my cichlids spawned and i have video!

[recycling goddess]

i have a grouping of champsochromis caeruleu and they started spawning this morning... so cool to watch!

this is the tank in our front entranceway - it's in a little room off to the right and my shrine (buddhist meditation) and that collage i made (you might remember i created a thread in the creative section here) is in this room as well.

anyway, this is the first time in all the years i've had fish that i've been able to watch them spawn from beginning to end... over an hour!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QKKsltmxx4

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsxOa2xA-fs

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtKRWsmryJI

[neilgolli]

Very cool, as a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist and my parents never went into the basement, I'd sneak aquariums down there as often as I could. I had a ton of chiclids and actually used convict chiclids as feeder-fish for oscars and arowana. A small group of 3.12 in a 55 gallon literally gave me thousands upon thousands of eggs each year.

My fish dreams were quashed by my step father when the $400 electric bills (mid 1980's) started showing up.......

Good luck on eggs and babies....

[Ginevive]

Wow; that is awesome. It is always so satisfying to see them spawn; it is the ultimate "I'm doing this right" feeling

[frankykeno]

Oh how interesting! Aleesha educate me please. Is the male the bigger blue one that was driving the other fish away? (kinda funny how they were lining up to watch LOL) They are mouth brooders correct?

[recycling goddess]

yes that is the male and they are mouth brooders.

she would lay the eggs (little orange coloured balls) and then she'd suck them into her mouth. then she sees the egg spots on the males lower fin and goes to grab it as well and he sprays into her mouth to fertilize the eggs! it's very cool.

and at first he had to chase the others away but after awhile they just stayed away.

[recycling goddess]

Wow; that is awesome. It is always so satisfying to see them spawn; it is the ultimate "I'm doing this right" feeling

oh it sure does!!!!

Very cool, as a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist and my parents never went into the basement, I'd sneak aquariums down there as often as I could. I had a ton of chiclids and actually used convict chiclids as feeder-fish for oscars and arowana. A small group of 3.12 in a 55 gallon literally gave me thousands upon thousands of eggs each year.

My fish dreams were quashed by my step father when the $400 electric bills (mid 1980's) started showing up.......

Good luck on eggs and babies....

i would think you'd need one pair to feed your other fish since they spawn like crazzzzzzzy. after all, convicts are the bunnies of the fish world LOL

[fishmommy]

Wow, it's so cool that you keep Champsochromis!
I have one elderly male remaining of my group....he still tries to spawn with other fish in the tank but he's got none of his own gals left...poor thing!

Awesome fish!

[recycling goddess]

ahhhh poor guy. how's his attitude and who's he in with?

i've heard both sides of the fence on these guys... some say they are aggressive while others say they aren't at all.

[fishmommy]

my experience has been that they are very rough on their own kind but I wouldn't say they are particularly agressive compared to other haplochromines.

I have never had serious injuries come out of these guys.

His attitude is fine - he still gives chase if anyone interrupts his spawning attempts but other than that he is relatively peaceful.

he's in with some Fossochromis rostratus, Placidochromis phenochilus, and some Placidochromis milomo. They're in a 180.
I had 6 of the Champs originally but over the last 8 years I sold the other males and the females have passed away.

they remain one of my all-time favorite species.

[recycling goddess]

oh cool... mine is with a pair of rostratus as well