Mouthbrooders - how do they 'do it'?

[aquariaddictus]

I caught a pair in the act yesterday. They were going round and round, alternating putting their mouths to each other's, um, other orifice. I actually saw the egg transfer. BUT, obviously, the female is not gathering her own eggs. So does he collect them and give them back to her?? I'm confused. I could see what she was doing, collecting the 'fertilizer'. How does she end up with the eggs and the juice? She's pretty obviously holding now. Can anyone enlighten me?
judy

 

[SayersWeb]

With African cichlids that I have expereince with, the female always picks up the eggs. The male has an egg spot on his anal fin that he shakes over the rock. When she tries to pick up his fake egg the eggs in her mouth get fertilized.

I'm not familiar with how it works for a species where the male picks up the eggs in his mouth.

 

[Verse914]

The females will get the drop the eggs, and then pick them up. The male will either fertilize them when she drops them, or after theyre in her mouth. I have some pics and vids of my Aulonocara breeding here if you want to see them...

blue neon pics...
http://www.verse914.com/BlueNeonSpawnPics.html

video(5.99MB zipped)...
http://www.verse914.com/Blue_Neon_Spawn.zip

saulosi pics...
http://www.verse914.com/SaulosiSpawnPics.html

video(1.28MB zipped)...
http://www.homestead.com/~media/elements/PostAFile/video.gif

 

[jimbo]

Yeah right, juice and fertilizer :laugh: anyway, are we talking Malawi-cichlids here? Because this behavior is new to me; I've never seen a male picking up the eggs and passing them on to the female. Normally while they're twirling around each other the female is laying her egg, the male swims over it and drops de "juice" over the egg. When that happens the females' mouth is already in place (near the males' anal fin) to pick up the egg and the juice at the same time and keeps the mixture in her mouth. This ceremony goes on till the female has enough of it.
So, if you're not mistaken, I think I have to take a closer look in my own tank to spot this behavior. Thanks for sharing your remarkable observation.

Jimmy