What does a breeding tube look like??

[blauaugigengel]

I was looking at my two Jaguar cichlids a few days ago, and noticed that one of them had a pinkish "thingy" hanging down from the vent/anal area. I thought that maybe this was a breeding tube? My other Jag had a smaller backwards-facing pointy-ich darker colored projection coming from its anal/vent area. What do these things mean??? Thanks!

Oh, also, my larger (male?) Jag, the one with the pointier darker projection was constantly nudging the anal area of the one with the pink hanger-downer.... and I've never seen them act that way before....

 

[pufferluffer]

i dont know much about that species but i think you found the tubes! congrats. if you look closely the breeding tubes wont be attached to the fin at all and it will look more rounded. my red devil and blood parrot always nudge at each other all over when they are about to breed. and my saltwater molly males will always nudge the females anal area like a pervert! i hope this helps id suggest reading up on how they spawn and what types of conditions they need to do so successfully. also feed them really good meaty foods in small amounts three ish times a day will really help jump start the process. i have also noticed that doing a large water change of 35% or so will help rear the tank for the new bioload and just make it less stressful for the breeding pair.

having your fish breed is one of the most exciting things to watch in the tank just keep a good eye on them to make sure no one is getting to beat up because aggression will peak. good luck man!

 

[blauaugigengel]

So the pink one is definitely the female, then??

 

[importracer]

I was looking at my two Jaguar cichlids a few days ago, and noticed that one of them had a pinkish "thingy" hanging down from the vent/anal area. I thought that maybe this was a breeding tube? My other Jag had a smaller backwards-facing pointy-ich darker colored projection coming from its anal/vent area. What do these things mean??? Thanks!

Oh, also, my larger (male?) Jag, the one with the pointier darker projection was constantly nudging the anal area of the one with the pink hanger-downer.... and I've never seen them act that way before....

The smaller, backwards-pointy tube is the male........The thicker, straight pointy down tube is the female.......