Do fish defend their young?
Most fish are completely satisfied to eat any fish eggs and younger they can find, even their own. But in the case of some fish, like the bubblenest builders, the male appears after the eggs and the young, defending the nest from other fish. With cichlids, each parents protect their young and take it in turns to fan and blow fresh water onto the eggs. They defend their eggs and young from other fish and kill any predators that come too close. Some cichlids hold the young from one batch of eggs shut through to protect their siblings from the subsequent batch.
