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I noticed one of my jack dempsey's had its mouth open a little and I could see some movement, I watched for a short while, I was looking almost from the side, the fish was right at the front of the tank so I was approx 6inches from it, it looked as if it had a tongue or a tooth and was moving it from side to side in its mouth.
Do they have some movement like this or is it more likely that it has a fry in its mouth ?

Kevin

Dempseys are not moutherbrooders. I've not noticed a cichlid's mouthparts being very mobile, so I'm tempted to rule that out.

Is it possible that it was in the process of eating something?

Thank You Psy.
The Dempsey's are the first cichlids I have had.
I fed them flake last evening and they ate all of it quite fast, I also feed them Hikari Cichlid Staple pellets which they aren't as keen on lately so it may have found one that I missed removing.I always try and remove them but it could have been lodged somewhere under a cave.
I will keep a closer eye on that in future.

Kevin

Jack Dempsey = Cichlasoma octofasciatum

makes finding facts about this fish a bit easier.
it's a substrate brooder from Central America and it eats about anything that fits its' mouth.
the nickname stems from it's attitude; it's a boisterous agressive fish that can and does beat up tankmates (when setting up a territory), sort of like the famous boxer.

btw the name 'cichlasoma' is currently being revisited, so you might find it under 'Archocentrus octofasciatus' or 'Nandopsis octofasciatum' or even 'Cryptoheros octofasciatus'.

sidguppy,
Thank You for the link.
She has laid some eggs in the pipe today, I am not sure if the pair are inside or just the female, but when I looked in the tank she moves over the eggs hovering watching me until I moved away.I am not sure how many as I cannot see right into the pipe but as far as I could see,about 4",there were eggs along the bottom of it,not masses of them as there were gaps between them, they looked a dark grey colour but the tank light wasnt on so I will check in the morning when I feed them.

edit -
I have taken a photo of the eggs to show the colouration
and learn if it is usual.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/albu ... pic_id=630

Kevin

looks OK to me.

but don't disturb them too often; they'll eat the eggs if you do.

sometimes 2 females lay eggs as well; but then the eggs are not fertilized ofcourse.
substrate brooders often practice a lot before rearing young succesfully; this is normal; be prepared for them to eat the eggs or fry the first 5-6 times. its' natural.

Thank You Sidguppy.

I have read that they bond long term, does their spawning mean they have bonded now or does this not occur until they have practiced and raised fry together as a unit ?

Kevin

spawning is 'getting into the bonding', so to speak.
but sometimes mistakes happen; if you have 2 females they too can 'bond' sort of, by lack of a male.

it's rare though; most likely they're a genuine pair and getting into the practice.

yes, they bond 'for life'; when the pair is well matched they are in fact very good parents and will bury you up till the ears in healthy fry without you doing any effort.
they even chew food for their young and feed them......

Thank You Sidguppy.

I bought 6 of them in November 2005 they were just under 2" including their tails, the hope was to get atleast one pair from the 6.
The 6 were together in a 48x18x15 tank, last night I removed 4 and put them into another tank leaving the pair together.

Kevin

if you did it like that, you can be sure you have a well-matched pair now!


good luck breeding Jacks!

Thanks.