midevil fry

[Apollyeon]

the fry are literally feeding on the mothers slime coat so much they leave white and sometimes red cuts which she just lets them continue doing it and doesnt seem to mind..is this normal? i have been feeding flake food to them which they go after,but mostly they just hang around her plucking away at the coat,,they sometimes will do it to the male but mostly just her.looks like mosquitos swarming

 

[BIG-G]

Yes it’s normal a lot of fish will feed their fry with their slime coat.
That’s said, I would keep an eye on it.
It’s been known to happen that if the fry make sores or open places on the adult slime coat it can cause an infection and in worst cases can kill the adult fish.
Once the fry are able to feed on normal aquarium food I would move them.

 

[Apollyeon]

Yes it’s normal a lot of fish will feed their fry with their slime coat.
That’s said, I would keep an eye on it.
It’s been known to happen that if the fry make sores or open places on the adult slime coat it can cause an infection and in worst cases can kill the adult fish.
Once the fry are able to feed on normal aquarium food I would move them.

the thing i dont like about moving them is they dont seem to grow as fast without the parents,not sure why that is even tho i feed em about the same amount.could more feedings cause them to feed on her less? she doesnt seem to care she just sits still and lets them have at it

 

[BIG-G]

You can try feed more often.
I know she doesn’t mind letting them feed.
That’s what can become a problem, she may let them feed to her own demise.


It’s not a definite outcome, she may do fine with it.
I’m just saying to keep an eye on it and be willing to step in if necessary.

 

[Apollyeon]

You can try feed more often.
I know she doesn’t mind letting them feed.
That’s what can become a problem, she may let them feed to her own demise.


It’s not a definite outcome, she may do fine with it.
I’m just saying to keep an eye on it and be willing to step in if necessary.

yea for sure,will do.also the male wants her in a particular spot most times,goes crazy if she tries to defy it.he typically can get her to go where he wants just by harassment,which he wants her in the center of a pit he dug a long time ago,her and the fry are normally there while he is on outside of it.hes fine as long as she doesnt leave that area

 

[Apollyeon]

You can try feed more often.
I know she doesn’t mind letting them feed.
That’s what can become a problem, she may let them feed to her own demise.


It’s not a definite outcome, she may do fine with it.
I’m just saying to keep an eye on it and be willing to step in if necessary.

lately she been laying on her side in the pit they both dug out,,seems fine,she gets up to kinda fight with the male some then goes back to laying on her side while the fry eat the slime coat..less of them doing it now as ive been feeding more often flake food.is she sulking? male wont let her leave the middle of the tank without harassing her back to same spot.shes always been very reclusive and passive since i bought her.always likes to hide out.and he has always been really aggressive and controlling.

 

[Niki_up]

lately she been laying on her side in the pit they both dug out,,seems fine,she gets up to kinda fight with the male some then goes back to laying on her side while the fry eat the slime coat..less of them doing it now as ive been feeding more often flake food.is she sulking? male wont let her leave the middle of the tank without harassing her back to same spot.shes always been very reclusive and passive since i bought her.always likes to hide out.and he has always been really aggressive and controlling.

From where I’m sitting it doesn’t sound good. Is she eating herself? It sounds like she might be dying from the fry eating her to death, the male causing her extra stress by keeping her in the pit, and potentially not getting enough nutrition to sustain her own life?

it is normal for the fry to eat the slime coat, once they cause damage to the parent fish it should no longer be acceptable and the fry should have been moved. The female doesn’t want the fry literally eating her but when she tries to flee the fry the male moves her back into the pit with his brute force.

you should remove the female if at all possible and allow her to heal and regain strength

 

[Apollyeon]

From where I’m sitting it doesn’t sound good. Is she eating herself? It sounds like she might be dying from the fry eating her to death, the male causing her extra stress by keeping her in the pit, and potentially not getting enough nutrition to sustain her own life?

it is normal for the fry to eat the slime coat, once they cause damage to the parent fish it should no longer be acceptable and the fry should have been moved. The female doesn’t want the fry literally eating her but when she tries to flee the fry the male moves her back into the pit with his brute force.

you should remove the female if at all possible and allow her to heal and regain strength

yea i just put her in my hospital 40 gallon breeder to take a nice long break.only issue now is that i cant reintroduce her to the tank until those fry are gone which will be awhile..or if the male eats em which ever happens first..reason i left em in there with one of the parents is ive had terrible experience when i remove them to their own tank they dont do as well and they dont seem to grow as fast.unsure as to why cause the feedings dont change.i might attempt in the future to either pair her with a different male or him with another female.he might just end up solo in a tank by himself tbh he stresses me out lol

 

[Apollyeon]

so now ive moved them both away from the fry into a much larger community tank and things seems to be back to normal for now..gonna take the fry and place into the 40 gallon breeder with sponge filter and grow them out some

 

[Travis_Bickle]

I had this same problem a few months ago with Sajica cichlids. It's the first time i'd experienced it but just left them to get on with it, unfortunately the parents health started to decline and they never recovered. It was a real shame, i would also recommend moving the fry if you want to keep the parents healthy. You will notice them grow more when with the parents because they're getting extra food from the slime coat but as suggested, just make sure you feed them little bits of high protein food regularly instead. A bit of egg yolk can be good but be careful not to overdo it. I would also watch how your parent fish get along, if the Male decides he wants to breed again and the female doesn't it'll not end well so a divider might be a good idea just in case. I've also had that problem with Red Devils, thankfully the female had a cave she could get into which the male was too big for.