How to Fertilize African Cichlid Eggs

African cichlids are popular freshwater fish, coveted for striking colors usually found only in fish in high-maintenance saltwater tanks. African cichlids, unlike their New World counterparts, are mouth brooders. Laid eggs are scooped into the mouth of the female, and then fertilized by male. Even after the eggs hatch, the helpless fry remain in the mouth of the devoted mother until they're large enough to enter the world on their own. This unusual natural phenomenon can be witnessed by providing the right conditions in your tank, and encouraging the cichlids to breed.

Things You'll Need

African cichlid colony
Tank
Rock shelters

Instructions

- 1
  Obtain a breeding colony. A group of fish will be easier to breed and maintain because a single pair usually results in aggressive behavior from the male toward the female.
- 2
  Provide an inviting breeding ground. Supply the cichlids with plenty of crevices in the form of caves, rocks and shelves. The male cichlids will claim certain areas as their territory.
- 3
  Feed the cichlids well to get them into breeding condition. Supplement a normal flake diet with worm meal.
- 4
  Watch the males. They'll eventually perform a mating dance in front of the female. This encourages the female cichlid to drop its eggs, which it will pick up with its mouth.
- 5
  Note the egg spots, which are small, yellow, round markings that appear only during breeding, on the male's anal fin. The female, perhaps mistaking the spots for eggs, approaches the rear of the male, which allows the male to fertilize the eggs in the female's mouth.
- 6
  Move the mother cichlid and eggs to a nursing tank. This separates it from the stress of the potentially aggressive males.
- 7
  Wait 3 to 5 weeks for the eggs to hatch. Feeding isn't required during this time. Small fry will become visible in the mouth of the female; at this point, provide a small amount of flake food for the baby fish.