curiousone
04-15-2007, 11:36 PM
Is stripping fry a good idea? I have noticed them in there for 3 weeks now.
She is a yellow lab and it is her (and my) first time.
x0x0x0
04-16-2007, 1:15 PM
I would just leave them alone, they are mouthbrooding cichlids afterall. They didn't evolve this way to be stripped.. but this is just my opinion.
kmail5776
04-16-2007, 4:54 PM
only if you're a commercial breeder and you are going for quantity
Mr.Firemouth
04-16-2007, 9:06 PM
I have bred fish for 25 years. Stripping fry is to ensure survival. By segregating the fry to a grow out tank they are fed easier, have no predators, and can grow faster if maintained properly.
The ultimate decision is whether or not you want to have lots of fry or not.
kmail5776
04-17-2007, 5:03 PM
Personally, IDK, but I sat in at a PCCA meeting where the speaker talked about her trip to Lake malawi. And she pretty much went over the pros and cons of stripping vs. parent rearing. Leaving the eggs to the parents, there's the chance of the female damaging/eating the eggs, or other fish eating the fry when they get a chance. Survival of the fittest. Its natural, they are mouthbrooders, after all. As for stripping, its unnatural, but you remove the eggs/larvae from the dangers of predation. After stripping, of course, the lady had a whole different tank setup for quarantine/rearing, with a bubbler, or a strainer basket to keep the eggs/fry. Of course, a breeder net in the tank might also work (but heard somehow the fish are still able to chew the fry, and suck them through the netting),
So yeah, it goes back to you. I personally would think letting the parents rear the fry would be more interesting. Stripping the fry would involve more work. So what did you choose?