Co-Authored By:
A mature female will have up to 30 eggs. Themalefish has no part in the care and raising of young, andmayhappily eat the babies if he is present when theyarereleased. I suggest a 10-15 gallon tank for the motherandbabies.
Similarly, how many eggs does cichlids lay at once?
Oreochromis aureus: 160 – 1,600
Herein, do female cichlids eat their babies?
Unlike the majority of fish, who will happilyeattheir babies, male and female jewelcichlids teamup to take care of their fry. However,it's not just assimple as leaving the parents to take care of thefry andhoping for the best. By helping them out a little,you can ensurethat at least some of the frysurvive.
African Cichlids are mostly mouth-brooders:whenthey breed, the female will pick up the eggs and holdthemin her mouth, whilst the male fertilises them (hence theeggspots on the anal fin). She will hold the eggs forup to 28days, until the fry have hatched and have developed intofullyformed fry.