# firemouth cichlid eggs



## tjens215 (Jun 20, 2011)

hey guys, read through quite a bit on here and other sites, just curious and got some questions. First off, I am pretty sure I have 2 females and 1 male. Got them from a pet store little over a year ago and they are finally spawning. 3 weeks ago I came home and noticed a ton of white eggs in one of the pots along with mom sitting in there. These eggs turned white quite early and she devoured them back up. I was expecting that too happen from what I have read. so time has gone by and a new brood was laid. This time only a very few turned white. I noticed the eggs first friday night, Saturday morning was when i noticed the few white eggs. Saturday goes by and the mom wasn't in the pot at all, leaving them by themselves. Sunday comes and I noticed she made it back into the cave. As Sunday went by, I noticed she started eating some of the eggs, still very few white eggs. Before I went to bed there were less and less. Now I know that she is eating them and that it happens. Now from what I take from it too with the white eggs is that they turn white because they wern't fertilized or have bacteria in them or somthing along those lines. Can the mom lay a ton of eggs that dont get fertilized but never turn white? also there ARE still some eggs in the pot, she is now in a different pot. Would I posibly be correct in thinking she might have moved the few that hatched to a new area around this pot and the clear eggs I am seeing is just the left overs from the egg? Also, if this is the case, how easy should I be able to see the babies. I have small gravel as substrate, a few plants scattered, and are in a 40 gallon tank at the moment. Any advice would be great!


----------



## tjens215 (Jun 20, 2011)

still haveing the same problems. I have a new batch on the wall of a pot, mom was in it until today. only a handful of white eggs, some of them have disappeared due to predation. are these eggs fertilized? will my 2 females lay eggs even without influence from a male? I am almost positive 2 have paired up but the third fish still will lay eggs also. just so confused!


----------



## SVanzella (Feb 15, 2012)

To the sounds of it those eggs are going unfertilized. I have convicts that are currently breeding and my females will lay eggs if they are willing to spawn, whether they are paired off or not. I'm pretty sure the breeding process for both convicts and firemouths are very similar and if those eggs were fertilized I highly doubt the female would leave them by themselves (unless it was feeding time and the male was watching over them).

If you fish are paired off, it may just be that since they are new to the whole process, it will take a couple of tries for them to get it right. Make sure you are doing regular water changes, especially if you see what looks like tiny cotton balls floating around in the water (unfertilized eggs that have not been eaten).

Just be patient and they will get it down. Remember, if they weren't good at it they would be extinct.  Good luck and keep us posted if anything unusual seems to be happening.


----------



## tjens215 (Jun 20, 2011)

It isn't their frist second or third try... This is probably close to the 30th batch of eggs now. i think i just have stupid fish and don't understand this whole concept. no floating eggs, water is pristine... good diet and temp controled, dont no what else I can do short of giving up on them or trying to find a "confirmed" male. I am pretty sure the 2 are females (smaller, little more pale) the largest one often is with the second largest one leaving the third littler on by itself. I know when there close to breeding cuz of the chasing and all 3 of them flare their gills at eachother. eggs show up then nothing happens... over and over and over


----------



## random-cichlid (Dec 9, 2011)

get more firemouths same size and place them in there with them c what happens

i started with 6 1 died i now have 2 breeding pairs of firemouths 
1 pair has just spawned for first time on the glass instead of all the pots :lol:

they are defending there eggs so well it looks amazing


----------



## SVanzella (Feb 15, 2012)

random-cichlid said:


> get more firemouths same size and place them in there with them c what happens


That's the only thing that I could suggest as well, especially if they are veterans at this. But the fact that the female is abandoning her eggs after a couple of days definitely sounds like they are going unfertilized. Maybe they are all females? Honestly I don't really have any other suggestions.


----------



## tjens215 (Jun 20, 2011)

yea im shootin in the dark here too.. it seems the 2 larger ones stick together.. and have both defended previous broods as well as hang out in the same pot together while the other one is either with them, by itself, or getting chased by both of them. I have had a batch of eggs get laid less than a week after a failed batch so I know there are at least 2 females. but it was over a month then until the next batch. then again right after got another batch. 
I am tempted to seperate the pot from the fish in the same tank to see if maybe there paranoid they offspring wont survive so they eat them or if the other female is slipping in and grabbing a bunch of them.
Only probably less than 10 have turned white, all the rest are clear and dont look to be "dead, unfertilized or infected"


----------



## tjens215 (Jun 20, 2011)

now I run down there and she is hovering around it now, but it looks like its the smaller female so these might just be a dud. guess will have to wait and see now, at least shes defending them again!


----------



## SVanzella (Feb 15, 2012)

tjens215 said:


> I am tempted to seperate the pot from the fish in the same tank to see if maybe there paranoid they offspring wont survive so they eat them or if the other female is slipping in and grabbing a bunch of them.
> Only probably less than 10 have turned white, all the rest are clear and dont look to be "dead, unfertilized or infected"


Thats good, I guess there really isnt any harm in trying to separate them. If they dont hatch than nothing's different from before, and I guess there's nothing but improvement in this situation.


----------



## random-cichlid (Dec 9, 2011)

i pulled both of my pairs spawns i do it because i yield higher numbers its also much easier to hatch them away from the parents but u do miss waTCHING THEM THAT IS VERY REWARDING


----------

