Hello again!

o.o Just a few days ago, I woke up to find a few eggs in Ciel's tank! It kind of took me by surprised, because she's only about 6 months old, and I didn't think she would start producing eggs till she was full grown.

They kind of looked like tiny popcorn kernels... and she quickly scooped them into her mouth and went into hiding in her cave. She's been ever since, not even coming out for food.

I think it's kind of endearing since she seems so protective of her eggs it's been now three days and she still has them in her mouth.

But I'm kind of worried How long do you think she'll hold onto the eggs? There's no male to breed with, so obviously they won't get fertilized. I know fish can go for a while without eating, but I just feel kinda uneasy when she rejects eating her favorite Mysis shrimp!

Also worried about potential fungus starting to grow on the eggs, and I'm sure that will certainly not be good for her health

Should I try and retrieve the eggs from her mouth?

Thank you!

Congrats and Leave her be... She will either spit them out, or swallow them soon enough! There is really no chance of fungus due to the fact that she will be "breathing" in water, and it will pass through her gills. That will be enough to keep them fungus free...

What kind of fish is she???

She's a Kennyi Cichlid !

Ohhh okay that's good x_x;; I was reading a little about breeding cichlids out of curiosity and got a little worried haha!

I have several breeding pair.. And I have stripped the female a couple times, but I find it is VERY stressful on her, and not worth it. She will spit them out or swallow them in time.

Sometimes we just have to trust their instincts.

Yeah, I can imagine that it would be stressful '' It would be for me too! I would be scared to hurt her!

Alright Well she looks in good health at least. It's just the hiding and the not eating behavior that makes me uneasy since those are generally ill fish behavior.

Not to worry hun!

I had one female hold her eggs so long that I had to watch her close because she was all caved in in the stomach area.. I think she went about 3 weeks without eating anything.. As soon as she spit the babies out, I left her on her own and fed her like crazy for a couple days. She was quickly fat and holding eggs again!