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I have two large Severums in my 55 gallon along with 7 tiger barbs and a few other community fish. The pair were exhibiting strange behaviour (digging up plants and digging holes) so I put in a flat rock because I was told that this is their prefered breeding surface and this morning, the rock was covered with eggs! One of them fans the eggs while the other is keeping all fish away from the area. All seems well - the Severums don't seem overly aggressive and the other fish are keeping clear and seem happy using up two thirds of the tank.

What should I do now? I only have this one tank which I set up 2 months ago and I've never bred fish before. Do I need another tank for the babies? I saw in a pet store that you can get a container that fits inside the tank to protect the fry. Is that necessary? What do I do with the babies when they get larger? I don't really want to keep them - my 55 gallon is already adequately stocked.

All this is exciting yet a bit daunting. Help!!

Hi,
I've never kept these fish, but I did find this article
among a buch of others that you might find helpful:

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichlid,%20Severums.htm

Good luck with the new family!

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks for the link Frank!

The eggs hatched today and I have hundreds of little wiggly tails sticking up from the egg patch. Sooo exciting!!

I have a 20 gallon set up with no gravel, a "baby filter" (block of foam and an airstone) and a heater. I'm told that as soon as they are big enough to swim around and get in trouble, I should move them to the nursery.

The parents are getting a little more aggressive with the other fish. I have another 20 gallon I'm not using right now. Should I move some of the community to give the parents (and their neighbours) a break?

So glad the eggs are fertile and it is a riot to see the parents suck up stragglers and spit them back in the nest. This is sooo cool!!

I would really appreciate any insights as to how best to raise these new babies.

Daphnis

Hi,
Yes, I would move all but the parents and the babies to
the other tank. THE problem though, may actually be the
parents. As you start waiving the net around to capture
the other fish the parents may thing the brood is
threatened and eat them all. Or, you may luck out and
the process may go smoothly.
That is the best filter for that tank, an air driven
sponge filter.. "baby safe."

For first food, you could consider some green water, or
perhaps some crushed egg yoke.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--