Matt Posted May 6, 2004 Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 I got home last night to find my Keyhole Cichlids had laid about 100-120 eggs in a cave and were furiously defending them from anything that came within a 10cm radius, which made me feel rather proud . I didn't end up eating dinner till 10pm as I couldn't put myself away from watching them . Has anyone successfully raised keyhole babies in a community tank? I have been planning on getting a 3 foot tank to use for breeding my Rams, Keyholes and Discus (when I can afford them) but haven't got around to it yet so I have no where else to put them. The Keyhole's stand a good chance as they are twice the size of anything else in the tank - 2 rams, 8 black phantom tetras, 4 julii corudoras, 4 otocinclus & 2 baby siamese algae eaters. Any idea when the eggs will hatch? I'm guessing Saturday but I haven't researched it yet. Please excuse the crappy pics, I didn't have my digital camera at home so I had to use my phone. Thanks for any help, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted May 6, 2004 Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 Can't excuse the pixs Matt, they are hidden with a white square red cross. My Keyholes were free swimming in 7 to 8 days. Tey hatch in about 2.5 days and the parents are pit diggers and will move them around the tank. If they get harrassed too much Mum and Dad will have a snack. The tetras are the main ones to put a muzzle on. Any chance they get they'll try for it. To do them in a community tank, you'd need a reasonable amount of cover to slow up the attacks of the preds.. Theparents share the egg and baby care, and don't panic at hatching time, they "chew" them out of the egg shell. Just pray they don't enjoy the taste. One good thing if they do tho. They'll lay in a months time. Goodluck Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 Hi Alan, Thanks for the reply, try right clicking on the pics and selecting show picture. The don't seem to come through everytime as they are hosted at geocities - free but slow. I think I will keep a close eye on how the parents cope, and if I have to I will move the black phantoms to my work tank for a while. There is heaps of cover for them, especially in the overgrown ambulia that I was going to trim, but I guess I will have to leave it for a while now . Thanks again for the info, Cheers, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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