Strange spitting behaviour

[Zagz]

My electric yellow that has been holding, started spitting her fry. Now here's the strange part, she spits 3-5 a day and keeps the rest! I've had other mouth brooders and they spit all at once! Is this something to worry about? I want to be able to feed her and get her back to her regular tank but after 15 fry it's a lot harder to tell if she is still holding. I'll have to wait a day to see if there are any more fry.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

 

[DeathWarp]

I have seen something similar to that before by that exact species. I'm hoping other memebers of the forum will not crucify me for this, but I manually removed the fry by tipping the mother upside down over the water and lightly squeezing the jaws until all the fry dropped. Before anyone wants to surgically remove my head, the fry did VERY well and we're all given to homes where they're recieving 3 meals a day, a clean bed and shower

 

[Zagz]

I will strip her if I feel her health requires it, as of now though she is doing fine. Other than searching for the fry I removed trying to scoop them back up. Personally I think she is overprotective.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I've never had cichlids other than rams, but could it be possible that the fry are just getting too big, forcing her to possibly spit out a few here and there?

 

[PauloSilva]

Death- that is common practice when it come to mouthbrooders. we all do it.

 

[Billsgate]

Death- that is common practice when it come to mouthbrooders. we all do it.

I don't think the fry that are spit out are dead......are they?

Maybe she's holding on to the fry as long as she can, and assuming that they keep growing bigger and bigger she releases some so the others have room to grow some more? Just a guess...

 

[An t-iasg]

I think when PauloSilva said "Death- that is common practice when it come to mouthbrooders. we all do it." he/she was talking to member DeathWarp, and not that the fry were dead.

 

[Billsgate]

I think when PauloSilva said "Death- that is common practice when it come to mouthbrooders. we all do it." he/she was talking to member DeathWarp, and not that the fry were dead.

I stand corrected...
Excuse the mistake!

 

[Zagz]

I thought that too on the first read. She seems to be a very protective momma IMO.

 

[DeathWarp]

Ok good.. I didnt want to seem cruel for manually removing the fry