Discount Aquarium Supply Superstore

Buy Live Aquarium Fish
 		Aquarium Book
May
28

Breeding African Cichlids

HOW TO CARE FOR AFRICAN CICHLIDS BREEDING

Once you have established your aquarium of African Cichlids, and decided which species you prefer best, you’ll observe after several months that your acclimated Cichlids are happy, healthy and well adjusted within their new community. In time, you may begin to observe displays of new behaviors that you are unfamiliar with. This may indicate that your Cichlids are breeding. If you witness your Cichlids frequently burrowing along the tanks’ floor, displaying brighter colors, and chasing one another, there is a good chance that they are preparing for mating rituals. This is referred to as the “Preparation Stage”. It is important to know however, that though your Cichlids may be mating, laying eggs, and brooding them, you may not initially see their eggs hatch and produce young, known as “Fry”.

It’s NOT uncommon for Cichlids to consume the eggs they lay. It’s best to be aware of this fact, rather than look forward to the hatching of the Fry, only to be disappointed. This can happen even in optimum conditions. Especially when young fish mate for the first few times.

One of the most fascinating aspects of breeding African Cichlids, is that some species deposit their eggs into hiding places, and others incubate them in their mouths. The latter species are known as mouthbrooders. You’ll know from your research which species you have in your tank.

If you suspect that your Cichlids have bred, it’s best to let nature take it’s course. Excessive fussing such as trying to segregate the females, often leads to them eating their eggs. It’s best to allow your Cichlids to remain in the conditions you’ve created, and let nature takes its course. With patience, comes reward.

It is entirely possible that eventually your Cichlids will spawn with success. It takes approximately 21 days for the eggs to hatch. Up to 35 tiny fry swimming with their mother will be the your sign of success.
You’ll want to ensure that your tank conditions during that time is at its’ best. Take care to not be too invasive, thus upsetting the new parents. Feed them well and hope for the best!

by site admin on May 28th, 2004 in Cichlid Breeding
  1. Anna wrote on September 29th, 2004 at 12:52 pm Uhr1

    Two of my fish were just sucking face… and i dont know what that behavior implies. does it mean that they were transferring eggs from one fish’s mouth to the other?? I have no idea! HELP!!!

    Anna

  2. kevin wrote on February 4th, 2005 at 8:25 am Uhr2

    hi i am new at this my first time i have a 72 gallon tank i have about 10 t0 15 cichlid n them i am not sure which is female and which in not i was told the one with spots onthe anul fin is male ones with out is female but all of them seems too have spots on there tail fine doest that mean the all are mail i have this takn with them for about months and i got no babys as yet what shouls i do why or how can i get them to breed thank u kevin.

  3. Jay wrote on February 7th, 2005 at 8:12 pm Uhr3

    My Cichlid looks as if it has small hatchlings inside its mouth as if it is carrying them! What should I do or how do I get it to release them? Thanks

  4. Michael wrote on March 3rd, 2005 at 9:44 am Uhr4

    Hello,
    I have a female yellow lab with her mouth full of eggs which I think have already hatched.I see movement wthrough her “transparentcy” when she is in the light..My tank is 180 liters and I have seperated her from the others in the same tank using a clear plastic devider.She has about 30 liters to herself.
    I have added a small “broken vase” for her to have a place to hide.
    She loves it.She is constantly in and out and loves to relax under a near by plant.
    I need some advice as to how to take care of her.Simple things such as do I put the male in with her or not? I’m sure of which one it was because I saw the entire mating process….AMAZING!
    She is in great form.
    If it is not asking to much,please send me a link or give me some quick advice as to how I might enjoy the company of my new family.
    Thank you so much for your time,
    Michael

  5. Donya wrote on March 6th, 2005 at 8:13 pm Uhr5

    will i need to separate the fry and the mother soon or should i leave them together?

