Why are my Texas fry dropping dead

[SaltyPlum]

Some have deformities and other problems so they die
My texas pair I once had when spawned started killing the babies after they are 2 cm
They eat some babies but if their stomach is full of don't wanna eat they chomp the babies and then spit out

Yeah the first batch I had the parents did that and later realised they had spawned again so they were trying to kill of the the first batch. This time around I moved 90% of fry into their own tank and now they are dropping dead.

Also the 10% of fry I left with the parents have doubled in size and look very healthy, but the parents are trying to kill them off due to wanting to spawn again.

 

[Red Cichlids]

The problem with raising Central American cichlids in aquariums is that they have such large batches. The best thing to do is to cull off a large number of the babies so you end up raising only 1/4 or less. Actually 1/10 of a large spawn is appropriate in most tanks.

The tricky thing with removing them is to not inadvertently be catching out and discarding all the outgoing and easy-to-catch ones. If you catch all you can and leave the really fast and shy ones, you end up with fish with poor temperaments for aquariums. I actually catch out a few nets full, put them in a bucket, then remove as many others as I want, and then return the first ones caught back into the tank to join the super fast/shy/smart ones I couldn't catch.

The spiraling and dying is likely due to water quality: ammonia spiking or possibly pH. You might find your pH is crashing between water changes, especially if you live in a place with soft water. I keep coral sand mixed into the gravel of all my tanks to prevent this. You can also just keep a few handfuls of coral sand on the bottom of a bare tank or in a filter bag.

 

[duanes]

In nature if 1 individual of an entire spawn lives, that is considered successful.
In fact if more than 1 survives it can be problematic in nature.
In the book "The Cichlids of Central America" by Ad Konnings, he explains the math.
Only in aquariums or aquaculture is it possible for too many to survive, and may be the reason we find substandard fish for sale that should have been culled.
If fry don't survive there may be good reasons they don't.
And I agree with dogofwar, feeding is often another large problem, most fry need many small meals throughout the day, but not large overfeeding.
With my carpintus I allowed large swaths of algae to grow for them to constantly graze on, and many survived.

But my pair would also regularly spawn, so a few algae filled grow out tanks were always needed, and fy were best separated by size, or they'd eat each other.