OK. What cichlid makes the best parents..

[mickey]

I have kept blue acaras and convicts, both were easy to breed and both made very good parents. Defending their fry with all the bravado they could provide, it made for compulsive viewing.
I would love to know what cichlids the good folk at AC thought made the best parents,and which they thought were the easiest to breed.
Cheers.

[optix]

My votes go to Kribs, convicts, and Neolamprologus brichardi. The worst from experience would be Rams. They eat their young rather greedily.

[Dragon_Lord_Tia]

fire mouths and oscar 100% easy fire mouths you could says go stupid when they have fry they take on any thing and everything

[Jayhawk]

Neolamprologus multifasciatus in my opinion, hands down. They had essentially a 100% fry survival rate, and then the fry stay and help raise the next generation. Start with a pair, end up with over 100 a year later (spawns were small - typically 20 or so).

[mickey]

Originally posted by Jayhawk
Neolamprologus multifasciatus in my opinion, hands down. They had essentially a 100% fry survival rate, and then the fry stay and help raise the next generation. Start with a pair, end up with over 100 a year later (spawns were small - typically 20 or so).



WHATS THE COMMON NAME FOR THIS FISH?
SORRY IF I SOUND STUPID.
CHEERS.

[Jayhawk]

Mickey - You in no way sound stupid. Most of the Tanganyikan cichlids have no common name. The closest you get for this fish is "multis". They're really fun little fish - max out at 2.5" for the male (females half that), and they dig in their sand like crazy (don't bother trying to keep your sand flat - they're born to dig). They also breed and hide in shells (escargot shells from a fancy food store are perfect for them).

That's probably more than you wanted to know :D

Eric

[mickey]

Thanks for the info and the time.
Cheers.

[optix]

N. Brichardi's young also take care of the next generation. I think all neolamprologus's do. Thats why I listed them as one, cause they are all I have experience with, and as you said, a year later I had over 100 fairy's

[copyeditor]

Disus are terrific parents. How many other cichlids let their fry feed off them, after all. :p

[Jayhawk]

OPTIX - Brichardis are great parents, too, and most neolamps are, but not all. Case in point would be my pair of brevis that were terrible parents. They were a great couple, bred regularly, but never showed any parental care. Then, they'd hunt down and eat the fry. They were a cute and devoted couple, though.

[mogurnda]

Just an echo of Jayhawk's last comment. Brichardi are fantastic parents, but other Neolamproglogus aren't so good. My cylindricus are somewhere in the middle; the male is useless, and the female guards unless we're in the room.