  6. scott wrote on June 3rd, 2005 at 2:54 pm Uhr6

    I have a Labidochromis Lividus that developed a noticible bulge on its underside between the two posterior fins. I believe it might be eggs but I feel the fish may be too young. It is probably only 2″ long and maybe 6 months old. Is this fish mature enough to breed??? It is the rather light tan or faint brownish color of the females of this species and is housed with 4 other males. This will be my first breeding event since I have started keeping cichlids. Is there anything special I should know? I have been reading a lot of info on this. Thanks for any input you can provide.

  7. leann wrote on July 22nd, 2005 at 1:02 pm Uhr7

    chances are you have two males and they are disputing property lines or protecting their females

  8. Maygan wrote on July 25th, 2005 at 3:48 pm Uhr8

    i have a blood parrot and a smaller african cichlid and they often appear to be kissing!?? What is going on?

  9. Stuart wrote on August 21st, 2005 at 4:43 am Uhr9

    I am worried that if my africans begin to breed that either the eggs of the small fry will be sucked into the filters. also is it a good idea 2 have a seperate breeding tank to transfer the fish into when u think they r pairing up. any help will be appreciated. cheers.

  10. Katie wrote on September 3rd, 2005 at 2:44 pm Uhr10

    My fish is laying eggs, but the other ones are eating them so i put her in a box net, should i have done that or should i let her go? Never done this before.
    Thankyou for your help!
    Katie

  11. laura hertzberg wrote on September 18th, 2005 at 10:52 am Uhr11

    im trying to find a boyfriend for my mature red zebra cichlid unsure how to pic a male ??? pls advise

  12. michael wrote on September 18th, 2005 at 5:15 pm Uhr12

    Is it possible that my african cichlid could mate with different species of fish such as a pearch or bluegil and have fry?(babies)

  13. Zach Neumann wrote on December 7th, 2005 at 7:53 pm Uhr13

    My african cichlids are “burrowing” large holes in the bottom of my tank. Is this a sign that, yes, they are laying eggs or in the process of laying eggs. I am new with african cichlids and do not yet no any other traits other then there aggresive… please help me!

  14. SCOTT ELLIOTT wrote on January 4th, 2006 at 3:48 pm Uhr14

    I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE INFO. ON THE CONVICT CICHLIDS. I STARTED WITH TWO FEMALE AN ONE MALE. THEY’VE BRED AN NOW HAVE TWO OTHER TANKS FULL OF BABY FRY. I’VE SEPARATED THE MALE FROM THE FEMALE TO STOP THE BREEDING. AND WOULD LIKE MORE INFO. ON THE CARE OF THEM, AN HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERANCE BETWEEN THE MALE AN FEMALE AN WHAT AGE YOU CAN STRART TO TELL.THIS IS MY FIRST TIME TO HAVE FISH, AN SEEM TO HAVE DONE SOMTHING RIGHT SO FAR AN WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO BE AS GOOD PROVIDING FOR THE FRY. AN HOW EASY IS TO CROSS BREED THEM WITH JACK DEMSY OR GREEM TERROR,AN HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERANCE IN THESE BREEDS ALSO. THANKS VARY MUCH!!!!

  15. Leylita wrote on February 4th, 2006 at 1:14 pm Uhr15

    One of my cichlids kept nesting at the bottom of the tank and 2 weeks ago i found one fry in a hole in one of the logs in the tank, 3 days later he was gone (i think he came for food and was eaten). Once again she is making a nest in the same spot as before How do I know if she spawns???

  16. john wrote on February 5th, 2006 at 5:51 pm Uhr16

    i take the eggs out of the females mouth and hatch them myself.. i find i get a 95% success rate.. if i leave them in the mothers mouth i will have around 25-30% sucess…

  17. travis wrote on February 1st, 2009 at 8:31 pm Uhr17

    I would like to say… how do i breed clavus cichilds i have male and female and male beat the female wats should i do to stop that he has her in the top coner off the tank

  18. blue wrote on February 27th, 2009 at 3:29 pm Uhr18

    hello … this is new to me … i need some kind of little help here . i got about 15 cichlid fishs . what i m see is the one fish is a mother .. she been dig with mouth to spit out of sand to make it as like hole spot .. which she is pretty soon getting have babies fish .. so when she did stop dig today so do u have idea when she gonna start lay eggs? is it safe to leave mother with pregany or lay eggs with another fishs ? what else should i need to know …

  19. Bella wrote on March 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm Uhr19

    I would like to say…I noticed since last night that my african chichlid has been extra aggressive towards the other fishes and anyone getting near the tank. This morning I noticed over 30 eggs on top of a rock that my green terror has not moved away from. My question is what happens now and how do I know who is the mother or if my green terror is the mother. How long should the eggs be on top of the rock?

