zebra convict cichlids have eggs

[CatawbaIslander]

Hi everyone. Ok here is the deal we are new to breeding thing and well we just bought a couple of zebra cichlids this friday and we see they are now protecting some eggs in a pot placed in our 45g tank.

Dont know what we should do right now. we have 3 tiger oscars 2 firemouths and 2 zebra cichlids in this tank now.
I know this is gonna cause some uproar about there not being enough room in this tank for them. WE ARE GETTING A BIGGER TANK FOR THE OSCARS VERY SOON!!!!!

This issue is: Should we move the parents and the eggs into our hospital tank or just let them raise their fry (when they do hatch) in the 45g??

Advise would be helpfull as we were not prepared for fry this early!
Thanks to everyone who can give us helpful advise.:eek3::help:

[toddnbecka]

Leave them where they are, and hope the fry are eaten. Seriously, convicts will produce hundreds of fry nobody wants. They will almost certainly spawn several more times before taking a break, and a spawning pair of convicts are a holy terror in a tank with other fish.

[CatawbaIslander]

Great only one response! So if we want to try our hand at raising these fry and not just letting them become lunch??? Anybody have some advice then.?
FYI they hatched today.
Little wrigglers on a piece of tufa rock in the tank. SO CUTE!!!!!
Would like some advice please Thanks!
Mom and Dad are tending to them as we speak.
The just chase the other fish to the opposite side of the tank. No nipping or fighting going on.

[crazyryceman]

Congrats on the wigglers. The same thing happened to my aunt's convicts. She left the eggs in the tank with the other fish and they still hatched. Now the fry are just swimming around the shell where they were born. I think they'll end up being food for the other fish in the tank but convicts spawn quickly so there'll be plently more in a few weeks

[CatawbaIslander]

Congrats on the wigglers. The same thing happened to my aunt's convicts. She left the eggs in the tank with the other fish and they still hatched. Now the fry are just swimming around the shell where they were born. I think they'll end up being food for the other fish in the tank but convicts spawn quickly so there'll be plently more in a few weeks
Thanks, I thinks its really cool. My husband, kids and I have been watching them. Were using it as a teaching tool for them. Showing them how the mom and dad take care of the eggs. They are very excited. I have 3 boys so its neat to watch them take interest in it. We were told to remove the fry at 2 weeks. Well see how it goes.