Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: 9 Step Guide To Breeding Healthy African Cichlids

It is the vivid colors and peculiar mannerisms
that make African Cichlids the most popular fish
in captivity and it usually does not take long
before the owner becomes interested in breeding
them. But whats that you ask? How do i do this?

1.With tropical fish generally you can just pair
them up and the breeding process takes place but
its a little different when breeding african
cichlids. 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 ideal
breeding tank setup is to use no gravel. This
will focus the male on the task at hand. 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. Eventually
this behavior leads to the female laying her
eggs. Then they will be scooped up into her mouth
for protection. 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. It can take anywhere up to 2 months for the
eggs to hatch and even then they will still
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. So the small fry do not get eaten it is
important to separate the female to a separate
tank untill shes had her young.

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.The female will need to regain her strength so
its best to keep her separated for a few weeks.
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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