Do all cichlid fry feed off parents skin coat?

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

Curious if anyone has any thoughts or experience to share on this. I definitely have noticed the C. Regani fry occasionally giving a nibble the parents side over the first 10 days or so outside of the cave.  They also seems to enjoy hydra, green algae, scavenging off the bottom, baby brine shrimp, bloodworms, cyclops, and krill flake.

The skin nibbling is not like what I've seen videos of discus doing but it happens enough that it is noticeable. Both parents seem to allow it and not have any problem with it so far. The fry are getting pretty close to moving to a 20 gallon grow out and or possibly the 2 Ziss breeder boxes in the parents tank. I have them for such a surprise fry appearance. We are now 14 days in and about 1/2 inch long x 80 or so fry. Half way to submitting my first ever breeding report to the Colorado Aquarium Society 🙂. Hopefully we get there learning each day either way though.

[Andy's Fish Den]

I have not witnessed any other species that the fry feed off the parents like discus do. You might have a fry or two occasionally nibble at the side of a parent or something but I've never seen or heard of any actively feeding off the slime coat of parents.

[FrozenFins]

I've heard african cihlids do this but other cichlids don't do this (angelfish, apistogramma, rams)

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

12 minutes ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have not witnessed any other species that the fry feed off the parents like discus do. You might have a fry or two occasionally nibble at the side of a parent or something but I've never seen or heard of any actively feeding off the slime coat of parents.

Yes just curious. It is definitely not an active feeding discus style it is more a few fry a few times a day; just enough to peak my curiosity on it and put this one up to the collective.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

12 minutes ago, James Black said:

I've heard african cihlids do this but other cichlids don't do this (angelfish, apistogramma, rams)

It threw me the first few times nothing crazy like discus but just enough frequency to ask everyone

[Daniel]

19 hours ago, James Black said:

I've heard african cihlids do this but other cichlids don't do this (angelfish, apistogramma, rams)

Angelfish babies do sometimes feed off their parents slime. Below is a still frame from a video and all the babies are pecking at the parents slime just like discus babies.