Baby rainbow cichlid survives a month without me noticing!

hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
So on July 7th, I snagged about six or so free-swimming fry and put them in a 30-gallon cube to try my hand at raising them myself. (Especially since the parents were so incompetent.) The fry lasted only about 24 hours and then I never saw them again, despite much looking on my part. Big sigh and then forget about it. The tank is always up and running, though. A week ago, I snagged seven tetras as part of an ongoing attempt to reduce tetra numbers in the main planted 58 gallon wiht the mom and dad rainbows. So I've been feeding the tank -- thank God!!! Sunday, I had not seven fish, but eight and one of them definitely was not shaped like a tetra. Closer look -- OMHIGOD -- it's a baby rainbow cichlid who has been living by himself in this big tank without food for a month. Obviously, there was something for him to eat, but no thanks to me. I'm so glad I moved the tetras over, otherwise he wouldn't have made it inthe long run. So I succeeded in raising a single fry!!! I'm one ahead of the mom and dad at this point, who just abandoned their sixth brood. Fortunately, spurred by the success with the one, I'd set up a 5-gallon and snagged about 20 fry last night. Hopefully, I'll have some more success. Amazing how one tiny half-inch fish made my day!! :wub:
 
hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
So this morning, I find a SECOND baby rainbow cichlid in the tank! Now I'm feeling like a complete idiot!! The second baby is about half the size of the one I'd already spotted. Both of them lived for a month without me feeding them. I have no idea how that happens . . . It does make me wonder what might be going on in my 58-gallon planted tank and if any of the "missing" fry over the past few broods actually have managed to survive in that jungle. One can only hope.

Question -- at what size do you think I can return the babies to the main tank with their parents, tetras, cories and BN plecos? The biggest one is now about the size of a female apisto borelli -- if anyone knows what that means. The second is about half that size.
 
jonclark96

jonclark96

Past CCA President
I would wait until they are big enough not to be eaten. I have had grow outs in tanks with their parents (HRP's, not rainbows), and when it was time to breed again, the parents took out all of the previous spawn.
 
hollyfish2000

hollyfish2000

Members
I'm trying to figure out how big they need to be in order to not be eaten. Obviously, they are now living with tetras and in no danger, but I'm not sure how they'd fare with cories and BN plecos or their parents. The girl apisto in that tank was just fine with the rainbow cichlids in terms of not becoming dinner.

I'm not sure if the parents are eating the fry when they're bored or just abandoning them. I seem to think it's more of the latter . . . So far the two haven't laid eggs again and the male has only been doing some intermittent shimmying. Frankly, I need a break from all this drama . . .
 
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