Yellow Lab Holding Eggs

[Lisa67]

My yellow lab is holding eggs for the second time. (I think the first time she must have swallowed them because her "puffed up" face suddenly went back to normal).

She has been holding them for about a week now. I'd really like to atleast have some of the frey survive, but she's in a tank with about 14 others. I've never experienced this before, but I'm thinking there's going to be a feeding frenzy when she releases them. Does anybody ever have survivors if the frey are born in a tank full of mbuna? I have lots of rocks and hiding spots, but few that are small enough to keep all of them out. Would it help if I tried to build some tiny caves?

 

[elisew]

If the lab successfully holds then at approx 18-21 days you`ll begin to se the underneath of her chin go dark/black looking, this is the eggs hatching and her mouth becoming full of the fry.....at this point the female can be removed from the tank and either put into a seperate tank OR stripped of the fry/eggs. Between 21-28 days you`ll probably find that if you caught and removed her to another tank, she`ll probably spit quite easily anyway.

The stripping of fry is something that even I don`t feel confident doing so I tend to leave all of my females to spit in the main tank and I`ll rescue any fry (that survive the mouths of the other fish) that I find in the weir or sump.

So, IF you`re intent on keeping some fry then you have a choice......either get a separate tank for 'due to spit' females OR strip the female of any due fry yourself

 

[Lisa67]

If the lab successfully holds then at approx 18-21 days you`ll begin to se the underneath of her chin go dark/black looking, this is the eggs hatching and her mouth becoming full of the fry.....at this point the female can be removed from the tank and either put into a seperate tank OR stripped of the fry/eggs. Between 21-28 days you`ll probably find that if you caught and removed her to another tank, she`ll probably spit quite easily anyway.

The stripping of fry is something that even I don`t feel confident doing so I tend to leave all of my females to spit in the main tank and I`ll rescue any fry (that survive the mouths of the other fish) that I find in the weir or sump.

So, IF you`re intent on keeping some fry then you have a choice......either get a separate tank for 'due to spit' females OR strip the female of any due fry yourself

 

[Lisa67]

So, when you rescue the fry that your females spit in the main tank what do you do with them? Im assuming you move them to another tank. That's my biggest problem. I dont have another tank. Even if i wanted to run to the store and pick one up in the morning I dont think I coould get it cycled that quickly (I was hoping to pick up a cheap used setup, but havent found one). What exactly do I need for a fry holding tank? Just a filter and heater?

 

[elisew]

So, when you rescue the fry that your females spit in the main tank what do you do with them? Im assuming you move them to another tank. That's my biggest problem. I dont have another tank. Even if i wanted to run to the store and pick one up in the morning I dont think I coould get it cycled that quickly (I was hoping to pick up a cheap used setup, but havent found one). What exactly do I need for a fry holding tank? Just a filter and heater?

I put the fry into a spare 20L tank that I had and it's setup all of the time now, I have the same choice that you're now faced with.....if I want to keep the fry then I need to have another tank running.
You wouldn't need to cycle another tank, you could take the water from your main tank and cut some of the filter sponge to run in another small filter for the fry tank.

All I have in my fry tank is a small heater, small filter, a small piece of ocean rock and half a dozen escargot shells so that the fry can hide away and feel a bit safer