nikki_stikki Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hi, first things first, I know that it's not actually pregnant, I just forgot what the actual word is :facepalm: She's got a very obviously "swollen" mouth and I haven't seen her eat in a while. I can't tell if the eggs have hatched or not. I was just wondering whether to leave her in the tank or put her in one of those clear plastic floating breeder boxes? I don't wanna stress her out by trying to catch her. I read that they will only spit the babies if they feel they'll be safe. There is a fair bit of coral in my tank so the babies would hopefully be able to hide in there, however I would of course feel safer if they were in their own box so other fish couldn't eat them. I have 6 other electric yellows, brichardi, and demasoni in the tank also. Also, if I were to put her into the breeder box, when would I need to take her out of there and put her back into the main tank? Thanks in advance for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Wow, Congrats on your Electric Yellow holding, I also have Electric Yellows and Dem's, but haven't had any at the holding stage yet so can't give you any answers to your question. I was interested to see that you have Brichardi's in with your Electric Yellows and Dem's, can you tell me how they all get on together, as I would love to add some Brichardi to my Tank. Good Luck with your Girl. Lynda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki_stikki Posted March 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hey, thanks! Well at this stage they've been good, but maybe they're just not old enough yet I just hope my Brichardi don't breed coz that's apparently when you get problems haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy-fish Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Congrats on having your first holding female! Very exciting! :happy1: If you're not too worried about losing a few or all the fry then I'd just leave her in the community tank. Eventually she will spit them out into the big wide world Having some small cracks and crevices for the fry to hide out should ensure some survival. Coral is perfect for this. If you would rather try and keep the fry, then the best option is to catch her and "strip" her. It takes 2-3wks from spawning to free swimming on average for electric yellows. If you're not sure how long she has been holding, the easiest way to tell is the change of colour inside her mouth. When they are eggs, the inside of her mouth will appear yellowish in colour. When the fry are free swimming are ready to be stripped, inside her mouth will appear darker brown/black in colour. With a bit of patience you should be able to get a decent look to observe where she's at. To "strip her" (remove the fry from her mouth) it will require catching her and placing her in a smaller tank or container then while holding her under water, gently pry open her mouth with either your other hand or, if you prefer, a toothpick or cotton bud etc. Hold her mouth open and the fry should swim out. You can gently pump/massage underneath her mouth and gill area to assist in pushing the fry out but be gentle and be careful with her fins. They are hardy fish, but care should still be taken not to damage her (she is far more valuable than her offspring!) For more info google "stripping african cichlids" or try youtube for some videos. good luck and keep us updated! :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 I watched a guy strip his Electric Yellow using the rounded end of a Paper Clip, there's a video clip on Youtube of him doing this. Looked fairly simple. Waiting for the day to come when I will need to do this :spop: Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy-fish Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 I watched a guy strip his Electric Yellow using the rounded end of a Paper Clip, there's a video clip on Youtube of him doing this. Looked fairly simple. Waiting for the day to come when I will need to do this :spop: Good Luck I just open my fishys mouth with my finger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Wish mine would hurry up and do something :cofn: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy-fish Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Wish mine would hurry up and do something :cofn: cold water change that drops temp around to around 23-24 could do it. Also large flat rocks to spawn on are good, especially at each end of your tank. Your larger ones are at a breedable size :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki_stikki Posted March 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Cool, thanks heaps Yeah, I've researched that and looked on YouTube, it sounds a bit too hard, I'd be too scared I'd hurt her I think I might just put her into her own tank and see how she does in there.. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy-fish Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Cool, thanks heaps Yeah, I've researched that and looked on YouTube, it sounds a bit too hard, I'd be too scared I'd hurt her I think I might just put her into her own tank and see how she does in there.. :-? Yeah I remember the first time I stripped a fish - man I was sooooo nervous! They are pretty hardy fish and as long as you take your time its a relatively simple thing to do, but a seperate breeding tank should do the trick. Keep us posted. :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinox Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 can't wait to get mine to this stage :digH: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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