Yellow Lab taking ages!

[loafybones]

My Yellow Lab has got babies in her mouth and they look to be getting pretty big. How big will they get before she spits them. They've been in there at least two weeks

 

[tropheus]

2 weeks more before you get any out of her!!! One trick .... if you can net her in a breeding net add a few small rocks watch and when she does spit them out get her out and feed the babies with fry food!! if not hope theres plenty of places to hide in that Rio!!

 

[G_Sharky]

If you have her on your tank with other cichllids on then it will take some time before she spits it out. She'll only spit them out if she knows that it safe, so if you have a spare tank net her out and then she'll probably spit them out.....

 

[freddyk]

She'll spit them even in the big tank - it might take her longer, but there is only so long she can hold them in before they break free.

 

[loafybones]

I have got a little tank but I don't know if I can put her in there because I have some new born swordtails in there (all the fish are horny!)
If I do let her spit them in the tank would they get eaten. There are plenty of hiding places. I'm not sure if I could put these fry in the little tank though because the water is too soft

 

[gixer]

harden the water in the same way as you harden the water in your other tank then

strange...you live about a mile away from me, i'm in shotton

 

[freddyk]

Most will get eaten, there might be a survivor or two if your tank can handle them. I'd say let it go, and the next time you have a holding female (it won't be long) you're best setting up a tank just for them, if you want to raise them.

 

[Angry_Platy]

I'm not sure if I could put these fry in the little tank though because the water is too soft

My 75gal has soft water (very soft actually) with a neutral pH (7.0) and my EYs are very healthy and I have fry (newborns)....so far I have found 4 living safely under a rock!!! SOOOOOO cute They are like little miniatures of their parents (but no colour yet)...unlike my guppy and platy fry who look like rice grains with eyes for ages!!!

Good luck with them.

 

[freddyk]

My 75gal has soft water (very soft actually) with a neutral pH (7.0)

Sounds right. These fish are typically enough generations down the aquarium bred line that the ph of the wild really very little significance any longer.

 

[loafybones]

strange...you live about a mile away from me, i'm in shotton

Wow! it's a small world isn't it

 

[fuzzyferret]

Best of luck with them!
I've got a tank full of cichlids (Malawi) and my yellow labs were that prolific at breeding that I had to trade in the male stud to give them some respite!
I was actually off work the day one of them 'spit' out the youngsters. How many!!!!
Sixty three survived - despite very hungry looking fish hunting them.
I have a heavily planted piece of bogwood in the tank, and that's were they went.
Had to strip the tank to get them out when they were a bit bigger, but after a couple of broods the young fish were traded in and I got a Rio 180 for a few quid extra!
They did prefer the plants to rock cover - strange!

 

[loafybones]

I doubt if mine had that many, she's not fully grown. Her mouth is empty now but I can't find the little ones. I'm a bit worried that they could have been eaten or sucked into the filter

 

[cichlidmommy]

You'd be surprised when you may find some. Mine had hers, and I thought they were all dead and eaten. A month later I found one that had survived, and 6 weeks later another. During the time she spit, and the time I found the lil ones, I had done some major cleaning of the tank, and never found them. They hide so well.

I hope you find some in there. They are so awesome to have as babies