reproduction

Question
I have a cichlid that is looking extremely pregnant. What is the pregnacy period so I can separate her from the general population. how long before she gives birth?  I have convicts reproduce but never a cichlid.

Answer
Hi Christopher,
 No cichlid gives birth to live young, so they don't get pregnant as such.  All cichlids lay eggs.  Some lay the eggs on the ground, others lay them but quickly pick the eggs up in the mouth.  

 If one of your fish is looking extraordinarily fat that could be (a) she is eating too much, (b) she is full of eggs but hasn't laid them yet, or (c) she has what we call "bloat" which is typically an infection of the intestine or swim bladder. Telling which of these is the true cause of her enlarged size is not easy.   If she is not eating much you can rule out #1, but #2 and #3 are very tricky to separate and often you can't tell.   

 By the way, convicts are a cichlid so you have already spawned a cichlid. :)

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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