Cichlid Temptation

[RyJ]

Situation...
You are in a pet store, looking at what fish they have.
You see a tank of a species of cichlid that you enjoy.
The tank has approximately 30 fish in it.
2 of them, however...have paired off.

How tempted are you to purchase that pair?

The reason I'm asking, is because occassionally I will see cichlids pair off in the store. Other customers that pass by are also amazed at the courtship and parental behaviors of the cichlids, and immediately consider purchasing the fish.

 

[gonefishin]

While it is pretty cool to see, you should only do it if you have the ability to take care of the fry. That's having a breeder net or open tank for them. Why put them through having every batch of fry get eaten? Even worse, what if the stress of other fish in the tank causes them to get a divorce? When I gave my con fry to the LFS, they offered to take mom and dad, put them in a solo tank w/ the kids and only sell them if someone wanted a breeding pair. I thought that was neat......

 

[RyJ]

While it is pretty cool to see, you should only do it if you have the ability to take care of the fry. That's having a breeder net or open tank for them. Why put them through having every batch of fry get eaten? Even worse, what if the stress of other fish in the tank causes them to get a divorce? When I gave my con fry to the LFS, they offered to take mom and dad, put them in a solo tank w/ the kids and only sell them if someone wanted a breeding pair. I thought that was neat......

Indeed.

However, what I'm wondering is...how tempted are you to purchase a pair when you see them?

Picking out fish is a fun and exciting experience for most people. In my opinion, a breeding pair is a much more 'magnetic'.

 

[gonefishin]

Quite tempted.... personality and intelegence are two main factors that create the apeal for cichlids. (did you ever notice they look at you like the raptors from jurassic park?) Many animals that some people classify as "smart" do not pair up and mate for life, or the males simply don't hang arround after "getting some". The fact that these fish will do this, that the males develop some kind of paternal instincts is impressive to say the least. Yes.... quite temting......