9 Step Guide To Breeding Healthy African Cichlids

Many people begin keeping African cichlids in their aquarium because of their pretty colors and before long, most people become interested in breeding African cichlids which is a very rewarding experience. But how do you get your african cichlids to breed?

1.Getting african cichlids to breed is a little different to other tropical fish which you can usually just pair up and it happens. With African cichlids, the best method is to have a largish group with a much higher female to male ratio.If you keep only couples the female most often is bullyed by the male even sometimes to the point of death.

2. African cichlids have to be healthy for breeding as the female will go without food for weeks when in the spawning cycle. This means they need to be fed well prior on a varied diet of spirulina flakes, earthworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, and mosquito larva.

3.In order for your breeding colony to flourish, they will need a comfortable environment. Make caves, rocks, crevices and tunnels to provide protection when needed from bully fish. The optimal breeding tank has no gravel so the males cant dig it up and cause problems. The males soon turn there attention to the females and the mating will soon follow.

4. If you want to use plants then i reccomend plastic only and make sure they are firmly attached to the bottom.If u use real plants they will get destroyed.

5. Ususally the mating game will start with the male showing of and dancing untill he attracts one of the females. Then they may appear to wrestle a bit to test strength, this sometimes includes the locking of the mouths. This goes on for a while then the female will lay her eggs then scoop them in to her mouth for safe keeping. It is beleived that the egg patterns around the males anal area trick the female into thinking she left egs in the open , so when she trys t scoop them the male fertilizes the brood.

6. After the eggs have been fertilized it will take up to two months for them to hatch at which point they will continue to reside in the mothers mouth. It is a good idea to try and feed her now as she will eat a little so the fry can get to it.

7. After the eggs have been fertilized but before they actually hatch it is important to put the mother in a seperate tank where the youngsters can develop without fear of being eaten.

8. Once the small fry are swimming freely the best way to get food to them is by putting crumbled flakes into the end of a straw and the placing the end near the small fry for them to eat.

9.It will take a week or to before the female is ready to go back into the main tank. And also keep the fry seperated until large enough to fend for themselves.

Follow my guidlines and you will be breeding big beuatiful healthy African cichlids in no time.

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