Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae

[cichlid-gal]

Well she probably has the babies and yes, the males will go after the females as soon as they spawn

 

[BallardFishGuy]

I'm waiting for her to release them...haven't seen it yet. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow as it seems past due. Although I know every fish is different...

 

[cichlid-gal]

She may keep those releases on the down low and look like she is holding for a long time when in fact she is releasing, letting them swim a bit, then taking them back in.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

That's exactly what I wondered and what I was going to ask you next! So i'll start feeding BBS daily then.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Just a tiny little bit of that and a tiny little bit of crumbled flake...not much of either as these guys are very little. When you see them out and about then you could up the amount some more.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Interesting, still haven't seen her release the fry, maybe she is only doing it at night or "in the weeds" as she mostly hangs out in the front of the tank where I can see her. I guess i'm just afraid they are starving if they are now fry and no longer eggs.

 

[fishyladdy]

why dont u just strip her Ballardfishguy?

 

[BallardFishGuy]

You're right I could but she is young and it's her first batch, so I'm going to let things be.

That being said I may put a breeders box in the tank and put her in there to get away from the others.
Did I mention how hard they are to catch!!!!!!

 

[Betty]

I think it's a great idea that you're not stripping a first time mom!  

Has she been eating anything at all?  Some of my mouthbrooders will take in a little bit of food while they are holding and I've wondered if the fry were getting fed.  I've also had them hold over their estimated time and the fry were okay. (No experience with the Victoriae, though.)

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Yeah I'll just keep watching her and making sure she's ok... if things don't look good I'll put her in the breeders cage.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Donna - a little progress (sort of) today...

I haven't been seeing the holding female eat and was worried about her so I enticed her with live black worms and that did the trick as she took some in albeit she had to spit her fry, or a few of them to eat. One unfortunately got eaten by the large male right away in the frenzy :cry: but two got away and I watched them and sucked them up with a baster and set them aside safely.

I then (after a while!!!) caught the female and put her in the breeding cage with the fry back in the main tank. I added a small cave and ferns and frogsbit to the cage so that she could hid still but I noticed the two fry are at the top and she is at the bottom...will they find her again or will they not come back to her? Just curious as this is a first for me.

:affraid: 

 

[cichlid-gal]

I'm not sure Ryan about the seperation of fry from Mom. Most of my fry remained low in the box not venturing far from Mom and Mom staying close to them. I'd just leave them now and let nature take its course. You don't want to stress her more than you have too and if she has more she will spit them eventually. Just give her time to recover before putting her back into the main tank.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

I just helped them find her way to them...gentle guidance with my finger pushed them down to her and then she scooped them up.  

Now I think i'll leave her in the cage a few weeks and make sure she is eating and make sure the fry are getting bigger...

 

[cichlid-gal]

Sounds good Daddy!!!!

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Now I just need to talk the wife into a bigger tank for these guys! : 

 

[Betty]

Donna, how long will the mom hold off on eating the fry?  With my other mouthbrooders, I wouldn't trust them with the babies more than two or three days after spitting them.  :shock:

 

[BallardFishGuy]

Betty - I believe from what Donna has told me she will care for them in her mouth for some time spitting them out and letting them go back in as needed. Donna was even telling me of some fry she had that were really big fish trying to swim back into mom's mouth.

Today she spit them because she was so excited for the live worms. She has now taken them back in once I reunited them.

 

[Betty]

That's awesome if the mom won't eat them for so many days after finally spitting them.  My experience is with Lake Malawi mouthbrooders and they will sometimes spit the fry out and let them back in while they still have a little bit of egg sack left, but normally when the fry are ready to be on their own, the only way they go back into the mom's mouth is as a meal.  My Tanganyikans are much better parents.

 

[BallardFishGuy]

That's awesome if the mom won't eat them for so many days after finally spitting them.  My experience is with Lake Malawi mouthbrooders and they will sometimes spit the fry out and let them back in while they still have a little bit of egg sack left, but normally when the fry are ready to be on their own, the only way they go back into the mom's mouth is as a meal.  My Tanganyikans are much better parents.

From an article online...

Unlike the better-known female mouthbrooding cichlids of Lake Malawi, which release their fry in the shallows and then move on, this tiny mother will continue to protect her fry for several days after release. She provides them a shelter at night and whenever danger threatens. After a couple of days, it is almost comical to see the nearly 100 juveniles try to dash back to their mother’s mouth when you walk up to the tank. I’ve seen so many juveniles that outgrew their mother’s mouth still trying so hard to get in that there were tails sticking out of her mouth and heads protruding from her gills – with even more trying to get in. This is why, for the mother’s health, it’s best to remove her as soon as she releases the fry and give her a couple days to recover before moving her back to the main tank.

 

[Betty]

Very cool.  I guess I better start doing some reading since I'm sure to have some females in this group. Thanks for the info.

BallardFishGuy, do you have any pics of yours?