fish spitting gravel

Question
I have a well established tank with the same fish going on one year now.  One of my fish has cleared a large area under the bubbler right down to the bottom of the tank.
Is she getting ready to lay eggs? I'm not even sure what kind of fish it is.  she is yellow with black stripes horizontally on her back and is about 4-5 inches long

Answer
Hi Fishfan,
  Yes, it sounds like someone is thinking about nesting.  However, it isn't necessarily a female that is doing this. It could be a male doing it, to try to attract a female.  It depends a lot on which species of cichlid you have.

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