DAILY OBSERVATIONS

First thing I do every morning is enter my fish room and turn on all the aquarium lights. The next thing I do is I feed and then I observe. In my fish/sewing room I have 2-10 gallon brooding tanks, 2 fry grow out tanks, a 20 and a 30 gallon - and my 40 gallon South American Cichlid tank.

This morning Stella had released all her fry. There are too many to count but I'd say between 25-30 fry. They are very active and a good size for the 22 day mark. While they were out I fed her a little but she didn't eat. She was pretty quick in sucking her fry back into her mouth. It's so fascinating to see her with her young. She's very protective.

In the living room I have my 55 gallon African Cichlid tank. I have to say they are truly the most interesting to watch. The personalities, hierarchy and interactions are all what make African Cichlids so fun to watch. Watching this morning I witnessed a mating ritual and spawning between two Chipokae. 

The breeding process is quite a dance. She lays the eggs, then spins around so he can fertilize them while she's picking them up. They repeat this process over and over. I bet they were at it for an hour or so. This being day 1 I will leave her in the community tank for 7-10 days, allowing her to bond with her brood before moving her into the brooding tank. By then Stella will be moved into a recuperation tank for a week or so before I return her to the community tank - just to make sure she has gained her strength back after fasting for 20 days. Right now I have 3 holding females. At this rate I will be running out of tanks soon. When your Cichlids are breeding that's a great sign that they like their home. I have happy fish!!