Yesterday was another interesting day in Malawi cichlid land. I noticed that the male mbunas were a little more aggressive with each other than is
normal.

And with good reason.

It turns out that yesterday -- October 7, 2009 -- my female spawned for the fourth time in the early afternoon. I am relatively certain that Bully Boy
was her mate again, as she was hanging out with him under his rock in the center of the tank, and her ovipositor was partially extended. It was
shortly after that, that I observed her holding eggs.

She is really like clockwork, and I can tell when her time is arriving,
because she always gorges herself with food in the days leading up to her spawn. For the most part, each spawn has occurred about every forty days, during the first week of the month.

With this latest spawn, we will soon have four generations of fish in the
tank.

1. There are the original five mbunas -- which includes the female.

2. There is Junior -- who is the lone survivor of the very first spawn.

3. There are two healthy survivors from spawn number three.

4. Hopefully, there will be a few survivors from this latest fourth spawn.

I must say again that I am amazed by my female's resilience. After her first spawn, I was really concerned for her health. Not eating for two to three weeks, and getting so thin; plus the stress on her from the aggressive males while she is holding eggs, obviously takes a lot out of her; but she just
keeps bouncing back. She spawns, recuperates, eats like made, and then
spawns again.

It makes you appreciate motherhood . . . even if it is with fish. :)



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