
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Post by torchstar on Jun 4, 2019 14:25:48 GMT -5
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Post by Carl on Jun 5, 2019 13:20:10 GMT -5
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Post by kagome on Jun 6, 2019 18:19:54 GMT -5
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Post by torchstar on Jun 10, 2019 2:56:57 GMT -5
That sounds really good. I wish I ordered some with my last order a couple weeks back... it is really convenient to feed the baby cichlids what they need on the aquarium glass and keep their tank clean. I hand feed them Clay Neighbor’s Omnivore or Repashy Soilent Green gel food daily. It is amazing how much they consume! |
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