Cryptoheros sajica fry!!!!

Some photos:


Dad watching over the fry. He captures strays and keeps the tetras away.


Some of the fry out to play/eat? The hole in the gravel is one of several the parents dug to pen them in.


Mom in her pot, with some fry. She brings them into the pot every night, one by one or in twos, in her mouth!

Question: the fry seem to be eating from the gravel. I have seen no evidence of them feeding from secretions produced by the parents. Is this normal?

 

Another fry pix. There are at least 100! These are a few in one of the depressions in the gravel excavated by the parents.

 

Her fins full!




Good Parents

 

Wow i never realized cichlids were that protective over there fry most other fish the babies get eatin right away

 

Hehe...just finished moving my 9 tetras to a different tank for their own safety! One of them is missing half a tail (got too close to the fry!)

Yes, cichlids are excellent parents, extremely protective.

 

Fry pix - about a week old.

 

What is the common name on these? Are they Uaru?

 

These are T-Bar cichlids. They are from the pacific slope of Costa Rica. Peaceful (except when spawning), cave and substrate spawners, diggers, omnivorous (but do not eat your plants). Tolerant of a range of pH around neutral and medium water hardness. Both parents care for the fry, with the male standing guard duty most of the time. They grow to 4 to 5"

 

Very cool!

 

At about two weeks, give or take...