[YeLLowLab60]

it looks like i have demasoni holding..her mouth is slightly swollen but drops farther than the rest and she was very active and aggressive but now fins tucked in and hiding. I just barely found out as I write this it was sort of an accident so im not sure how long shes been holding. i need to know about how long they hold until they spit? she is still quite small just a lil over an inch so i want to careful. also i know eggspots arent usually a gender factoring difference with monomorphic fish but i read that only male demasoni carry them is this true?

 

[Joea]

Malawi cichlids typically hold anywhere from 21 to 28 days. It can vary with water temperature, higher temperatures often mean shorter holding periods. If she's that young and this is her first time holding, there's a good chance she won't keep them full-term.

I've had females with egg spots and males without.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

Yea i've read that is there anything i can do to help her keep them full-time? and so the egg spots aren't proof 4 anything huh

 

[Super Turtleman]

The egg spots are not a reliable source for sexing. They're just there.

I don't think there is anything you can do to help her keep them to full term (besides stripping the eggs and tumbling them). It's best to just wait and see...patience is the key. Good luck! :thumb:

 

[YeLLowLab60]

so even if i placed her in her own tank it wouldn't help?? and since the demasoni are dwarfs does this mean that they take less time to hold than bigger mbuna? also say she doesn't hold full term how long does it take until she spawns again?

 

[TheeMon]

i know you cant "rely" on the egg spots, but in my demasoni ONLY the males have the egg spot, and its only 1 egg spot. its kinda kool

 

[Super Turtleman]

You can put her in her own tank to keep her from being harassed...but as far as her holding them or swallowing them, it just comes down to her experience. I bet there probably are some circumstances that affect whether she successfully holds them or not, but I'm not aware of what they are.

As stated above, they will hold them around the 21-28 day range. Mine seem to go about 4-6 weeks before they spawn again.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

Oh okay thanks i appreciate it.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

will the male sit and protect the holding female from other tankmates?

 

[DJRansome]

No, he will continue trying to breed with her and generally make a pest of himself.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

Otay....well i guess i was late to the news of my female Demasoni holding, today I went out to my LFS and bought the floating plastic breeder net along with other things for a new 40gal breeder tank. Anyways we caught her and were able to put her in the net and about an hour ago i found a fry in there swimming freely, she has more in her mouth but hasn't released them, I'm so excited and happy that she held on long term and handle herself really well. It's just crazy because it seems that I did everything just in time you know I'm glad she didn't spit the little too soon. I did have a question though how long would it be before she spits the rest of them?

 

[DJRansome]

She could spit them in and out for another week, IME.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

I woke up today to 4 new Demasoni fry I'm not sure if she has more so I'm going to wait a lil longer to just be on the safe side. They're so small and look dead on like mom even as new borns. They're also really quick seem to already be showing each other who's boss very entertaining. I crushed up some cichlid formula flakes into a powder for them to eat. Is there something else i should feeding them and is this a good number for mom considering her size or should there be more?

 

[Joea]

Young Ps. demasoni often have very small clutches. Four could be all there is, but she may have a few more. If you gently pry open her mouth, you should see if there are any more or not.

What you're feeding is fine, just be sure to keep the amount you feed very small.

Also be aware that adult fish can suck fry through fry nets and breeder boxes. If there are any adult fish in the tank these fry are in, I would consider moving the fry to a tank of their own.

 

[Super Turtleman]

Yes, a 10G tank would be a quick and cheap way to give them their own space. If you've got time, read through this post to see how I set up for the fry. Just be warned, once they start breeding, they don't stop. If you plan on saving and growing all the fry, you'll be very busy.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=166850

 

[YeLLowLab60]

Yea, I think one the adult fish got one of them I only have 3 now so I'm going to set up theur own tank today to reduce anymore chances of losing them. The mother doesn't seem to have anymore she's eating well and fighting with others through the breeders net which looks funny haha, but yea idk the fish could suck thorough the box as well thanks for mentioning it. I'll start reading through the post after i post this thanks 4 the help.

 

[YeLLowLab60]

Well the 3 fry are doing really good and growing really fast its crazy..I can't wait to get more but I have a few questions.

SuperTurtleman, I read through your post and you mentioned fry piles I wanted to know what they were exactly? Also I see how busy you were do you still have all the Demasoni and were you able to sale them successfully if you did at all?

 

[YeLLowLab60]

I have another female holding as of 2day now i have a 10 gallon housing the 3 1wk old fry should I leave her in for a while then remover her? Also could she be housed with the fry without any huge problems?

 

[YeLLowLab60]

here's a few pics of the holding female and some of the fry

they are about 1week and some days old now sorry for the quality all i have is a cell
phone for now. I have 2 females holding as of 2day they went happy-go-lucky after a WC
:roll: hahahaha

 

[YeLLowLab60]

I currently have about 8 Demasoni fry 3 about 3wks old and the other 5 were just spat 2day, I also have another female holding ready to spit anyday now with two more holding in my main tank, my question is around how old can the fry be mixed all 2gether period without being worried about losses??