  20. Michelle wrote on May 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm Uhr20

    I just started a new tank a few weeks ago. two of my fish have paired off. they are african cichlids. The females mouth is stuffed with eggs and you can see them when she opens her mouth and her bottom if buldging. i have never worked with cichlids before. but i have 10 other larger cichlids in the tank. The fish all seem to be nice, but they tend to fight every now and then. I know i cant leave this female in her space because she is the smallest female in the tank, and she has not been eatting. Whats the best way to transport her to a new tank? i will keep this tank with all the same levels, by just taking water from the larger tank…. from my 80 gallon to her new 20 gallon. But my question is still is it safe to move her?

  21. Michelle wrote on June 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 am Uhr21

    I would like to say…I have 10 African cichlids all different. One of them begain to grow a belly a few weeks ago. Yesterday around 4pm it’s belly was so big and bulging out the right side. Then around 7pm her belly is back to normal. I don’t see any eggs anywhere! I also didn’t see any action. I don’t know if she has them in her mouth. I don’t see anything! You would think her mouth would look full! I don’t know what happened but if anyone has any info that would be great! Thanks!

  22. Michelle wrote on June 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 am Uhr22

    I would like to say…

  23. Jake wrote on July 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm Uhr23

    I would like to say… I have three Africans and three Americans in a forty gallon tank and I think my electric yellow is pregnant because she seems alot fatter and she’s been hanging out with an albino for a little while please help me!

  24. osheen wrote on July 30th, 2009 at 8:27 pm Uhr24

    I have a electric yellow cichlid with eggs in her mouth. I was wondering if its best to raise the fry in smaller tank or use a net breeder

  25. Belle wrote on August 12th, 2009 at 12:42 am Uhr25

    My husband and I have our african cichlid tank for about 3 months now and we noticed that two of our cichlid started pairing up and now the female has a mouthful of eggs. We called the petshop in our area and they said we have to separate the female, so we set up a 14 gallon tank for her. When we placed her there but she looks stressed and keeps swimming up and down and around the tank non-stop. do you think we separated her too soon? we dont know what to do, we love our fishes and it would be great if they would breed but we dont want them to die either. help.

  26. jeremy wrote on August 20th, 2009 at 12:28 pm Uhr26

    Is it possible when you get a female from a store she has eggs in her mouth? OR for 2 different types to breed?

  27. Jeannie wrote on October 9th, 2009 at 6:38 am Uhr27

    I would like to say…My fish is laying eggs, Never done this before.should i put a divider in the tank so the other cichlid won’t eat them she started laying themabout two days ago . They are now a while milky color .
    Thankyou for your help!

  28. kevinG wrote on January 15th, 2010 at 8:10 pm Uhr28

    So you think i should move the pregnant cichild to another tank do you think i should put a little house or something in thereto keep them safe

  29. stephanie wrote on February 20th, 2010 at 11:27 am Uhr29

    I would like to say…do you think i should take the babies from my yellow eletris, because i see some in her mouth.she already had 2 babies december last year and i saw a born baby floating aroung and they were eating it!!!i do not want to seperate the mother and them,what should i do???

  30. stephanie wrote on February 20th, 2010 at 11:34 am Uhr30

    should i seperate the baby and the mother so the baby does not eat the new babies that are coming?? and should i stripp the mom so the babies will not come out when we are sleeping.If they do come out when i am sleeping, then then other cichlids will eat them!!!

