Question for Mouth Brooding experts

Ever successfully keep several holding females together?

Like if you have 3 females holding, seperate them in a 20long, keep them until they spit, remove them afterwards, and have all or most fry survive?

I never move my females. If females are holding they will go into aware mode. They will not chase or mess with anyone and usually go hide in a low rock area somewhere. Just let them be unless someone else in the tank is harrasing them. They will spit if they get to streessed. That is the only time I will move mine.( if being chased)

My fav. tank , has my Maleri Island and Nhkata Bay , they both are starting to breed like CRAZY! Had 6 diffrent females holding all at once. This tank is VERY cool b/c noone seems to bother one another.

I've been successful with that before with Pseudocrenilabrus species. In my experience, it's much harder to keep track of when any of the females release because I was afraid the ones that just released will eat the other kids; however, I've seen other females pickup the other fry and 'adopt' them as their own. It's interesting to watch.

I have never done this with mbuna or other mouthbrooding types so I can't speak for them.

I think you can be successful with what you're aiming to do. The most important thing is to have some cave structure or maybe a clumping type plant (like java moss) so the fry could seek refuge in it and have a source of food as well.

I hope this helps...please keep us updated on how things go.

I've had up to 3 holding moms in the same 10g. I will also put a holding mom in with fry of the same species and she wont mess with the fry. You just have to be careful about fry size, if they are within a week or 2 of each other you should be fine, much more and they could eat the smaller ones.
Just keep an eye on the moms, they may get really pushy with each other, then you will need an egg crate divider set in there. I learned that with my cyto mooriis.

I'm thinking if I left them in the tank until they released, the others would definitely eat the fry!

I have a group of 1.13

So i've always been told to move the holding female to avoid possibly losing the fry.

In this case I have atleast 3 females holding now and I think it will start getting silly to set up a tank for each one, and any additional ones that start holding soon.

They are all a few days apart, so I figure when one releases, the others will still be holding and not likely to eat the fry. I can then move the female that released.

Then when the other females release, they likely won't try to eat the fry because they wouldn't really know which is hers and which isn't, and may even pickup fry from both batches like you mentioned Bassic.

Then I can just move her and allow the last to release.

I also thought it would be possible for 'communal mouth brooding' at this time, like Bassic mentioned about one adopting the others fry. Afterall, if they are all in brooding mode, and can't really tell each others fry apart, why not?


Atleast I figured i'd have a much better chance this way then if I left them in the tank with all the other adults.

Thoughts?

I always move the moms if I want fry. I only strip if they will not hold to term, held fry are just healthier and hardier.

bcijoe wrote:

So i've always been told to move the holding female to avoid possibly losing the fry.

In this case I have atleast 3 females holding now and I think it will start getting silly to set up a tank for each one, and any additional ones that start holding soon.


?

1. Who told you to move the female everytime? moving her around could potentially make her stressed and spit. I have had so many holding females I can't even count. Only time I move them is when the male is just getting to nasty with her.

2. You don't have to wait for the female to spit fry. I would bet good money they if you were to spit your females 20 days after they began to hold, your survival rate woud be higher. The longer they are in her mouth the more fry could be missing.

3. If I had to set up a tank for everytime I had a holding female I would be IN BIG TROUBLE!

Fern wrote:

I always move the moms if I want fry. I only strip if they will not hold to term, held fry are just healthier and hardier.

That is an opinion.

I have been spitting fry for yeeeeaaaaars now. Mine are healthy, full colored and breeding EARLY.

The longer the fry are in the mouth of the mother the more possability of mising fry.

Eh yes and no, I have bought fry that were stripped and fry that were held. The held fry would grow up and hold well. The stripped fry usually had more issues learning how to hold.
I let my moms hold to term, I move them into a 10g at some point. I usually run a few girls through the same tank till its fully stocked, so theres not that many tanks.
Most fish that do spit in the net will pick up the eggs.

Everyone has their own way, that my way and the reasoning for it.

well, two good views and both backed up by experience... good enough!

thanks guys!

is two - three weeks too much of a difference when raising different batches of fry together?

Fern wrote:

Eh yes and no, I have bought fry that were stripped and fry that were held. The held fry would grow up and hold well. The stripped fry usually had more issues learning how to hold.
I let my moms hold to term, I move them into a 10g at some point. I usually run a few girls through the same tank till its fully stocked, so theres not that many tanks.
Most fish that do spit in the net will pick up the eggs.

Everyone has their own way, that my way and the reasoning for it.

So wait.... Your saying that fry that have been stripped early will not hold longer then fry that have been held full term in moms mouth?

That has nothing to do with each other....

Fern how long have you been dealing with mouth broading cichlids? 6 months?

TRUST ME I KNOW

I never once IN MY LIFE, Ever, let a female hold full term. I have fry coming out my Never had a complaint about females not holding long after they grow up and never had a problem with color or health.

What you said Fern is an opinion....I can understand that you have this view b/c thats what you have been doing. But truth be told...nothing wrong with stripping early or letting them hold full term. Its all your prefrence. But don't say

"I have bought fry that were stripped and fry that were held. The held fry would grow up and hold well. The stripped fry usually had more issues learning how to hold"

Strippers are cool

"I have bought fry that were stripped and fry that were held. The held fry would grow up and hold well. The stripped fry usually had more issues learning how to hold"

Yes that is my personal experience. Not saying its a fact, just what I have seen. The ones that were held to term get it right the first time. The ones that were stripped usually lose the first batch. This is just what I have observed in the fish I have gotten. Everyone has their own way of doing things, I like to let mine hold to term. I'm not disagreeing with you or agreeing with you. Everyone has their own way of breeding, that's all I'm saying and just sharing what I have observed.

Joe, I like strippers too

i do not like the remove the eggs as i have a high survival rate if i let the mother do her thing.

egg tumblers are for the birds!!!!

I've never owned a fish that needed stripping. (mouth breeders)

They have saved me many times. They are for experinced fish keepers

You got to know how to use them I guess

Most of the time I do not use them. I wait about 2-3 weeks until they are free wigglers/swimmers and then release them into a seperate tank.

Fern I highly doubt that what you stated is true. I think you say that b/c thats what you do. In your 6 months of mouth broading experiance I highly doubt you have had time to make a clear observation on this.

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Thanks for your input Vman.

Just to clarify, did you mean that a holding female that is stripped, may not herself carry again to full term? or that those fry that were stripped from her, when raised and bred, may not carry to full term?

Also, you have kept several holding females together, moving them when they are ready, which is what, about 2-3 weeks in?

and then when they are in the seperate tank, and release their fry, you leave the mom in there a little longer to condition who, the fry for the future, or the mom for her next batches?

Thanks much, the more info, the better

bcijoe,

I can answer the part about when to move and who to condition.

You can move the mother any time from the time you notice the pouch to two and 1/2 weeks (just to be safe) after. Once she lets the fry out and leaves them out, keep her in the fry tank for a week or two to rebuild her strength.

She has just gone three weeks with little or nothing to eat and will be weak and tired. Placing her back into the breeding environment before she has had a chance to rest and rebuild her strength could prove hazardous to her.

Since I have never stripped, I cannot answer any question regarding the practice.

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