2nd spawn by juvie geo redhead pair, M ate eggs immediately

[petspoiler]

here's the link about their 1st time:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...t-vent-tube-is-down-too-young-to-spawn-or-not

The 1st time he fertilized them, and the eggs were safe for at least several hours.
Now 18 days later, she laid eggs again. The male didn't even fertilize them this time, he ate them all as she was laying them on the rock!
She didn't realize what he was doing, and kept fanning the bare rock quite a while before giving up.

Can they learn to do better a better job while in with other fish? They all stay away where the female chases them to. I don't have a tank to separate the pair to yet...just wondering about that male. he seems a lot dumber than the F. Last time he was slow to get the idea. Now he's a cannibal, and enjoyed them waay too much!
Do they UNlearn that?

 

[ryansmith83]

I'd leave them alone. Male cichlids sometimes take longer than females to get it right. It's been my experience that females are fertile at an earlier age. Let them practice and pair bond, and if they're compatible, they'll eventually get it right. Sometimes a young pair will spawn a few times and then break up and choose new mates. I've seen this happen in my own Geos, Laetacara, severums, and rams. I've also been too quick to pull a new pair, only to find the male trying to murder the female (or vice versa) in their own breeding tank. My guess is that incompatibility leads to disagreements about spawning, and suddenly you have a dead or severely beaten fish. For this reason, I leave all my young pairs in the community for multiple spawns just to let them bond and practice.

 

[petspoiler]

No aggression here, that's for sure. Too bad she didn't whup on him for eating the eggs. LOL.
The male did a better job the first time, so I was hoping for a bit more entertainment.
Geos are so gentle, thought I heard violin music for a minute there. but he's just another Hannibal.