How important are fish parents?

[Snowflake311]

With fish like cichlids that care for the eggs and fry. Do you think it is important to keep parents with fry in the early stages?

After watching my angels put the fry to sleep by catching them all and spitting them into one area. I think the fry are better off with parents for the first few weeks. Most animals that have careing parents tend to suffer or have a hard time when taken from them. Do you think this could be true for fish.

I would love to hear your ideas on this topic. thanks.

 

[Sarah88]

i think that cichlid parents are indeed important for the fry during their early stages, i find that fry even seem to grow faster when they are left with their parents than if i take them away when they are very small. and with the eggs i would think that many more eggs will survive if left with the parents since a protective mommy or daddy does a much more efficient job at fanning pollutants away from the eggs than an airstone ever could. the main reason these fish have evolved to take care of their young is to limit predation and ensure that more of them survive to adulthood but i think that they gain other benefits as well