I have a breeding pair of rainbow cichlids who have successfully bred and raised fry before and have been together without incident for at least 6 months.
Their latest batch of fry has led to a real mystery and something I never thought I would see with fish. The male has about half the fry on one side of the tank and the female has the remaining fry on the opposite side. They both attack one another periodically as if defending a threat, however, BOTH sets of fry belong to both fish. I have no other fish in the tank except for a single panda garra, so unless there was immaculate conception, they are the parents.
This divided fry situation is in its second day and it just strikes me as very weird, not to mention dangerous for the female who is smaller and the fry who may end up becoming someone's lunch. Has this happened to anyone before? Is this normal?
Their latest batch of fry has led to a real mystery and something I never thought I would see with fish. The male has about half the fry on one side of the tank and the female has the remaining fry on the opposite side. They both attack one another periodically as if defending a threat, however, BOTH sets of fry belong to both fish. I have no other fish in the tank except for a single panda garra, so unless there was immaculate conception, they are the parents.
This divided fry situation is in its second day and it just strikes me as very weird, not to mention dangerous for the female who is smaller and the fry who may end up becoming someone's lunch. Has this happened to anyone before? Is this normal?