electric yellow cichlid not hatching

[slateo]

Hey guys, so i've got 5 sunnygold cichlids - 2 females and 3 males. Been trying to breed them for ages, but it's just not working out. Every time one of the females is holding eggs, i wait 3-4 weeks then strip them into a container. Problem is, the eggs just aren't developing - they're still orange, sometimes with a dark or white spot, but that's it.

I've had these guys for over 3 years, got them when they were tiny (1 inch). My tank's 35 gallons, with loads of rocks and caves, and the temp's always around 75-80 Fahrenheit. Got a nice bunch of trumpet snails and green algae on the rocks, so that's all good. Water changes are pretty rare - the water's crystal clear and smells fine, so no need.

I feed them pillbugs and other critters i find, plus flakes when i'm feeling lazy - every other day or so. My fish are all around 3 inches now, with the biggest one at 4 inches. I've attached a pic of one of my females.

I'm at a loss - i love these little guys, but i really want them to breed. Any help would be amazing, thanks!

[waterworlds]

Honestly, the only thing I can think of is to stop stripping the females. I never stripped mine, I just let them hatch naturally and never had any issues. Maybe try removing the two smallest or least dominant males, that might help. Sorry I'm not more help, I wish I could do more.

[slateo]

I'd try not stripping the eggs, just let nature take its course. I had no issues with my cichlids when I let them hatch naturally. You might also want to consider removing the two smallest or least dominant males - it could make a difference.

[waterworlds]

I was thinking maybe stripping them would help, you know, give them a break from all the stress of holding eggs. But you're saying just let them do their thing and nature will take care of it? I guess that makes sense, I've had them for so long and I've been doing this the same way every time, maybe it's time to try something different.

[slateo]

even if i dont strip them, i'd expect to see some development after 2 weeks - like the tail and head forming. but 4 weeks go by and still nothing. i've actually let one of my females go the whole way before, just her in a 5-gallon tank with a sponge filter, and she ended up dropping the eggs after 6 weeks. she was super weak by then.
also, i dont really get how removing a less dominant male would make a difference...

[floriken]

Don't rely just on looks and smell, nitrates can still be building up and need to be removed with regular water changes. Ammonia and nitrite spikes can also be a problem, do you have a testing kit to keep an eye on things?