Is my fish holding? *Edit* I have fry!

[Fishyfanatic]

I have 1 male and 1 female Maylandia callainos in the 150 [acronym:454f2dab99="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:454f2dab99] tank. Last night I was doing my nightly check on all of the fish to make sure they are healthy and acting normal. The female was hovering inside of the rock structure and wouldn't come out. I fed the fish and she stayed where she was. Later on I noticed her chasing away other fish from the structure. I inspected her closer and see that she has what looks like something black in her mouth. She also has a bulge on the underside. She isn't closing her mouth completly but is moving her jaw quicker than she used to.

I didn't know what to think of this so I set up the 10 [acronym:454f2dab99="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:454f2dab99] [acronym:454f2dab99="quarantine or quart depending on context"]QT[/acronym:454f2dab99] with a sand substrate, decor from the 150, and water from the tank (so I didn't have to stress her by acclimating into fresh water). The filter has been running on the 150 for about 6 weeks now, so it is seeded. I added the decor because I thought that if she was holding, then she would feel more at home with the similar surroundings.

Is she holding eggs? They may not be black, but a darker coloration than her body (she's light blue). If she's not holding, then it looks like something is stuck in her mouth. She has not eaten since I have found the "stuff" in her mouth. What is going on? I tried searching online for pics but can't find any to tell if they are eggs.

Here's a pic of her.

[FishCrzy]

I can say with 99 percent certainty that she IS holding.

[Fishyfanatic]

YEAH! Thanks. Could it possibly be anything else besides holding?

[rich311k]

The throat looks expanded and she looks in great health and color. I would say she is holding.

[Fishyfanatic]

Thanks guys. I was very concerned when I saw her last night because I have never had a mouthbrooding fish have fry. I've never seen one before. We've only had mollies breed before.

[Toirtis]

I concur...looks like she has a mouthful....congrats.

[Fishyfanatic]

This morning I went in to do the morning feeding and turn on the lights. As soon as I clicked the light I saw a fry swimming next to the mother. She quickly scooped it into her mouth. I sat and watched for a while and noticed that there are two more swimming around the tank. She swam towards them but I guess they are independent little guys beacuse they swawm away and wanted to be in the open. I can't believe this. She has apparently been holding for some time now and I never noticed it. I'll post pics later.

[Jchillin]

Alright FF!!! That is amazing! I guess that with everything you were previously thinking, this has come as both a comfort and a surprise.

[Fishyfanatic]

I just went back in there with the camera and found about 20 fry released. It's probably a few more, but they were hiding and kept moving. I can't believe this went so fast. Friday I see the bulge and on Sunday they are all swimming around. The mother is back in the 150. The fry are hanging together in the 10 [acronym:fc586413cc="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:fc586413cc], some are venturing off, but come back pretty quickly. The mother looks like normal, doesn't look weak. This is so exciting. My first batch of African fry. And they just happent to be the beautiful Cobalts. Here's some pics:

[Fishyfanatic]

And I am VERY glad that I took her out of the 150 when I did. Who knows how many fry would have survived. I was actually going to setup the 29 [acronym:8ab8aba29b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:8ab8aba29b] for just her (take out the parrots and such) this afternoon hoping that it would provide less stress and a larger environment, but she beat me to it.