Breeding jewels

good question! I have no answers, but I have 8 jewels myself, so I will be watching this thread for tips

Mine breed after I had taken out most of the other fish (bigger cichlids). they bred when it was the two of them, two or three minnows a 6 inch flowerhorn (with habitual fin rot) and an algae eater. They wouldn't breed with a lot of fish or the eggs got eaten, who knows. I always watched them and looked around the tank but didn't see where they laid the eggs. The ph was low like around 6.0-6.5 (tips to keep this up?), but there was no ammonia or nitrates. I just fed them, and did bi weekly water changes. Once they bred they beat the tar out of everything else and they had to go. The parents just broke up the flake food (aquadyne) the first week and then I fed then Hikari first bites once I could afford it. (Don't stick your hand near the fry to put the first bites near they bite harder than they look).

I agree. My 2.5" male convict bites pretty hard.

I know this is an old thread but I just got 6 Jewels on friday and Saturday morning a pair laid eggs. So I don't know any tips, cause I didn't do anything but add them to my tank.

jewels breed like convicts. you don't have to do much to get them to breed.

this should be a breeding sticky
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84417

I had a pair of jewels a while back. They made great parents and guarded their fry aggressively as most cichlids do! Unfortunately I don't have any great tips for you.

I breed them the same as breeding Kribs or convicts. I place a terra cotta pot on its side, half-burried in gravel. I find that is about all it takes. I keep the Ph between 7.0 and 7.2 with a temp of 78 degrees F.

my jewels have just spawned. yes they are excellent parents. They take it in turns to guard and fan the eggs while the other takes a break to eat or swim in the current. To initiate breeding I increased the tempurature of the aquarium slightly, feed plenty of live foods, (blood worm, artemia, river shrimp etc), and weekly water changes and this should put them in tha mood! - I keep my jewels in a mildly brackish tank with specific gravity of about 1.005 (low salinity). good luck.