Help on Yellow lab...holding

[luxtralarge]

I just started out a 75 gal and just got 6 yellow labs from Tim Bell last week.
Yesterday when i got home, observed one of the yellow lab neck hanging down and she keeps on hiding behind the rock.
I googled it and it says she is possible holding egg in her mouth.
This is the first time that i own an african cichlid and really dont know what to do with her.
Need Help and Suggestion Please.

[finfan]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

if this is the first time she is holding, she might eat them or spit them too early or during a chase or catching, but there is no way to tell if this is her first, if you want to find out, the best thing would be to catch her with as minimal stressing as possible, i would suggest double net with decorations removed (if possible) when catching her, and then put her in a separate tank (even a 5+ gallon will do), and then watch and wait to see if she holds them to term and spits little yellow labs, alternatively, if you have many hiding places for little one's and want nature to take its course, you can just leave her in the tank and see what happens, if there are plenty of hiding places (little holes where big fish can't go, but little one's can), some will surely survive if she spits them full term

[armthehomeless]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

As finfan stated, you can do several things. This is what I have done in the past:

If I see a female holding, I catch the female in very subdued light (usually when she is sleeping) and put her into a temporary 10 gallon setup with a cave, sponge filter,  and java moss. I keep the mom in the tank until a day after she spits the fry. I raise the fry until they are large enough to go back into the tank or give to someone else.

One thing that I learned not to do: put the fry in the same tank as the adults in Lee's brand little breeder net. The adults just munch on the babies through the net. Imagirlgeek made a breeder net made of had palstic that works quite well. I use that now.

If I'm not wanting to try to maximize the number of fry the the female produces, then I would just leave the female in the tank. As long as she has a place to hide, she'll be fine. So of the fry may survive, some may not.

Regardless of what you choose, I wish you the best of luck!! Keep us updated.

[Zulaab]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

When I am looking to save fry I do what Tim suggests.. pull the female put her in a tank where she can spit on her own.
I do this because stripping can make her not learn to hold to term and she will spit prematurely.

Right now I have 3 yellow lab females and 1 red rubensens peacock in my 42 holding and I am going to wait 4 weeks and pull all the rock work and pull them back out and return them.  They will have had some time to eat and gotten back their health and they will be happy in the newly scaped 75 they are returning back to.

[luxtralarge]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Thanks for all the suggestion above.
Do i have to wait like a week or so till i put her in a separate tank?
What is a sponge filter? i have a 10 gal with a biowheel 100 filter

[Zulaab]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Sponge filter is an airdriven filter.  This filter makes it IMPOSSIBLE for fry to be sucked out of the tank and into something else that will most likely kill them.

Here is a sponge filter from Drs Foster and Smith.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3952&pcatid=3952

You can also make one your self.. or you can contact Treston on HFB who makes sponge filters.. they are excellent filters.  They will make sure that no baby is ever lost to the filter sucking it up and killing it.

[luxtralarge]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Woot! My yellow lab just spitted more than 15 fry :)

[Fire_chair]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Congrats.

[alexarae]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Yay...congrats!!!

[armthehomeless]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

Females tend to hold more fry as they get bigger. I had one spit out 43 into her nursery tank once. So what are you planning on feeding them? Congrats once again!

[luxtralarge]

Re: Help on Yellow lab...holding

I crushed the flake into powder and feed them with it.