# Help -please



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

My female that I trapped still has not spit the fry its been a week should I be concerned . She is a tank of her own. Shes a Melanochromis Auratus think thats the name. Thanks Pat


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/stripping_fry.php

Try this if your worried...


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## sawman88 (Sep 29, 2008)

Alot of fish have lost the natural instinct to release their fry. so stripping is a necessaity. also In the wild the mother fish will realease them so she can eat and the fry can eat as well but this doesnt seem to be the case so as that link says your going to have to strp them. i strip fish all the time the more you do it the less they seem to care. i personally dont see anything inhumane about it.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I used to separate her into the fry tank and gently use my fingernail to pry her lower jaw open and let the fry out...under water as much as possible. Holding her with one hand either in the net or if she is not splashing around with my bare hand.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks guys for your help Ill leave her for another week and then strip her if I have to. I dont want to strip her too early.


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## Patrick (Dec 1, 2008)

I always let the female hold full term the first time. This serves the purpose of knowing if the female is a good mother or not, and also allows me to maintain records of how long different species brood. I remove the female from the breeding tank usually 5-10 days after the spawn. After she have released the fry for the first time I let her stay in the fry tank for 2-4 days to recover and eat.

Personally I do not want to breed on a female that does not hold full term. The reason why there are so many "bad" females is most likely because there is no natural selection and they have been stripped for generations. In the wild, the genes of a female that does no look after her offspring will not be carried on.

In the link to cichlid-forum there is a picture of how a person strips the female by holding the fish with a fishnet between the fingers and the fish. I don't recommend this as it's very easy to damage the slime coat this way. 

Instead, hold the female firmly with a clean wet hand. I hold her just above the water surface in a bucket with only her mouth touching the water. I find that she is more willing to spit the fry if the mouth is submerged. I use either a toothpick or a finger (depending on her size) to open her mouth. 

I hope I did not step on anyone’s toes; I just wanted to share some of my own experiences and opinions.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. No problem thats what we are here for I never take just one persons opinion you have to listen to each person then make up your own mind. Mom Spit them herself they are so cute there are 13 little ones I will try to get some pics . Pat


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## Patrick (Dec 1, 2008)

pat3612 said:


> Thanks for the advice. No problem thats what we are here for I never take just one persons opinion you have to listen to each person then make up your own mind. Mom Spit them herself they are so cute there are 13 little ones I will try to get some pics . Pat


Congrats


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