How to Spawn Pearl Cichlid Fish
Are you seeking ideas for spawning pearl cichlid fish? This article will inform you of some ways to breed pearl cichlid fish.
Being freshwater native to South America, pearl cichlid fish has aggressive behavior. This fish likes to keep other fish away when they are about to spawn. If you plan to breed these freshwater fish, you need to know some steps. This article will inform you about the steps for spawning pearl cichlid fish. Let's check it out.
Set Up A Breeding Aquarium
Prepare a mid-sized breeding aquarium if you plan to have spawning pearl cichlid fish. The aquarium should have at least 40 gallons or about 150 x 45cm minimum base dimensions to keep two or three pairs of pearl cichlids.
The medium-sized aquarium is a perfect site to spawn as the size gives them space to spawn. To make the spawning site more comfortable, add artificial caves, woods, rocks, or upturned plant pots to become hiding places.
Set up the Environment
If you want to have a good result on spawning pearl cichlid fish, you should pay attention to the environment of the site. The pearl cichlids prefer to have a moderate water movement. So, you can add the filtration with a soft sand substrate and hiding places.
Add the water with pH ranges from 6.2 to 7.5 with breeding temperature about 24 degrees Celsius to 25.5 degrees Celsius (76 degrees Fahrenheit to 78 degrees Fahrenheit). Furthermore, pearl cichlids are also sensitive to bad water conditions. To avoid that, you must change the water about 25 to 30% biweekly to minimize the nitrate.
Pair the Fish
After setting up the site and the environment for spawning pearl cichlid fish, you can place 2 or 3 pairs of pearl cichlids in a spawning site. The fish love to lay the eggs on cleaned rocks. So, if the fish are about to spawn, they will clean up the rocks or hiding places meticulously. The female pearl cichlids may lay about 150 to 200 eggs in an aquarium.
Don't Separate the Parents
The female cichlids will gather the eggs in their mouths during the breeding time. The males will fertilize the eggs. After they finish laying eggs on the rocks, don't separate the parents. The female pearl cichlids will guard the eggs. Meanwhile, the male ones will guard the territory. It takes 3 to 4 days for the fish to hatch the eggs. After a few days, you can see the fry will be free swimming.
Feed the Fish with Good Diets
The next step is to feed the pearl cichlid fish. Feed them with quality diets during spawning and after laying eggs. Don't forget to give the fry the food. The free-swimming fry can eat newly hatched brine shrimp. By feeding them, the fry will grow quickly.
After a few weeks, the fry will be more mature. You can feed them with quality cichlid pellets or flakes. Besides those diets, try to feed the pearl cichlids with a variety of food as a treat. You can also give them artemia, krill, insects, chopped brine shrimps, and earthworms. Later, separate the mature fry in a different aquarium.
In conclusion, the pearl cichlid fish are easy to spawn. If you want to have spawning pearl cichlid fish, follow these steps. Good luck!
Sources
https://en.aqua-fish.net/fish/pearl-cichlid
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/geophagus-brasiliensis/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ratemyfishtank.com/amp/blog/how-to-raise-cichlid-fry-to-maturity