lady cichlid putting on weight

[thesoul2008]

is my lady cichlid about to lay eggs she has put on a lot of weight in the last few days....
you can see the big belly i dont think i have been feeding her THAT much

newest pictures

 

[thesoul2008]

pictures from about 9 days ago not sure exactly sure but say between 8 and 14 days to be safe

 

[KarlTh]

Not necessarily. The fact she's ripe doesn't mean she will breed, it depends if there's a male who takes her fancy.

 

[thesoul2008]

there are 4 males in the tank. y else would she put on so much weight?

 

[wildman117]

she may have eggs but if their is no male that wants to mate with her then the eggs will not be fertilized

 

[KarlTh]

there are 4 males in the tank. y else would she put on so much weight?

I'm not doubting she's swollen with eggs; this doesn't however mean she will breed. Fish go through cycles of ripening and then either shedding or reabsorbing the eggs. They only breed if it feels right to them. Remember that fish eggs develop outside the fish; the eggs are only fertilised when they are laid; it's not like birds.

 

[ibr3ak]

You do realize that aulonocara are mouthbrooders and don't lay eggs right?

It could be bloat, how is your feeding schedule and what do you feed them? Also what color is her poop?

 

[rich311k]

You do realize that aulonocara are mouthbrooders and don't lay eggs right?

It could be bloat, how is your feeding schedule and what do you feed them?

They lay eggs they just keep them in the mouth to incubate.

 

[ibr3ak]

Right, I meant they don't lay eggs like American cichlids lay eggs on decorations, plants, etc...

 

[mostlycichlids]

That fish has bloat or parasites. They wont get that fat when they have eggs. It probably wont be noticible at all. I'd suggest reading up on these articles to understand how your cichlids breed.

http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/breeding_list.php

Also read up on this bloat article...
http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/malawi_bloat.php