I have a pair on their 2nd batch of fry. My LFS got the Synspilum pair in that I had been waiting for. Not a good time to add tank mates, but the Syn's were my priority. well, the aggression against the newcomers ramped up. I removed a rival male Firemouth and a Dempsey and took them to the LFS for store credit. I had to remove almost all the rock, driftwood and plants to catch those little buggers.
Of course this put the new parents under a lot of stress. They moved the fry into a small pit in the sand and attacked anything that entered the area. After re-homing the rejects, I replaced the tank furnishings. They had the fry all in a tight bunch. Both parents then began, what I assumed, to eat the fry. I wasn't too surprised as they are really young, and I suspected they ate their last hatch, though this hatch is about three times the size.
I let everything calm down and made sure aggression level came back into an acceptable range. The rearrange and stocking adjustments appear to have worked. I then went to feed the tank and noticed the fry cloud was back, at the other end of the tank. I take it the parents held the fry in their mouths to protect and move them.
Though I have had cichlids off and on for years, this is my first breeding pair. I always had singles in a community tank. All pairs I have had never paired up or the male tried to kill the female, and I moved her. It was pretty cool to find those fry were back.
Of course this put the new parents under a lot of stress. They moved the fry into a small pit in the sand and attacked anything that entered the area. After re-homing the rejects, I replaced the tank furnishings. They had the fry all in a tight bunch. Both parents then began, what I assumed, to eat the fry. I wasn't too surprised as they are really young, and I suspected they ate their last hatch, though this hatch is about three times the size.
I let everything calm down and made sure aggression level came back into an acceptable range. The rearrange and stocking adjustments appear to have worked. I then went to feed the tank and noticed the fry cloud was back, at the other end of the tank. I take it the parents held the fry in their mouths to protect and move them.
Though I have had cichlids off and on for years, this is my first breeding pair. I always had singles in a community tank. All pairs I have had never paired up or the male tried to kill the female, and I moved her. It was pretty cool to find those fry were back.
