Jewel Cichlids

[kribensis12]

Our local petsmart had some Jewel Cichlids on sale for 2.50 a piece. So, i bought 2. I tried my best to find a male and a female. I looked at fins, but they all look the same. So, I went by color, the most colorful and the least colorful. Well, after leaving them in a 30g tank all day, it appears I may have 2 males. I have bred them before, but I guess my ability to sex them is a little rusty. Any helpful sexing hints?

 

[kribensis12]

I took the one back and bought 3 more. i think i may have 2 males and 2 females now. I just put them together, so I guess only time will tell.

 

[kribensis12]

So, I FOR SURE picked up a female today. She is HUGE. In about 10 mins of being in the tank with 4 males, she has already paired off with the biggest, blue colored male. I guess the others need new homes now. I will post some pictures later.

 

[kribensis12]

That would be a picture of the female (left) and the male (right) that I believe to have paired off.

 

[james41683]

very nice. i have one in my hap/peacock/lab tank. i recently had a disease outbreak that killed all of the acei and 2 peacocks, since then the jewel has really stepped up its color. very cool looking with the right lighting.

 

[kribensis12]

I will upload the picture later, but they bred. There was probably 400 eggs easily.

 

[kribensis12]

Here are a couple picks of the female guarding the eggs, They are the big mass directly under her. The covered the entire rock. I found her protecting her babies yesterday, They are almost free-swimming. I will post a pic or video of them as soon as they become free swimming.

 

[kribensis12]

That was quick! They are already free-swimming! Here is a picture. Those blurry dots are fry, my camera is not the best at macro shots:

 

[fishnovice]

Congrats on the fry!
How did you know it was a female when you got her?
I've had my 3 jewels just over a year now, no signs of breeding though admittedly they are siblings. The largest was the first to turn bright red and is a bully, called him/her ASBO!The medium one turned red a few months after and is now almost as big as ASBO but the smallest is still greyish though 14 months old. Maybe cos he's bullied by ASBO and may not get as much food though cichlid tank is well fed with flake, catfish pellets, veg, algae pellets so he should be OK.

 

[kribensis12]

Thanks! I knew she was a female before hand. She had a thicker, bulkier stomach. It's a good indicator that she has eggs in her.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

congrats! i love jewels. they're great

 

[kribensis12]

Thanks! They are very beautiful. The fry are growing quickly and are becoming very independent for only being able to swim for less than 1 week. They swim pretty much wherever they want to go , and the parents do not ask questions. I will get some photos up in the next couple days, hopefully by then they will be easier seen by the camera.

 

[kribensis12]

Here is a video: The fry are easier to see as the video progresses:

 

[kribensis12]

I took a picture of the male and female. I think that they female is beating up the male. His tail is missing, but every time I see them together, they do not fight. I think he may have some form of a fungus or tail rot. I did a water change yesterday and treated with a fungus med today. On a side note, is it a bad thing when your 4th Generation iPod Touch takes better pictures than your camera?

 

[kribensis12]

So, the female killed the male the other day. I will have pictures up later of the poor guy, but she sure did teach him a lesson. The fry are growing very quickly!