  31. travis wrote on May 20th, 2010 at 6:31 am Uhr31

    hello my clavus cichilds female she just laid her eggs and now there are little fry with eye’s and little tails can i remove the female to the main tank now

  32. tameka wrote on October 31st, 2010 at 9:08 am Uhr32

    I have 2 fish in the the africian chiclids and they are male and female. My female had fry and they are swimming around and they was all getting along till one day i notice that my male was on the other side of the tank and the female would not let him get near her or the babies, and now the female is hidding under a rock now and then the male chases the babies or try to eat them til she come back out of hidden. My questions is Why is she hidden? Why is he chasing or eating the babies? An what made them separate?

  33. MIKEYG74 wrote on May 17th, 2011 at 10:34 pm Uhr33

    I would like to say…I HAVE 14 AFRICAN CICHLIDS IN A 36 GALLON, BOWED-FRONT TANK. I DID HAVE THEM IN A REGULAR RECTANGULAR, 45 GALLON TANK. IN THE BIGGER TANK, THE FISH WERE REALLY INACTIVE IN THERE, SO I PUT TH3EM IN THE SMALLER TANK. I WANT TO HAVE BABIES, BUT, I HAVE NO IDEA OF THEIR SEXES. TWO OF THEM ARE AROUND 3.5 INCHES AND COMPETE FOR DOMINACE. DOES THIS MEAN THEY ARE BOTH MALES? I ALSO HAVE A 20 GALLON TANK AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THAT MY BREEDING TANK. SHOULD I TAKE ONE OF THE BIG ONES AND 3 OR 4 OF WHAT I GUESS ARE FEMALES AND JUST TRY THAT WAY? THE REST OF THE FISH ARE MOSTLY AROUND 2-2.5″ LONG. SHOULD I GO W/THE LEAST AGRESSIVE-PLAIN LOOKING FISH TO ASSUME THE ARE FEMALE3S? ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPPRECIATED

  34. Kirsty wrote on May 22nd, 2011 at 8:01 pm Uhr34

    I would like to say… My electric yellow has abanded her eggs after i sepperated her from the tank, Wot do i do with the eggs??? are they Fertalised they ceme from her mouth??? one looks split??? white on top and bottom clear in the middle and the others are opaque???? please help

  35. trevell wrote on June 4th, 2011 at 1:40 pm Uhr35

    My fish has been burowing and chasing da other fishes does dis mean he’s tryin to mate??

  36. Melanie wrote on June 27th, 2011 at 9:30 pm Uhr36

    I have Lombardoi Chiclids who have recently reared about 5 fry, I also have a large Orange Chichlid that I have not been able to Identify what breed he is..can you help. He is about 3 in long and he attacks all of the other fish by latching on to their mouths, I belive this is also how he sucks out the eggs and fry from the mouthbrooders as well. Right now he is being held in the breeding tank that I purchased, is there anything else I can do besides find him a new home?

  37. Sarah wrote on July 3rd, 2011 at 5:19 pm Uhr37

    I would like to say…I have the same questons as I am reading. i noticed that my female electric yellow has a mouth full of something. The male is constantly in control of her and she was behaving differently last week. I am concerned that within my community the fry might get eaten and what to do about the seperation process as well. they are both very healthy vibrant adults and i work alot so dont want to miss out on any assistance i can give her to have a sucessful hatching of her fry?

  38. site admin wrote on July 20th, 2011 at 3:11 am Uhr38

    Yes

  39. bill wrote on September 2nd, 2011 at 10:29 am Uhr39

    what should i do i have six cichlids one jewel one eletric yellow one eletric blue johanhe and three kenyi cichlids one kenyi cichlid has eggs in her mouth she has her own spot in the tank but the other cichlids just chase her around should i move the cichlid with eggs in her mouth to another tank

  40. bill wrote on September 2nd, 2011 at 12:42 pm Uhr40

    i looked today and all of the eggs were gone

  41. site admin wrote on September 8th, 2011 at 11:17 pm Uhr41

    @Bill It’s better to move the kenyi cichlid to another tank to avoid her from getting stress.

