Cichlid eggs... when are they fertilized?

Question

about a month ago my friend's cichlids began killing each other.. it turned out to be mating time. she gave me one to spare her life. well, she just laid a bunch of eggs. the algae eater has really had to watch his back lately.. but i need to know if the eggs are fertilized before they are laid or after? i have one other cichlid in the tank but it is a malawai cichlid, the one with the eggs is a convict. so she has no mate. or do they interbreed? if these eggs do nothing is she gonna flip out?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_cic...

try this site it should help u out good luck  

Answer 2

No these are not going to cross breed.  South Americans and Africans will not do this.  Most Malawi Mbuna are mouth brooders, and I'm pretty sure a large number of Malawi Haps are mouth brooders as well.  If you've been keeping your African in proper conditions, I'd expect the female Convict to not like this too much.  South American types and African types usually have different type of water needs.  

You have no worries here.  Without a male Convict around, the female should disregard the eggs in a short time.

Oh dear lordy lordy.

First of all, you are talking about African and South American, you have LESS then 1% chance of these two cross breeding so you can effectively say it's ZERO.  Being an African cichlid keeper and breeder, I happen to know what I'm talking about in this case.  SECONDLY, cross breeds in any reputable club or association among cichlids, ANY types, are WORTHLESS.  Pure bloodlines are the ONLY thing that is worth your time when you are breeding cichlids.  Period.

Yes, egg layers like Convicts, eggs are fertilized outside wherever they are laid.  With a mouth brooder, the female picks up the eggs, puts them in her mouth, and follows the tail of the male, who's secreting sperm as she follows the tail, so they are fertilized inside the females mouth.  You have two completely different types of cichlids here from completely different continents of the world.  I don't care what site is being pulled or referenced, these fish are NOT going to cross breed!! Jes H C!!!

Answer 3

The mating game is very interesting to watch, as the pair cleans the area that the eggs are to be deposited.  After everything is nice and clean, the female deposits the eggs, followed by the male, who deposits the sperm over the eggs.  This is when fertilization occurs.  The pair then moves the fertilized eggs occasionally to keep them from becoming stagnant, until the babies hatch.  After that, the mated pair keep the hatchlings only in the area that they can watch them closely.  It looks like they are eating the babies, as they suck them into their mouths, and then spit them back out where the parents can watch them.  If you haven't seen this behavior, you don't need to worry any further, as you don't have fertilized eggs.

The mated pair also keeps the other fish in the tank to the far side away from the eggs.

If the eggs weren't fertilized, the female won't flip out.  She may have been part of the breeding pair, and your friend gave you the wrong female.  Try switching females with her, and if she was the part of a mated pair, they can try again.

It's really cool to watch.

Answer 4

okay, for your first question, The eggs are to be fertilized after being laid.  Then,  Cichlids do interbreed, so you might be having some pretty cool looking cichlids on the way!