Man, I just found another occasional snack for my two beefy cichlids.....Jellybean Cichlid eggs! To explain, I have a solo female Jellybean Cichlid that is steady laying eggs. She last layed eggs the week before Christmas....that's not even a month! She lays about 100 to 150 at a time, so far, and seems to do a wonderful job trying to keep them alive long enough to get fertilized (which obviously doesn't happen
)
Anyways, the first time she layed them on a rock in her tank and I waited about 3 or 4 days before trying to move the rock to my other tank housing a Jack Dempsey and a Blackbelt, as well as an Electric Blue Crawfish and Pleco. Nobody seemed to be interested last time though!
She spent most of this evening finishing her spawn and I just got through pulling the same rock out and placing it into my Cichlid tank. Not 5 minutes later I catch both my cichlids eyeballing the rock, and my Blackbelt (who is much more inquisitive) started gorging himself on the fresh caviar. My JD started getting upset that my BB was enjoying all this strange new delicacy, so he started nipping at my BB's side while he was chomping away. This didn't even phase my BB! He continued to gorge himself as the attacks got really aggressive, taking scales and fins!
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My JD then kept him away as he started chomping away on this new treat! The BB just couldn't take a hint and was getting really hammered every time he'd try to get some more. (He's such a glutton!)
Anyways, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer and took a while to get the hint. He was pretty well nipped up by the time he finally understood, but you gotta give him props for his determination.
One way or another, I think this food must taste great to them, since I've never seen them get this aggressive or stubborn about a meal before! Man, would it be prudent to continue feeding them this free delicacy? They normally have no problem sharing food from my hands (they take turns nipping at flakes when I hold pinches under water)
BTW, the only reason my JD is dominant is because his mouth is twice the size of my BB's. Length is almost the same and the Dempsey is wider, while the BB is taller-bodied. JD is also older. My BB grows much more quickly and will soon outgrow my JD
No telling how this will affect dominancy, since the Dempsey's mouth may always be larger or same size as Blackbelts when full grown. Anyways, they make good buddies together so far. I got both about an inch to inch and half long.
) Anyways, the first time she layed them on a rock in her tank and I waited about 3 or 4 days before trying to move the rock to my other tank housing a Jack Dempsey and a Blackbelt, as well as an Electric Blue Crawfish and Pleco. Nobody seemed to be interested last time though!
She spent most of this evening finishing her spawn and I just got through pulling the same rock out and placing it into my Cichlid tank. Not 5 minutes later I catch both my cichlids eyeballing the rock, and my Blackbelt (who is much more inquisitive) started gorging himself on the fresh caviar. My JD started getting upset that my BB was enjoying all this strange new delicacy, so he started nipping at my BB's side while he was chomping away. This didn't even phase my BB! He continued to gorge himself as the attacks got really aggressive, taking scales and fins!
. My JD then kept him away as he started chomping away on this new treat! The BB just couldn't take a hint and was getting really hammered every time he'd try to get some more. (He's such a glutton!)
Anyways, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer and took a while to get the hint. He was pretty well nipped up by the time he finally understood, but you gotta give him props for his determination. One way or another, I think this food must taste great to them, since I've never seen them get this aggressive or stubborn about a meal before! Man, would it be prudent to continue feeding them this free delicacy? They normally have no problem sharing food from my hands (they take turns nipping at flakes when I hold pinches under water)
BTW, the only reason my JD is dominant is because his mouth is twice the size of my BB's. Length is almost the same and the Dempsey is wider, while the BB is taller-bodied. JD is also older. My BB grows much more quickly and will soon outgrow my JD
No telling how this will affect dominancy, since the Dempsey's mouth may always be larger or same size as Blackbelts when full grown. Anyways, they make good buddies together so far. I got both about an inch to inch and half long.
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