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What to do with holding Mbuna that died?

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Jread002 
#1 ·
One of my Mbuna (about 3 inch Kenyi cichlid), who had been holding for almost 2 weeks, died. I'm not totally sure why; I went away for a day and came back and the fish was dead under a rock. I suspect she was killed by another aggressive cichlid. However, my question is what should I do with the body of this dead fish? She was pretty close to spitting out the fry, and I think I actually see a few very tiny fry swimming around near her body. I am wondering if there are more fry still stuck in her mouth that I should get out. What should I do with the body to ensure maximum survival rate for the fry? FYI, I am not concerned about leaving a dead fish in my tank, as I know eventually my other fish will just eat the body (this has happened more than once in the past). I am only concerned about what I should do with the body of the dead mother to ensure maximum survival rate for her fry, and I am worried that some fry are stuck in her mouth.

Some other details (not sure if they are relevant):
I do not plan to remove the fry from this tank.
I have a ton of rocks with small holes for the fry to hide.
I have about 12 cichlids in the tank at the moment, some adults and some juveniles.

My only question is about what to do with the mother's body for the fry, specifically if I need to get trapped fry out of the dead mothers mouth. I am not asking about why the fish died or anything like that.

If there is a better place to post this question, please let me know.
 
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#6 ·
Cichlider23 said:
@DJRansome Why should I not leave the dead fish? Does it have anything to do with the fate of the fry?
It has more to do with the fate of all the other fish in the tank. Decaying fish will have a detrimental effect on your water quality. Also the fish that died could have been diseased. ( im not trying to worry you).leaving the fish n the tank,will likely end up having it getting picked at and eaten on. If there was disease it could spread more easily if left in.
 
#7 ·
Cichlider23 said:
@DJRansome Why should I not leave the dead fish? Does it have anything to do with the fate of the fry?
I can't think of much that would foul your water faster the a dead fish; the life and health of every fish in the tank (including fry) is at stake if you leave a dead fish in the tank. Nitrates will rise pretty quickly. Pull out the dead fish, open it's mouth and check for fry and dispose of the body.
 
#8 ·
Checked the dead fish mouth for fry; there were none. Thanks for your guys advice.

BTW, I didn't wish to discuss the effects of a decaying fish on my water quality or other tank mates with this post. Only wanted input on whether the fry could be stuck in the mothers mouth.
 
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