cannibal?

Question
QUESTION: hi!
i have just got eggs from my aggassiz's dwarf cichlid but on the second day of the eggs, my female started eating them! what gives? there are only two fish in the tank and the other is the male.it happened two times already and both batches were produced by the same pair and eaten by the same female.i really want to breed them.please help me!thanks in advance

ANSWER: Hello,
The aggassiz must be kept in 6.5PH, and the water must be soft.  They are quite difficult to breed as the water must be perfect.  Fungus eggs will happen quickly, and when this happens the female will eat her fungus eggs.  The tank should be well planted, either silk, or real plants with overturned pots.  The male is best kept with more than one female.  Four females depending on the size of your tank.  The female will guard her eggs, and the male the territory. She will bring them into an overturned pot, or cave.   The Aggassiz is very sensible to water conditions, so frequent water changes are very important.
I would think that the eggs were fungus after two days, and fish will eat fungus eggs to protect their eggs that are not fungus, but if your water did not have the right chemistry, and if you had the slightest ammonia in your water, this would be enough to fungus all the eggs.  The female would not eat her eggs without reason.  Check your PH, and ammonia.  If you have space in your tank, add more females.  Do one 25% water change every week, and small ones of 10% in between.  Feed them well.  Add Driftwood to your tank to bring down the PH.  Never use chemicals, they do more harm than good.
Good Luck with your next spawn...Agassiz's are a little difficult to breed.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi again
as you know i want to breed the aggies but i like german blue rams too. is it safe to put a pair of them into the tank?(for the breeding and safety of both parties of fish.)
and the male has became very dominant. the female hides in plants and wont come out to eat.it has been two days now. is there any way to stop this aggression and get the female out?

Answer
Hi,
As I mentioned to you, you must buy more females for the aggassiz male.  He will spawn with all of them.  If you do not do this, he will continue to harass the female, and she will become very weak, and unable to spawn.  It is very important that the female is well fed, and a stressed female will not eat.  She will eventually get sick, and die.  To breed these fish, you must have 3 to 4 females to one male, and more is excepted depending on the size of your tank.  You will not succeed with one female.  This fish does not spawn like other south american cichlids.  They do not pair, and have only one female.  The aggassiz male needs more females.  This is the only way to stop the aggression, and spawn these fish.  Provide many overturned pots, and cave like decorations, and lots of plants, either real, or silk, and you may succeed in breeding these beautiful, but very delicate fish.
The rams are not as aggressive as the aggassiz's, and I would put rams in another tank.  If you really want to breed these fish, they will need another tank.  You will have to decorate it with flat rocks, and plants.  Rams do not like lights, so floating plants are a must.  Rams choose their partner, unlike the aggassiz.  Once a pair is formed both parents look after the eggs.  If they are young parents, they may eat their first, and second spawn, but after that, they make good parents.
Good quality food, and variation in food is a must.  The more you vary their food the healthier they will be.  
Good Luck!
Lynda