# Cichlid Fry Dead After Released



## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Last night I netted female holding for about 23 days and put her in a 5 gallon empty cycled tank. She spat out by herself within 10 minutes and fry were moving yet unable to swim. Put the female back in the main the tank doing well. Fry are no longer moving and seems dead. What went wrong?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The fry may have needed to be in a tumbler. What type of cichlid? The commonly available Lake Malawi hold for an average of 28 days but usually by day 18 they are free-swimming.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you for the response. Victorian Cichlid, Fire Uganda. I thought it would be ok without tumbler since it has been 23 days.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

It does seem odd that they were not free swimming by then, but if the fry are not free swimming they usually need a tumbler.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you DJRansome. Will be getting tumbler for next time.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Different female holding tonight, day 1. Ordering tumbler!

How many days do I wait until putting in the tumbler? I want to minimize the stress on the female.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would wait 7 days and move her to the maternity tank and let her spit naturally.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you I will do that. I have a 2nd female holding a day after the 1st one started holding. Only setup i have available is 5 gallon, would it be ok to have them in the 5 gallon tank together until they spit naturally?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would leave the 2nd mom in the main tank until day 18.

Meanwhile you will need a 20G long or larger to raise one batch of fry to 2"...let alone 2 batches. So I would use the 10 days to get the larger tank set up and cycled and then you will have 2 maternity tanks.

Two holding moms in one tank is not ideal...may as well leave them in the main tank and strip at day 18. They will feel uncomfortable and wait as long as possible to spit.

But you can't raise the fry in a 5G anyway so once you get what you need for the fry...you will have what you need for the moms.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

1st mom released last night and now is back in the main tank. It is ok for me to move the 2nd mom in the 20g tank with fry?

Thank you DJRansome!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Congrats on the first batch, did you get 20 fry? You may need another 20G or a 55G in a month or 2 to raise 2 batches of 20.

I wouldn't. Either leave the 2nd mom in the main tank or if she is at 18 days strip her into the fry tank.

You want both sets of fry to be the same age (released at the same time) to have a chance of the original fry not killing the second batch.


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## krazyju84 (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you!

I counted 19 fry. 2nd Mom is at 17 days now so would it be okay to strip her in the next couple days in the same tank since the batch is only separated by couple days?

Just out of curiosity would batch size make a difference in what happened with original fry that did not make it? that batch had 34.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No batch size makes no difference to health.

How can you raise 40 cichlids to 2" in a 20G Long tank?

I would strip the mom now...one day of getting used to freedom versus newly spit disoriented fry makes a big difference.

You might strip the 2nd mom into a net box for a few days before you mix them. But I would have stripped her same time as 1st mom.


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