Cichlids With Yellow Spots

[mikem]

i have had 6 cichlid and one pleco for about 4-5 months now. just last weekend i cleaned all the rocks and plants and syphoned the gravel. yesterday i noticed 5 out of my 6 cichlids have yellow spots on them. the only one that doesn't is the one the guy at the pet store said was a female. i have heard that these are "egg spots", but does that mean that they are going to have babies? is there something in the water that is causing this? on a different topic, how do i adjust the "hardness" of my water?

 

[minnnt]

Welcome to the forum. What cichlids are they? It is almost impossible to help you out with no identification. If you could post a picture this would be most helpful!