# FIREMOUTH EGGS!! First Time!!!



## firemouth911 (Jul 26, 2008)

Ok so I have had aquariums for about 2 years now and never did i get anything to breed. I have lots of male and female pairs but never did they lay eggs. But now is the first time!!! Firemouth cichlid eggs!!! What i need to know is how to take care for them. I read that they hatch in about 3-4 days. Today is the first day so I need to act fast. I dont have a CO2 system so im going to have to get plastic plants. But anyways i need advice on what food to get, how to get them to eat it, how to prevent the other fish to eat them..YOU KNOW!! EVERYTHING!!! OH and ill tryyy to get a picture but its probably impossible because the eggs are laid under a shell (thats on a slant), but ill try.


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## ArcticCatRider (Jul 13, 2007)

Well, Good Job on the fry! :thumb: 
What else do you have in the tank? What size tank?
Really, if you would like to raise them, you need a 10, 15, or 20/20 long
Firemouth babies will eat crushed flakes, and real fine almost powder like food, whatever you have, really crushed pellets, crushed flakes, something real fine, and small will be fine.
2 or 3 days after becoming wrigglers, is when they'll truly begin to eat.I would suggest the crushed/fine flakes. Drop a little in, and watch them eat, it may take awhile, but they'll also begin to get used to this too.
Use a sponge filter, or say a AC 20, or Bio-Wheel 125, with a sponge on the intake, this way no fry get sucked up.And plants are not needed, but help the fry/parents feel secure.
The female does not need to be moved to the same tank with the free swimming fry, they will be ok.


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## firemouth911 (Jul 26, 2008)

Ok just got back from the store, i bought 2 fake plants and some food for fry fish, its called hikari first bites or something like that. Also they (mom, dad, and eggs) are currently in a 55 gallon in a community tank. {They do very well and are not aggresive towards any fish except now ~ breeding} So anyways i got a divider and put the mom and dad (w/eggs) in 1/3 of the tank and the other 2/3 is for the other fish. I put the dad with the mom so she's not lonely and gets stressed out or anything. I hope to see them grow! Any other advice is greatly accepted and ill try to get a picture of the setup.


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

Those first bites are small but not small enough for fry I don't think, I would try crushed flake for at least a week then try the pellets.


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## firemouth911 (Jul 26, 2008)

Alright thanks for the info guys but just want to know, will it be ok to have the male with the female in the same divider spot even when the eggs hatch?


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## firemouth911 (Jul 26, 2008)

Ok guys today i wake up and check on the eggs and half are gone and like 10 of them are white. The female hasn't even eaten or removed the white eggs and she doesn't even go inside the 'cave' to like...check on them like she did on the first day. today is the third day. When do you think they'll hatch???


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## firemouth911 (Jul 26, 2008)

Ok when i previously submitted the post above i went to check on them again and there are more white eggs!!!! WHAT SHOULI DO?!?!!!?!?!??!! Should i manually remove them or what??? WHAT? WHAT???!


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Ok first breath in and then breath out for a few minutes and relax! We are going to get through this!

I am not trying to be a snot with that comment I was just being funny! :lol: It's not unusual for them to eat the eggs the first couple of times! At least they have spawned which is the key! Yes, it is disapointing and I understand it's your first time! Everyone get's excitied when their cichlids spawn even if it's their 100th spawn! The reason why it's the key is because it showes that your Firemouths are in a healthy enviornment, they are comfortable, and you have a pair which will spawn again VERY soon! However, every cichlid will move their eggs or fry when they spawn to help shake off predators and other reasons. I would say wait and watch for about 4 days for the fry. If you don't see any fry and the parent's go back to normal then they ate the fry and wait for the next one. You may think it's crazy but you have gotten over the hardest part when spawning which is "pairing". Once when your cichlids have spawned once they will do it again and you know they will spawn again because they have done it once. Yes, it is upsetting when you lose your batch but good comes out of it!


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

*CiChLiD LoVeR128*Has it pretty much nailed down there. In about 3-4 weeks (which will now seem like an eternity) Your pair will be ready to try it again. However, Don't be too upset if they eat that batch as well. Cichlids can make several attempts at raising fry before they get it right. I'm not saying it will play out that way, it's just something to keep in mind.


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## stuckinthemiddle (Feb 26, 2008)

Its been my experience (limited) that after the first spawn, they will lay even more lay even more the next time and the male will do a better job at fertilizing the eggs (less white ones).

What else you got in your tank? Only reason Im asking is because on their next successful spawn, they might become aggressive toward other tank mates. Dont really know much about firemouth spawning habits, but they are cichlids after all. You got another tank for the fry? The Fishguy recommends pulling the fry 10 days after they are free swimming which works really well for me. Just something to think about if you want the keep the fry. Best of Luck!


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## Konceppt (Sep 6, 2010)

What size are your breeding firemouths?
Just asking as i would like to know what size they are before they can breed?


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