[RRasco]

Is it okay to strip fry after a day or two of holding? I usually see people say they strip after 2-3 weeks, but why? Is it a space issue or is there a benefit to the mother brooding for a while? I have a female in a tank where the male is still dancing and bugging her, while she has a mouthful already. I want to strip now, just noticed her holding yesterday. Are there any repercussions to this?

 

[AZcichlidfreak]

I would wait for a few days before stripping her and starting to tumble just to make sure the eggs are fertile.

 

[DJRansome]

If you want to raise the fry you would need to tumble the eggs and many of us don't want that.

In some cases the eggs are not fertilized and it might be irritating to tumble eggs that are duds. Usually the mom will spit eggs that are not fertilized after a week so waiting that long might save you the occasional waste of time.

I find it easier just to make sure there are enough females in the tank for the male to harass and leave the mom in the tank for 18 days.

 

[RRasco]

I don't mind tumbling them. I'll take my roll of the dice. I stripped her this evening, she was looking like she was getting harassed a bit too much for my liking. I only have one female, been looking for more. Are there any indications of unfertilized eggs to look for?

 

[Guams]

They will turn from orange to white. Once they go white, get them out of the tumbler right away since you don't want them ruining any healthy eggs.