Is yellow the new electric?

[Reelstar]

I'm still getting familiar with my sunnygold's sex, I ordered a male and two females but I'm not certain about this one. I've only had them for a short time, so I'm still observing their behavior.

[coltin]

Looks like she's got a mouthful, all right. Female cichlids carrying eggs will often go off food, which isn't usually a problem unless she's got multiple batches back to back - then they can start to starve. But one batch is generally okay. Once she's released the babies, make sure to give her plenty of food to help her build her strength back up.

[oldraider]

I had a great experience breeding African Cichlids years back and I have to agree with @coltin, he's absolutely right. I started with a small group of 8 adults and before I knew it, I had a thriving community of over 50 by the end of the year. It's exciting to think about the possibilities for your tank, enjoy the fry and the journey of watching them grow.

[Reelstar]

I'm still unsure if she's holding or not, to be honest, because later on her mouth seemed fine, but then tonight it looked like that again.

[Reelstar]

Can anyone help, I'm still unsure about my sunnygold, @coltin and @oldraider your advice was great but I'm still a bit confused.

[coltin]

If she's still got that lump under her mouth, she's likely holding eggs. If it's gone, she might've swallowed them.

[oldraider]

Like @coltin said, she might've swallowed them. I've seen some of my cichlids really pack their mouths with fry. The first time they spawned, not many made it, probably 'cause they were new at it, but it didn't take long for the numbers to pick up. Adding plastic fry grass to the tank made a big difference, gave the little ones a place to hide.

[Reelstar]

I'm still unsure if she's holding or not, to be honest. Her mouth seems to get quite large on and off, especially around feeding time, so it's hard to tell for sure.

[oldraider]

Give her a bit of time, if she's holding fry they'll come out eventually and stick close to her for protection, just make sure you're feeding her well. That's really important. If you want, you can take them out and put them in a fry net, but I think it's better to let the mother care for them - she'll keep them safe in her mouth. I found it really interesting to watch, and like I said, she'll look after them. There might only be a few, so it can be tough to tell when they're in her mouth.

[Reelstar]

Thanks for the help