electric blue african cichlids

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I have recently bought two cichlids. one male and one female.  I was just wondering if you could explain to me how they mate.  Also i have had them in the tank together for about three days now and they are not eating atleast not when i'm watching.   do you have a suggesttion of what i should feed them?  They are about 2 and half inches long and i beleive they are fairly young.  thank you very much.
Answer -
Hi Joe,
 It is not unusual for them not to eat for several days.  Moving from one tank to another is very traumatic for a fish.

 As for how they mate, that depends entirely on which species of cichlid that they are.  Some are substrate spawners, meaning that they lay their eggs on a hard surface such as a rock (or a flowerpot).  Others are mouthbrooders, meaning that one (usually the female) of the parents carries the eggs and fry in her mouth.

 Do you know what kind they are?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
Thank you very much for the answers. Yes i do they are electric blue johanni's.  I'm not sure if they are mating but about how many fry will she hatch?  Thanks again,

Joe

Answer
Hi Joe,
Electric blue johannis come from Lake Malawi. They are female mouthbrooders, meaning the female carries the eggs and fry in her mouth.  How many she will have depends on her size but a starting guess might be 20 to 30 babies.

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