artic reef Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 is it better to strip the female or let them stay in her mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 If at all possible it is best to leave the fry with her IMO. This way the fry get the benifit of learning from her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 I've done both in the past and both work. I dont' think 1 is better then the other. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I prefer to leave the mom in her own 10g untill she spits naturally.I like watching the mom and the babies. But if the female is looking really skinny, I will strip her. If I do strip the female, I prefer to wait as long as possible(around 3 weeks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon71 Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 I was wondering the same thing. Last week I had two yellow labs holding for the first time. On Saturday, I put them both in their own little breeder. Within five minutes the one had spit her fry, which have no egg sac at all. Three little labs currently eating First Bites. The second one is still holding. I can see the fry in her mouth, but because I did not see the spawn, I am not sure if they are ready. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevchewy Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 (edited) It will be hit or miss with your second lab... if I were you I would just let her hold to term and spit on her own. This way you do not stripping her too early and your fry being born with their egg sacs (if you do strip too early you risk looking a higher percentage of your fry). If you monitor the dates of when your fish spawn, you can strip your females around the 20 day mark. I have done this with every female that has held now for over a year and have never had a problem. When I first started breeding I was very hesitant to strip my females with fear of hurting the female. As nervous as I was, I gave it a go and now will never go back. When you strip a female after 20 days she will never have to go full term and starve. After 20 days the fry are free swimming with no egg sacs and the female can eat again. Win/Win for both the mom and her fry. This is IMO... http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/stripping.php This was the best reference article on stripping fish. I followed this and it worked like a charm. nev Edited January 30, 2007 by nevchewy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon71 Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Nev, I have read that article before, and I am confident that I could do it. My problem is I never see the spawns, so I can't write down the dates. Heck, I didn't even realize that they were holding until last week. It has been very busy and all I checked for at feeding time was that everyone was eating. And they all hide when it is WC time. The first mama was eating right up until I isolated her. Thanks for the info, Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevchewy Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 (edited) If they were holding sometime last week i would let them go 15 days and then strip. Give it a shot. If you notice the egg sacs, let the femal pick up her fry and then put her back in the tank. I have had females spit their fry after holding 28 days right up to 32 days so timing should be in your favor... I look at my fish every day before I feed them. If there are any females that are holding i mark down the date (if i have seen the spawn or not) and give it about 20 days before I strip. The last time we went camping i came back and a rusty was holding. I let her hold until she got really skinny and then stripped... It worked out in the end even though i had no clue when she did the deed. Good Luck! nev Edited January 30, 2007 by nevchewy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spcy Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 I put my females in a seperate tank and let them spit naturally, The longest one of mine has ever held is 24 days. I currently have 2 labs holding and one of them looks like it's head is going to explode, Expecting it to spit in the next 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.