Newbie to cichlid fry

[Zagz]

My holding mother released one fry today and then it appears she scooped it up again. Is that a normal behaviour? She hadn't released any of the other fry.

 

[Zagz]

Another quick question, the tank she is in has a very small clown pleco, could it be she doesn't want to release the fry because of the clown? Should I remove him to another tank?

 

[Zagz]

LOL now I am answering myself, is that a sign of true insanity? I've decided to relocate the clown pleco to the betta tank. They should be fine together I think. If not, poor little bugger will get another eviction to another tank.

 

[mr funktastic]

i think it is normal for he rto let the fry out of her mouth every once in a while but it is usually all the fry at once so i thing that the one u saw out probably escaped her. i also think it wa a good idea to move the clown pleco to make her feel more secure. is there anything else in the tank that might be a threat to her fry? why kind of fish is it. i am assuming that it is a cichlid by the mother holding the fry in her mouth.

 

[Zagz]

It is an OB peacock. Nothing other than one pond snail, well so far one pond snail LOL.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'm going through the same thing you are Zagz. Our peacock has been holding for nearly 4 weeks now. We QTd her about a week ago and as of yesterday morning she still hadn't released the fry. Finally yesterday afternoon I saw two lone fry in the tank. She had spit them out (total of 34) but scooped them back into her mouth, missing the two (completly normal). Finally we netted her and (while still in the water) I gently held her in my hand and carefully and gently opened her mouth. Basically just put a little bit of pressure on the sides of her mouth. Not too much so she doesn't get harmed. Eventually she will just give in. The fry swam out like a water faucet. When they were all out I dropped in a few pieces of food. She gobbled it up like crazy and then quickly sucked the fry back into her mouth. This afternoon she still had them in her mouth so we netted her again and released the fry from her mouth for her. This time we moved her to the main tank right afterwards. I fed her in the transfer bag while acclimating. That way she would have some strength back. When putting her in the main tank I fed the other fish so they would be distracted and they wouldn't mess with her.

Did the fry look large enough to be released? If so, you may want to manually remove the fry. She may be skiddish and not want to release them. But it is for her own good so she doesn't starve.

 

[Zagz]

Some of the fry look large enough to be released, the one that got away did at any rate. She's been holding for 3 weeks. I'll give her a few days before I strip her. She is alone in her tank so that should help. I hope.

 

[DeFeKt]

ur better off leaving her to her own devices, stripping is only needed in extreme cases, only thing to do is remove her once she has definetly spat them because I can't think of any african that wouldn't appreciate a quick and free live feed.
Only strip if she is suffering from malnutrition, and can't handle holding anymore.
It is also habit for them to release the fry and suck them up again once they get to a good size and when she starts to feel secure.
I'd leave her be. if it's her first time it won't be the biggest batch and she will need to gain the experience for next time.
hth

Matthew

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Yep, she'll usually hold/release until she decides the fry are ready to be out and stay out.

The plec is not helping matters though, and may be making her uncomfortable. He may also make a meal of the little ones if given the opportunity.