  42. bill wrote on September 14th, 2011 at 8:21 am Uhr42

    ok how long will it take to fry to come out

  43. bill wrote on September 15th, 2011 at 1:50 pm Uhr43

    what should i do with the fry when they hatch

  44. site admin wrote on September 22nd, 2011 at 12:26 am Uhr44

    @Bill After three months, the fry are released and you should monitor them closely. Feed them the right amount of food and the right type of food such as liquid food, brine shrimp, paramecium and daphnia.

  45. bill wrote on September 27th, 2011 at 12:40 pm Uhr45

    ok now my other cichlid has eggs but the fry that came from the other cichlid all died about 7 hours after i took them out of the moms mouth they had been in her mouth for about 3 weeks

  46. bill wrote on September 27th, 2011 at 12:41 pm Uhr46

    and i have 2 gars and a sun catfish

  47. bill wrote on September 27th, 2011 at 1:02 pm Uhr47

    im thinking of geting a pair of convict cichlids but i dont no if i can with my Africans i have a 40 gallon and 3 kenyi 1 elictric blue hap and 1 eletric blue johani and a jewel cichlid and a small elertic yellow thanks

  48. bill wrote on September 28th, 2011 at 9:11 pm Uhr48

    never mind im gonna get two red belly pacu

  49. site admin wrote on November 2nd, 2011 at 8:58 pm Uhr49

    @Bill You must never take them out of their mom’s mouth. This is part of the cycle and the mom will just open her mouth once the right time comes.

  50. jimmy wrote on November 8th, 2011 at 1:24 pm Uhr50

    my jewel cichlid is the dominet fish in the tank but today my kenyi cichlid is the dominet fish now the jewel cichlid is at the top of the tank and has had a cloudy lip for about a month now i dont now what is going on

  51. bill wrote on November 8th, 2011 at 1:26 pm Uhr51

    and i did not get pacu i got one convict

  52. nickihn33 wrote on November 12th, 2011 at 6:16 pm Uhr52

    I would like to say… i have a convict and about a half hour ago i found him on the floor i put him back in the tank and he swimming around running into everything in the tank now his eyes are cloudy and every now and then he floats to the top of the tank is he blind from being out of the water for so long he might have been out of the water for maybe 20 min to a half hour i think ???

  53. MZ.LOGAN wrote on November 15th, 2011 at 10:44 pm Uhr53

    I HAVE A 29 GAL TANK WITH 2 AFRICAN CICHLIDS.i HAVE HAD ONE YELLOW CICHLID IN THE TANK BY ITSELF FOR 9 MONTHS,CAUSE THE OTHER TWO HE KILLED.NOW I HAVE ADDED A NEW ADDITION,AND ALL THE NEW FISH DOES IS CHASE MY FISH AROUND.COULD THIS FISH BE MY MALE FISH? I CANT TELL THE SEX OF THE FISH,CAUSE THEY BOTH HAVE EGGS ON FIN.THE NEW CICHLID ALSO HAVE BEEN MOVING GRAVEL WITH MOUTH,MAKING HOLES IN THE GRAVEL

  54. bill wrote on November 21st, 2011 at 10:31 am Uhr54

    why is it my Mbuna cichlids always kill my peacock cichlids

  55. bill wrote on November 29th, 2011 at 3:41 pm Uhr55

    my sand in the tank is a little dirty so i want to get a red claw crab too clean it but idk if he will eat some of my fish

  56. site admin wrote on January 20th, 2012 at 1:27 am Uhr56

    @bill Separate them.

  57. luis wrote on January 22nd, 2012 at 3:59 am Uhr57

    Hi i have a albino african cichlid and a solid yelow african cichlids they seem to be kissing earlier today was wondering why they where kissing

  58. john wrote on February 2nd, 2012 at 11:33 am Uhr58

    I would like to say…
    my ciclids had a litter of fry less than a month ago only 2 survived now I see 1 new baby fry is this just a slow hatcher or did mom pop again

  59. site admin wrote on March 2nd, 2012 at 2:28 am Uhr59

    @Luis They are attracted with each other.

Name*: Website: E-Mail*:

XHTML: You can use these tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>