# Do ram cichlids move eggs around the tank?



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

OK this is for you veteran cichlid breeders out there. I am new to cichlid breeding, so thought I'd ask around to see if anyone has had this happen to them.

MY GBR pair laid eggs on my sponge filter 2 days ago...they have been very good at attending to them sharing the responsibility. I did notice yesterday
that a few were turning white, but still some were clear looking so I figured ok wait and see what happens.

This am when I turned on the tank lights I see 4 pond snails crawling all over the sponge filter and NO eggs anywhere. 

I thought OK they've all died and the snails are cleaning up the remains or the parents ate them too.

Now I see my male GBR is hovering over a small indentation in the gravel at the front of the tank, he's looking down in it and occasionally looks like he's eating something, then he takes off and she comes over and does the same thing....hovering, picking at something?

I cannot see anything in the gravel but they are definitely not straying far from this indentation for some reason.

IS it possible they've move what remaining eggs theyre were and put them in this pit/indentation?


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## rush2112 (Apr 5, 2006)

They have not likely moved the eggs. It's the tiny hatched fry they are probably looking after.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

so what Im seeing is them picking them up cleaning them and spitting them back, like Bettas do?


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Rams definitely move their eggs. If they don't like the area anymore or there is a threat to the eggs of fry, they will more to another nest. If you have big fish or fish that will eat the fry, do not turn off the light over night, because they will not be able to protect them. I lost every batch this way.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Well seems whatever they were doing they've stopped now, unless they've moved something somewhere else.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

I think they lost them to another fish.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

OK so my GBR laid eggs again on a nice flat rock out in the front of the tank.
I left them alone and on day 3 they were still on the rock, and looked to have eyes or tails starting inside.

So yesterday afternoon I went to check on them and they were ALL gone....the rock had been cleaned off completely 

I figured they'd eaten them again 

So this am I notice they are both again guarding a depression in the gravel off to one side of the tank, and I can see something in this depression, but not clearly enough to see if its wigglers or not. Whatever it is, they are definitely guarding and fanning over it.

Im thinking they've got wigglers in there, so Ive started a BBS hatching today just in case. Ive got some walter worms from a friend coming so I am hoping this is a good sign. Time will tell. It would be nice to have a pair that are NOT egg/fry eaters, so keeping my fingers crossed.

Im keeping them well fed just in case at the other end of the tank and they take turns coming to grab some food.


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## rush2112 (Apr 5, 2006)

As mentioned before, the rams are not moving eggs. When the eggs are laid to a surface they adhere pretty well. The parents should vigorously defend the spawning site. After hatching, they may move the wigglers to another spot.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Yes sorry I meant to say wigglers....however I think they've eaten them again...nothing anywhere this am.

Ive now decided that should they lay again, I will pull the eggs and artificially hatch them.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Wow this boy just wants to keep me on my toes 

Now he's put the wigglers back in the original spot where they were yesterday...and I thought they'd eaten them. 

I divided the tank this am and put the pair of EBRs in the other side thinking that it wouldn't be a problem now that they had nothing to defend.

Now he's back sitting on them and this time I can see the tails wiggling and the EYES! and he's giving me the evil eye ....he even tried to bite me when I was putting the divider in the tank....thank goodness he's only an inch or so long!

Good job Ive got microworms and BBS started....whew


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Update.

This is too funny....my male ram has now just moved all his wigglers to a flat clay dish at the back of the tank so I can't look at them...I watched him pick up a big mouthful of them and spit them into the clay dish. He and she did this a few times.

What a cute fish


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Babies are alive and well....Daddy has moved them around a few times over the past day or so, but now he's put them all back into the flat clay dish at the back of the tank.

I fed a tiny amount of BBS this am, squirted it over the top of the dish, and I can see a few of them trying to escape but Daddy picks them up and spits them back down into the dish.....Its gonna get busy for him in the next day or two when they want to take OFF


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