http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=african-chiclids-breeding-info-#1 They’re easy to breed, because they do all the work and spawn right in their community tank. If there’s a willing female in the tank, the dominant male will find her. After a little coaxing, a little rock cleaning, and maybe a bit of dancing and digging, they’ll lay their eggs right there in front of everybody. African cichlids have no shame. Fertilization of Eggs. After spawning takes place, the female gathers the eggs in her mouth. As she gathers the eggs, she also tries to pick up the “egg spots” on the male’s anal fin. This process puts his sperm in proximity to the eggs and assures their fertilization. Oral Incubation. She’ll carry her eggs for about three weeks. She won’t eat or fight much during this gestation period. She withdraws as much as possible from the daily hustle and bustle of every African cichlid community. She mouths and tumbles her eggs to assure proper incubation. During this time the eggs hatch and develop into baby fishes. When she finally releases them, they are perfectly capable of fending for themselves. Small Spawns. Since most Africans are mouthbrooders, they have much smaller spawns than South American cichlids – some of which lay more than a thousand eggs. Naturally, bigger fishes will eat baby African cichlids. But the fry experience no difficulty finding food and are much larger than baby livebearers (tougher too). From Ackerz original post: December 29, 2006, 8:55 pm Ackerz 2008-05-01 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=african-chiclids-breeding-info-#2 How can you tell if the female has the eggs in her mouth? I have a female that was doing just what you described but now I cannot tell if she has the eggs in her mouth. Mike gallo259 2009-03-17