Could My Yellow Lab Be Holding? **pics Added**

[locust267]

I haven't been able to get a decent pic of her as she keeps hiding and swimming away whenever I go near the tank, which means it's also hard to look into her mouth. From what I've seen I would say I cant see anything in her mouth but what made me wonder in the first place was when I noticed a bulge under her chin, it's not big but certainly different to before. It looks like pics of holding females but maybe not so big in the cheeks. She has the droopy bit under the chin.

She didn't eat any flake the other day, but she did manage a few brine shrimp yesterday, although she looked weird when eating.

One thing I cant find any info on is she keeps doing a weird thing with her mouth... As if she's singing "rum pum pum pum" not the usual yawn like gulp mbunas do, much more gentle and constant for maybe 30 seconds or so.

Any ideas without photos?

Cheers

Vicki

Photos added

 

[aqua monster]

hi i have a few yellow labs and i would say yes she is holding...

 

[locust267]

Thanks! I went out to the car to fetch my glasses, put them on and she seemed intrigued enough to come over. Pretty sure I saw a tiny fry in there! How long would they usually hold the actual fry for?

Guessing this little one will get gobbled though this time I have a smaller tank I was gonna use eventually as a fry tank but I still have a harlequin left in there although asking some friends if they fancy taking him off my hands so I get time to set the fry tank up before next batch.

Any tips on what I could put in there as a fry hiding place?

Cheers

 

[eggo]

if she has dark patches on her buccal cavity she is holding fry

i have read people have bundled straws with elastic band and wedged under a rock cut them down first to around 6"

 

[locust267]

Great idea, thank you

Will keep you all posted.

 

[eggo]

most will probably not survive, my auratus spit her fry a few days ago, had her in a 15 gallon fry tank, good look with your fry

 

[locust267]

Thanks, just added some pics to OP. Do you think it's just one in there?

Would you assume she will spit soon? I've put some straws in for now, will go and get a few more rocks tomorrow.

 

[Fish Guy]

I have pretty good luck with letting the female raise her fry in my african community. Now, I'm sure ther survival rate isn't has good, but it beats taking 100lbs of rock out and stressing them all out. I just have randomly placed small rock piles for thr fry to hide in if needed. I did try to place some of the piles in the path of my propeller current as to wash flake towards the piles so the fry can get fed without going to far from protection.

 

[Malawi MaD]

Awesome photographs .. There will be a few in there, you will be surprised how many can fit in there

 

[locust267]

Thanks! I've put some bunched up straws in and a fake plant, tank looks horrendous but I would at least like to see little fish swimming around, even if most do get eaten...

Wondering how long it'll be now before she spits...

 

[Spurry]

Nice photos mate my lad is holding as well but no sign of any thing yet
Don't no how long this takes, she hides when I go near the tank so no photos at the mo


Edit: just been sat at the tank and she came right up i did see im her mouth and i see fry..

 

[pretzel23]

Yeah defo does look like she's holding so good luck. My female yellow lab has released her fry and I can see one is surviving under one of my rocks and none of the other fish can get to him which is good i'm hoping there's more amongst all my rocks!

 

[gemmie2005]

Hi,

The reason she looks like she is "singing rum pum pum pum" as you say, is because she is aerating the eggs, moving them around in her buccal (mouth) cavity. Looks a bit like they are chewing! when they do it!
Lovely pics of here holding, has she released them yet?