[aquawoman]

I hope I didnt make a dumb decision. I have a 55 gallon tank with 7 africans and 1 plecostamus. One of the females hasbeen holding for several weeks now. She doesnt eat at all and has been pretty much staying in this log and trying to stay away from the other fish. I dont have another tank setup to put her in to have her babies so they dont get eaten. I decided to cut a piece of plexiglass so that it fits flush up against the sides of the tank. I now have her in one side by herself and the other fish are on the other side of the plexiglass. Is there any danger in doing this? Will she spit her babies out now? What should I do next?

 

[Josh_Praetor]

When my Acei first started holding I immediately separated her into a different tank through fear that the fry might get eaten. She had about 20-25 fry, all of which died.
So the next time she was holding I left her in the main tank with 20 other Cichlids, and a vast majority of them survived. There is no point in separating them in my experience, others may disagree but as long as you have lots of hiding places and some that only fry can fit into, then you should do fine.
Survival of the fittest definently play a major role and trying to protect the fry too much doesn't benefit them at all.
:fish:
PS: What fish have been breeding?

 

[cichlidaholic]

Do you have filtration on both sides of the plexiglass? If not, I see problems there.

Kim

 

[aquawoman]

Do you have filtration on both sides of the plexiglass? If not, I see problems there.

Kim

Ooops...youve got a point there, I only have filteration on the side with the rest of the cichlids-not momma and babies-which by the way she did spit them out today! The heater is on her side though. i was looking at how tiny they are and there actually is a tiny enough gap at the top of the plexi that they could swim over into bad territory without momma to protect them. Suggestions?

 

[cichlidaholic]

Suggestions???

Get another tank. :wink:

Fry need pristine water and frequent feedings to develop and grow at a proper rate. It just can't be done well without a designated tank.

Kim

 

[MalawiLover]

...they could swim over into bad territory without momma to protect them. Suggestions?

They are no safer with Momma. Mbuna moms do not protect their fry at all. In fact, after a day or so, she will see them as food as well. If you have a lot of tiny hiding places in the tank, a few may survive, but if you want more of them to live you really need a second tank. It doesn't have to be a huge tank (I used a 20glong as my first fry tank) Just keep the water really clean. I did 50% water changes 2 times a week. They grew like weeds and I pretty much sell them all by the time they hit 2 inches.