Hrmmm Oppps

[DARKPHREAK]

Today I decided to change the layout of my 29g cichlid tank which contains 2 m/f labs and 5 demasoni unsexed. Pythoning the gravel out I noticed these small blueish things moving around. Low and behold they were fry. I have no clue when they hatched but I managed to, I think vac atleast 4 or 5 of them out before I knew what they were. There were 2 left and I got one out but was unable to locate the other one. Now everything is back in place and a female is holding a bunch of fry in her mouth. I guess when I started to move everything the female let some out for some reason. Now I just dont know what to do, dont have a holding tank to put her in, just a 6g that houses a dwarf puffer. Anyone have an idea what I could do? Its kinda cool seeing these little fry in her mouth and 1 under a rock.

[Pisidan]

That would bite!! Is it the lab that is holding kinda neat??

[DARKPHREAK]

The lab and a demasoni are holding. Guess I should have planned better for this...

[ambushman2j]

well, the best thing to do when you have a holding fish, get a 5 or 10 gallon preferably a 10 gallon, not a starter, just the tank, then a sponge filter and a heater, take the holding female out, if you can keep track of when you first noticed the holding female started holding that will help, you don't want to take her out until the eggs have hatched (you can..but I find it works best when you wait) on day 12 they should be hatched and you will notice the mouth has doubled in size you can now take her out and put her in the 10 gallon (10 gallon you can then just remove her after a few days and leave the fry..where a 5 gallon might be too small to really raise the fry, I use a 5 gallon and 3.5 to house holding females, then take the female out a few days after she spits and then move the fry to a 10 gallon)  feed the fry powdered fry food, crushed up algae tablets (into powder) and if you can feed them 3+ times a day, within 2-3 weeks you should be able to advance to growth food (crushed flake fairly fine but not powder) and you can feed them that for probly 2 months, mixing in some brine shrimp now and again wouldn't hurt either

[DARKPHREAK]

Thanks for the help ambushman,

I will attept to move her now into a 6g tank, its all I have for now, and see if she releases. There is 1 fry free in the tank hiding under a rock, I wonder if any attepts at taking it out will harm it. Guess I'll just have to learn as I go.

[DARKPHREAK]

K that DID NOT GO WELL! I got the fry out but the female was extemely hard to catch. I took the tank apart trying to get her and just decided to forget it. She still is holding and the one free swimming fry now resides in the 6g.

[gvv]

Try to catch, when fish is sleeping. This may help. At least this method helps me.

[ambushman2j]

lol, I didn't say it would be easy..for me all I do is I bought the biggest net possible, take all the rocks and ornaments out of the tank, then basically trap her against a wall and wait for her to go in the net, the key is a BIG net tho

[DARKPHREAK]

I have a pike net maybe around 3 foot maybe I could use that. Seriouly would it do any harm if she or the fry were just left in the tank? I mean it was a total mess, forgot to unplug the heater and you know what happens then, scared the crap outta me when it blew. Oh and as a wonderful side note another demasoni laid eggs on the glass and rocks, at this rate I'll have to get another 75.