Eggs or not?

[rooooster]

I have two common cichlids that are a very popular breed. They are yellow with a black stripe on the tip of their back fin. I have a male and a female and they normally don't seem to get on but today it was all different as they were very friendly. A bit later in the day i then noticed that they were both in a cave and the male was vibrating a LOT as if he was having a fit but he did this in front of her. I also noticed her mouth was buldging and you can see some balls in there. Could they be eggs as they seem rather large They are a bit smaller than a bb gun pellet.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

sounds like eggs to me,
do you know what kind of fish they are,
could you post a picture?

 

[loafybones]

those fish are yellow labs. We've got some of those and one of the females has fry in her mouth at the moment.
Yours is definately carrying eggs and you need to keep an eye on her. Don't be worried if she doesn't eat for a while, ours hasn't eaten for about a month now but this is normal as she can't get any food in her mouth while there are eggs in there (obviously).
In a few weeks you may notice that her bulge shrinks a little so keep trying to look into her mouth as the first time she tries to hold eggs she may not be succesful. They tend to practice a few times before they actually get it right.
Good luck!

 

[rooooster]

How exciting. Its my first as you can tell. If i do get any survive, how and what do i feed them???

 

[loafybones]

It's my first too, but I've read up and asked at the lfs. I think i'll probably get some of that liquid food for mine.
Check the other females though because I found that there were a few of mine holding eggs all at the same time, they must have all been horny together! The lab has been the only one that managed to keep hers though, she's so clever!!