# re; moving female cichlid to new tank



## stargazer86 (Sep 22, 2011)

hi everyone

i have 2 female red top zebras in my tank with 1 male. this is the 3rd time these fish are breeding and this time its both females at the same time!!! yiyx

the first few times around i let things go naturally and although some fry survived....well lets just say mortality was wayyyyy high.
this time i`m a little more experienced so i want to separate the female and give the fry a safer environment. 

my question is when should i move the female cichlid to her own tank so that she can release her eggs? 
can this be done any time after the eggs have been fertilized? 

also, once i move her and she releases the fry, when should i put her back into her original tank? 

lastly, is aeration a critical part of the fry tank or no? the fry tank is 5 gallons only and has an undergravel filter which creates a lot of bubbles on the surface already.


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## Slopster (Mar 14, 2011)

Without an Egg Tumbler it's best to leave the female where she is 15 to 16 days then you can remove her and strip out the fry as they should be ready to go, possibly with some of the egg sack still attached. They will swim on there own.This way you can put the female back into the main tank and she won't lose her place in rank, just make sure to feed her right away, sometimes I like to put the female in a breeder net and let her feed in there. Remember they don't eat for close to 3 weeks so it's good to get her energy back up.
So when you noticed she was holding eggs count (rule of thumb) 18-21 days is around when she will release the fry..
Or if you have an egg tumbler strip her right away place eggs in tumbler, place female back into main tank..I do it this way and I have 90 percent survival rate on all my fry..

Cheers.


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## stargazer86 (Sep 22, 2011)

thanks Slopster...
another questions that came up, i thought i was only supposed to strip if the female refused to release the eggs, which this female has never done. Should i still strip her and put her back in the tank after feeding, or can i let her release the eggs naturally? 

I`m quite horrified of the stripping process lol. ive read it on several sites and i would rather avoid it unless its the only option i have.


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## Slopster (Mar 14, 2011)

stargazer86 said:


> thanks Slopster...
> another questions that came up, i thought i was only supposed to strip if the female refused to release the eggs, which this female has never done. Should i still strip her and put her back in the tank after feeding, or can i let her release the eggs naturally?
> 
> I`m quite horrified of the stripping process lol. ive read it on several sites and i would rather avoid it unless its the only option i have.


I strip my females as soon as I notice they are holding or about 3 days after i watch them spawn, but in my case I have egg tumblers to house the eggs.If you don't have an egg tumbler then let her carry the eggs till a couple of days before full term then strip her that way you will know that they are fry and still not eggs, or you can let nature takes it course, pls keep in mind that by moving her and chasing her around the main tank to move her you might stress her out and she will more than likley spit the eggs.
Sometimes it's a Balancing act
If your home during the week maybe if you want I could pop by and give you hand, show you the easiest way to strip them..
give me a call. 604-996-1976
Rob.


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

i think people make a huge deal about stripping the female for fry. I was kind of worried too but it has always worked for me except one time when i did it too early. I wait 20 days after she starts holding then i take the female out put her in another bucket with the same aquarium water then i just grab the fish gently making sure to not cover the gills i then take a toothpick and gently open the fishes mouth. All the fry swim out and i put the female back in the tank and feed her alot


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## stargazer86 (Sep 22, 2011)

Slopster said:


> I strip my females as soon as I notice they are holding or about 3 days after i watch them spawn, but in my case I have egg tumblers to house the eggs.If you don't have an egg tumbler then let her carry the eggs till a couple of days before full term then strip her that way you will know that they are fry and still not eggs, or you can let nature takes it course, pls keep in mind that by moving her and chasing her around the main tank to move her you might stress her out and she will more than likley spit the eggs.
> Sometimes it's a Balancing act
> If your home during the week maybe if you want I could pop by and give you hand, show you the easiest way to strip them..
> give me a call. 604-996-1976
> Rob.


Oh, you are so nice....i`m terribly sorry i didnt reply earlier. i`ve been bombarded with tests all week and the trend shall continue until sat afternoon yiyx!!!
I wasn`t home very much at all this week anyway and i wont be able to deal with the female until sat night. i`ll try to do the stripping then, based on what you and dino have said here and i`ll post the outcome on the forum. hopefully good :S

thank you again for your very kind offer! and so so sorry i didnt reply earlier


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## stargazer86 (Sep 22, 2011)

dino said:


> i think people make a huge deal about stripping the female for fry. I was kind of worried too but it has always worked for me except one time when i did it too early. I wait 20 days after she starts holding then i take the female out put her in another bucket with the same aquarium water then i just grab the fish gently making sure to not cover the gills i then take a toothpick and gently open the fishes mouth. All the fry swim out and i put the female back in the tank and feed her alot


thanks dino, as i told Rob i will attempt the stripping this sat and let you guys know how it goes.


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