# Help catching brooding females



## johnnymax (May 22, 2019)

I have raised only a couple of Tilapia, because they are eaten so fast I can't catch any. I can tell when a female is holding eggs in her mouth, because they do not eat when I feed them.
When I tried to catch a female it was crazy chaos!
They get stressed and the tank gets all stirred up.
Ant tips on catching clutching females?
They are in a 75g tank, 4' long.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Drain half the water, remove the rocks from 1/3 of the substrate, divide off that end of the tank and shoo the fish into that area.

Two big nets and go slow.


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## johnnymax (May 22, 2019)

Ok, I devised a way to catch one fish out of 10, in a 75g long tank with substrate, rocks and artificial plants. Not to mention a canister and HOB filters.
I thought long and hard on this and when I went to catch the female with a mouth full of eggs it took less than a minute.
Originally, I was going top make a net that was the size of the tank's ends. It would be a dividing wall I could put in the tank and move it toward the end and reduce the area to catch the fish. Then I thought, what about making two rectangle nets that together would make a wall, that I again could work the target fish toward the end and then catch her.
Well, I did not do that. I took two butterfly nets I got from Dollartree (My favorite store on the planet) and removed the handles. Each net is about 10" in diameter. I took one in each hand and I was able to corner the fish in the middle of the tank and push one net toward the front of the glass and catch her. Normally, the fish would dart away from the net and there would be an intense chase, but I was able to use the second net controlled by me other hand and keep her from darting away. Once I had her in the net with it pressed against the front glass, I just slid the second net between the first net and the front glass. I was then able to carefully raise her out of the water and into my new nursery tank.
I hope that made sense.
Here she is after releasing her into the nursery tank.


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## johnnymax (May 22, 2019)

Boy I caught her just in time!
I put her in the nursery tank and two days later I had to put her back in the community tank.
She spit out all her babies. I only counted about 70 or so...
Now what am I going to to with all of them? :-?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Thus the reason we let females spit in the adult tank, and/or have Synodontis for fry patrol. :thumb:


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## johnnymax (May 22, 2019)

DJRansome said:



> Thus the reason we let females spit in the adult tank, and/or have Synodontis for fry patrol. :thumb:


I am thinking about resealing my 65g tank and getting carnivorous fish that will eat the overflow of fry, or just let the adults in the adult tank have them. That is what has been happening.


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## johnnymax (May 22, 2019)

DJRansome said:


> Thus the reason we let females spit in the adult tank, and/or have Synodontis for fry patrol. :thumb:


Question? 
I know that Tilapia are a Cichlid that produce profusely, are there other Cichlids that are more common to Aquariums (and more colorful) that produce like crazy also?
I may switch my focus.....


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Many mbuna produce 20 fry on average per clutch.

Peacocks and haps are higher...60 might be an average.

Calvus I had 180 babies my first experience from raising fry from one mom.


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