Michigan Cichlid Association
General Category => Old World => Topic started by: LabDaddy on September 02, 2017, 12:10:04 AM
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Noob question: I have 2 Polit females that have been holding for approximately 2 weeks. They are ready to start spitting fry. I have a 5 gallon available that I plan to raise the fry in. If I were to put both females in there and provide a cave for each, would they ignore each other since they'll be busy brooding? Or should I put a divider in until I remove the adults? TIA for your advice. Haven't really found anything pertaining to this specific question in my searches...
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I'd suggest taking a peek & seeing if they have heads/tails. If they do, then strip the fry.
FWIW - I usually strip mbuna around 10-21days of brooding.
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I ended up putting them in seperate tanks. They definitely did NOT like sharing. Between the two they spit around 24 fry who all seem to be perfectly healthy and without defects. I've never stripped a female before for fear of injuring them...
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I ended up putting them in seperate tanks. They definitely did NOT like sharing. Between the two they spit around 24 fry who all seem to be perfectly healthy and without defects. I've never stripped a female before for fear of injuring them...
Now you are going to need 24 more tanks!
Congratulations on all of your fry. When I strip females I use a fine net to capture her. Then suspend that net in the water at the top of the tank. With one hand I gently grab the fish, trying not to squeeze her too hard or restrict the movement of the gills. Then I take the flat end of a toothpick with my other hand and gently pry her mouth open. The fry usually either tumble or swim out. I repeat that process a couple of times until all of the fry are in the bottom of the net. Then I release the female back into the tank.
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I ended up putting them in seperate tanks. They definitely did NOT like sharing. Between the two they spit around 24 fry who all seem to be perfectly healthy and without defects. I've never stripped a female before for fear of injuring them...
Now you are going to need 24 more tanks!
Funny you should say that as I have just taken advantage of the $1/gal sale at Petco and picked up a trio of fresh 10g for a holding peacock and yellow lab that I need to move asap. I've tried the floating breeder boxes but they seem to make the moms miserable. I'll definitely be throwing my hat in the Breeder's Award program next year!