Cichlid Parental Care

[nadajdui]

Wow. All I can say. For 2 days the parents of my Ptychochromis oligacanthus eggs were ever diligent in keeping their babies safe. Against all odds. I saw Mom slamming a fish twice her size into the sand repeatedly. I saw her beat the !@$# out of several other fish, whether larger or smaller. Dad was in constant battle mode, ready to tear any fish in half who decided to wander too close to the eggs. I watched him grow soft, too, as he waved water over the eggs with his body and fins, taking care that none of them got knocked off.



And then this evening I looked and I was like OH NO!! THE EGGS ARE GONE!! Yes, they are all gone. That's because they hatched. Mom is removing them from the rock they were on into an area beside the rock that both she and her mate dug out just for that purpose. She picks some of the fry up, cleans them in her mouth, then drops them in the area she wants them to go. While she does this, Dad surveys the area and attacks any threats that happen by. These guys are better than some human parents I see out there. I'm just amazed at their dedication and care that they put into keeping their yougn safe.



Just thought I'd share

 

[Ferris]

Thanks for sharing - most cichlids are superb parents and it's always great to watch.

 

[kribensis12]

Awsome, they seem pretty devoted. If you want parental care, try a pair of cons. My friend made the mistake by not listening to me, and bought a full grown red oscar, adn a pair of 2 inch cons. So like usual they breed, and thier was a large number of fry. My freind told me that the cons kept beating up the oscar, and i said take him out. So the next day, he came to petstore while i was getting crickets, with a dead oscar, it looked like it had been beaten to death by a club!!!!!!!! But most cons arent that aggressive.