# Pregnant Question



## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

Does it look like she is holding eggs?


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## aicardi (Sep 15, 2012)

Certainly looks like it. Do you have a profile shot?


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

Hows this?


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## aicardi (Sep 15, 2012)

I would say she is holding.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

That's what we were thinking. How long will she hold? Would it matter if the dad is an Electric Blue?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

deek3579 said:


> That's what we were thinking. How long will she hold? Would it matter if the dad is an Electric Blue?


The babies are ready to be free swimming between 21-28 days depending on temperature. Females often take babies back in their mouth for up to two months post spawn, if seperated from the rest of the tank.

I'm not sure what you mean would it matter if the dad is an Electric Blue. The fry will survive just fine, and be able to breed, but are hybrids and it isn't recommended to allow such fish out of your aquariums.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

I have an electric yellow cichlid and she is holding eggs right now. I have never knowingly had a fish breed before (I had a convict breed but we didn't know till we saw the fry). I noticed her and our electric blue doing some sort of dance thing. They were swimming in a circle and shaking their fins. Then last Friday i noticed the yellow one with puffy cheeks and jaw area. I'm a bit obsessed with finding everything out about this kind of thing so anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

So if you keep the fry she will have 20 or more babies and you will want to have enough tanks to keep them for the next 8 years.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

We will have enough room for sure. We only plan on keeping a few of the babies and killing the others or let them get eaten since they are a hybrid.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The average time of holding for mbuna is 28 days. Use the time now to get a tank ready (20G would be ideal...10G would be OK if you only keep six babies) to raise the fry. Start the filter for the fry tank up now on your existing tank running side-by-side with your existing filter. Run it this way for 14 days.

This allows some of the beneficial bacteria in the existing filter to migrate to the new filter so you do not have to cycle the fry tank.

Then on day 14 (no later than day 18) move the holding mom and the fry tank filter to the fry tank.

When she spits the babies remove her within 24-48 hours so she does not eat them.

Feed them a fry food like NLS Grow or crushed adult food 3 or 4 times daily. Otherwise maintain the fry tank like any other tank. Some people do more frequent water changes to make the fry grow faster but that is not essential.

If you want the adults in the main tank to eat all but six of the babies...I would put the unwanted babies in the main tank right away (same day they are spit). If you wait the adults may not cooperate by eating them.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

Is it bad that we already took her out of the main tank and put her in a 10g? She seemed pretty stressed in the main tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It's fine if the 10G is already cycled.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

It actually is a 5g. Sorry about the mix up. We took 5g of water from her main tank and put it in the 5g tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Well that means it is not cycled, since the beneficial bacteria lives in the filter media, not in the water. You need to test the water in the 5G daily and change it if you get any build-up of ammonia or nitrite.


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## deek3579 (Mar 5, 2013)

I'll have to check that! If you know of anything else that I might need to know I very grateful to learn!


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## dasgrim (Mar 1, 2013)

deek3579 said:


> It actually is a 5g. Sorry about the mix up. We took 5g of water from her main tank and put it in the 5g tank.


To quickly cycle your tank take the charcoal filter out of your cycled tank and shake some of the crud (good bacteria) into the new tank..
The other thing you have to worry about, aside from the tank cycle is her spitting out her fry out, or normally eating her fry during the move, for future reference. Stress her as little as possible. Have fun fish farming ;p


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