# yellow lab



## balachel (May 24, 2008)

hey this is the first time *** had a fish holding and i want to know how long they normally hold for it is a yellow lab or Labidochromis caeruleus .


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## NYjets51 (Feb 10, 2008)

28 days I believe


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

ok thank you if anybody thinks its different let me know and i dont really know what to do with her should i put her in a new tank how do i get the fry out idk anything about this stuff please help me.


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## NYjets51 (Feb 10, 2008)

You can put her in her own 10 gal tank if you see she's getting really stressed out. They don't eat while they are holding and if they get too stressed by other fish they could swallow the eggs. So just keep watching and see if shes ok. You don't NEED to do anything to get the eggs out, she will spit the babies out when she is ready, although sometimes when its the mothers first time she might eat them before she spits. If you want the babies to survive make sure theres a lot of hiding places between rocks where bigger fish cant go.


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

im going to put her in a 10 gallon and leave the babies in there till they are big enough to go in the other tank. thanks for your help


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

when the female is holding does she open her mouth like she is breathing constantly?


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## dielikemoviestars (Oct 23, 2007)

Slightly yes. There will be enough room between her "lips" to barely see the eggs.

You might not want to keep the babies unless you're positive they're pure...


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

balachel said:


> im going to put her in a 10 gallon and leave the babies in there till they are big enough to go in the other tank. thanks for your help


IMO the best choice. It might prove to be difficult to catch her, take it easy and take breaks if needed so as to not stess her out.
Buy a sponge filter and get it running in the main tank ASAP then in about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks take it and 5g or so of tank water along with some substrate if desired to the 10g and add the new momma. :thumb:


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Just another option as I hate chasing a mamma around my tank and stressing everyone out . . . I built a "fry pile" in my main tank at the suggestion of someone on this forum. I used round river rock mostly and no openings were large enough for any other fish to get in. The mama lab (twice) spit into the fry pile. At this point, only two have survived and grown up (about oneinch or a bit less), but I wasn't really caring about breeding, just wanted to give them a fighting chance and give mamma someplace to spit into.


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

is it normal for the fry to go back in th mothers mouth after she has them


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

sometimes if they feel frightened. but not usually after 30 days. around 20-25 days you can see them popping in and out of her mouth.

and yes holding mothers look like they are chewing bubble gum. :lol:


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

ok well she had them today and first i saw 4 then 8 now none so i was wondering what was going on


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

is her mouth swollen again. She may have rounded them all back up. If you dont see any bulge or any babies then momma had herself a snack


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

here's a couple of vids of a peacock with her fry. I put them in a 10gal.
http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd84 ... nghome.flv
http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd84 ... mnkids.flv
Labs will do the same thing.


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

ok thank you


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

how long should i leave the mom in with the fry


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## chapman76 (Jun 30, 2004)

I typically give them 3-5 days to eat well and recover. Then back in the big tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

chapman76, 5 days with the fry? And she never eats any?


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Both of my L. Mbamba have gone that long or more without eating her fry, usually for days 2-3 she will spit them when calm and eat food when offered then may gather them back up, then about day 5 or so she spits for good, then back to the main tank.


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## chapman76 (Jun 30, 2004)

DJRansome said:


> chapman76, 5 days with the fry? And she never eats any?


Not that I've ever seen. My grow out tanks are a bit different than some peoples though. I have a decent amount of lace rock tightly stacked on one side so that fry can get in and with any real size cannot. The moms have always typically hid in the small pot I have on the other side. The only moms I let spit are some of my mbuna. Most haps I strip.


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

how long should i leave the mom in with them


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

If the fry have good places to hide from her, I'd leave her in there for a couple days but no longer.


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