is my cichlid having trouble eating?

[Tangazo]

Hello

Today, I observed my female Orange Ob Peacock with her mouth closed, almost as if she's holding something inside. Normally, she's one of the most aggressive fish in the tank, but today she didn't eat at all.

Given that cichlids are mouthbrooders, it's possible she has eggs in her mouth, but I haven't seen any signs of mating in the tank.

Her behavior has changed, she seems less aggressive towards her tankmates. As the dominant fish, she usually eats the most, so could she have eaten too much?

I'd appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

Ps, it's hard to take clear pictures with the other fish getting in the way, as she's swimming at the back. This is the best I could manage, sorry for the poor quality

[graye]

She's definitely holding a brood, that's why she's changed her behavior and isn't eating. Based on her appearance, I'd say she's quite young to be a mother already.

[Tangazo]

She's definitely holding a brood, that's why she's changed her behavior and isn't eating. Based on her appearance, I'd say she's quite young to be a mother already.

That's a surprise. I really didn't see any signs of mating, apart from the digging on the gravel, which I just thought was normal behavior. I'm curious, who do you think the father might be, I've never seen any of the males showing interest in her.

[graye]

One of the reasons I don't like Malawis is they mate without pairing, with almost no "ritual". There's no nest (one of the partners becomes the nest) and no continued connection. Then the female releases the larvae, and provides no continued broodcare. SA and riverine African mouthbrooders care for their young post release - Malawis just carry and dump. In so doing, the females never get time between broods to recover from not eating unless you get them into a recovery tank and then rescape the entire main tank every time you reintroduce them. They tend to die young from constant mouthbrooding.

[Tangazo]

She's definitely holding a brood, that's why she's changed her behavior and isn't eating. Based on her appearance, I'd say she's quite young to be a mother already.

I'm assuming the eggs were fertilized recently, so how long until they hatch? I've read it usually takes around 2-3 weeks for cichlid eggs to incubate in the mother's mouth.

Should I remove the babies from her as soon as they hatch, or would it be better to wait a few days? I'm concerned about the mother's health, especially since she's not eating while holding the eggs.

[graye]

It's been a while, so I'm a bit rusty on the specifics. You can look up the exact timings for your species, as they can vary.

The eggs will hatch into larvae, which are completely helpless, and she'll keep them rolling around in her throat. As they develop into fry, she'll spit them out and essentially abandon them. If you're interested in stripping the eggs, you can find plenty of videos on YouTube - Malawi keepers call this process "egg stripping." If you do decide to take the eggs, you'll need a device called a "tumbler" to keep them safe, and a separate tank to raise the fry in.

[Tangazo]

She's definitely holding a brood, that's why she's changed her behavior and isn't eating. Based on her appearance, I'd say she's quite young to be a mother already.

Thanks

[detroit]

Hello

Today, I observed my female Orange Ob Peacock with her mouth closed, almost as if she's holding something inside. Normally, she's one of the most aggressive fish in the tank, but today she didn't eat at all.

Given that cichlids are mouthbrooders, it's possible she has eggs in her mouth, but I haven't seen any signs of mating in the tank.

Her behavior has changed, she seems less aggressive towards her tankmates. As the dominant fish, she usually eats the most, so could she have eaten too much?

I'd appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

Ps, it's hard to take clear pictures with the other fish getting in the way, as she's swimming at the back. This is the best I could manage, sorry for the poor quality

It seems most eggs will hatch within 2-3 weeks time. I'd recommend removing the fry from the mother at week 2 (14 days) to prevent her from becoming too skinny due to not eating.

You can use a soft cotton bud to gently open the mother's mouth and let the fry out. It's best to keep the fry in a separate tank for higher chances of survival, and then return the mother to the main tank.

For optimum growth, I'd suggest feeding the fry with food that has higher Protein - more than 40% or preferably 50%. Hikari First bite is a good option.

To promote fertility in the future, feed the mother with fish food that has higher Fat - a minimum of 10%. I've found the following foods to be suitable for breeding fish: Dr Bassleer Biofish Food Regular or Green (Fat:16%), Hikari Discus Bio-gold (Fat:12%), and Discusfood - Day by Day (Fat:14.5%).

You can also find some helpful videos online on how to remove the fry from the mother.