Found Eggs...

[severina]

So I've got 5 little Convicts (4 males and a female, I think) in my 55 gallon tank, and I've just found some eggs hidden on a flat rock in the corner.

I sat and watched the tank for a bit..and one of the males (my favorite, the biggest brightest blue fishy) went over and sat on the rock...randomly picking at things and just waving his fins over them, so I take him to be the father. But when the one female swam over he viciously chased her and another fish off.

So, wtf!? Is this normal? Or is another one of my fish a female and I just don't realize it? I do have a male with a red belly sometimes...but his fins are VERY pointed.

Let me know what you think!

EDIT: Nevermind. The bastard was eating them. I went to go get my camera and when I came back the eggs were gone and the female was floating over the rock looking all around.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

In most cichlids, males tend to be the most loving parent from what i undertsand. Many will drive females away, many will let them stay, but normally cichlids do this because females lay eggs in a cycle, and will be ready to lay eggs again quickly, so she will eat the fry to make way for the new ones. Thats how it works with angelfish at least. I've seen females gaurding nests before in terms of convicts, so I know that males don't always drive them away.

 

[ox5477]

despite the long fins, if the one "male" has a red belly, it is a female. Males never have this.

The male was cleaning and fanning the rocks to keep disease away and make sure fresh oxigenated water is passed over the eggs. Its not suprising that he/she ate them as most cichlids will do this the first couple of times. It takes them a few batches to realize that they are their children and not just a snack. Even when they become good parents, they will eat some of the eggs still, but no worry as they will only eat the unfertilized and bad eggs to keep the rest healthy

a note too: def not a good idea to keep all those cons together when a breeding pair exists. Watch them closely and when you figure out who the couple is, take the others back to the lfs. Then the fry will have more of a chance as the parents will not be as stressed (one reason why the eggs will get eaten) plus it will remove the chance of other fish from eating the ggs

 

[severina]

Oh they are little right now...they do perfectly well all together. But I do understand they'll get bigger, and there won't be room for all of them, especially with a pair (possibly two.) When the time comes I'll only keep males. And I don't want too many fry surviving so that's not a factor...but thank you for the info

 

[chameleon62]

sounds like its the female over the rock not the male ,thats normerly the females job,the male helps keep other fish away.