When it comes to cichlid breeding, these species of fish are usually divided into two types of breeders. They are consequently divided into mouth brooders and substrate brooders. This information is important to know before you even consider cichlid breeding, so if you are unsure about the type of breeder your cichlid fish might be, then try reading this article for some helpful information on where to get started when it comes to cichlid breeding and the types of breeder.

Substrate brooders are cichlids which lay their eggs openly on a surface and are sometimes referred to as open water brooders, or they will lay their eggs in hidden cavities which earns them the less than creative name, cavity brooders. Both of these groups of fish will engage in brood care. This involves the eggs being regularly fanned to help to improve and increase the supply if oxygen to the eggs. Once the larvae hatch from the eggs, the fry are looked after by the substrate brooders until the yolk sac is totally gone and the young cichlids are able to swim freely and eat on their own. The parents of the fry will continue to care for their young even after this point, but this is mainly because they will be trying to protect the young against any predators which they would usually encounter in the wild. It is at this time that other tank inhabitants will become endangered by the cichlid parents because they become a lot more aggressive towards other fish dwelling in the tank.

The second type of cichlid breeder is the mouth brooders. These fish will pick up their larvae and eggs in their mouths! This could be during the spawning, or directly after the spawning process and this group of cichlids are often called ovophile which means egg loving mouth brooders. Some types of mouth brooders will leave their eggs on the substrate where they will continue to watch over them until they hatch and when they do hatch, they will pick up the fry and keep them inside of their mouths until they can swim on their own. This group of cichlids are referred to as larvophile which means larva loving mouth brooders. In a lot of these species of cichlids, care of the fry stops when they are released from the mouth, but sometimes the care of the fry will continue and the young will often swim back into the mouths of their parents for protection!