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convicts eating their babies

23 11:58:51

Question
I have a 50 gallon fish tank. I have two pairs of convicts. The one pair had a batch of babies,I am sorry I do not know the correct term for their young,and they are doing just fine. They are growing healthy and big. The other pair of convicts have had 3 batches of babies and have eaten them all after they were about 2-3 weeks old. I have noticed that either right before they eat them or directly after, I am not quite sure when, they have another batch of eggs ready to go. Then they hatch, 2-3 weeks later they eat them and so forth. Why do they keep eating their babies and what can I do short of taking them out of the tank to stop this?

Answer
Hi Jeneane,
  Are you sure that they are eating their babies and not that the other parents are eating their babies?  One of the main predators on cichlid babies are other parent cichlids.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>