Dear Pam,
Hooray I have bred my Lethrinops lethrinus pair and its been a couple of weeks that Mom has been incubating her babies. When would be a good time to strip her of her fry?? Is it ever to early to strip the fry?
Sonny
Stripping Lethrinops lethrinus
Moderator: Pam Chin
Dear Sonny,
Congratulations!! Lethrinops lethrinus is a beautiful fish, some call it the "Geophagus" of Lake Malawi, because it likes to sift in the substrate. The only drawback is having to wait so long for that silver fish to turn into a mature male, before its intense colors will knock your socks off. You can strip the female anytime after the spawning has been completed and you are sure the eggs have been fertilized. Place the eggs in your "Egg Tumbler" and watch them develop before your eyes, it will take about 21 Â 28 days. The more eggs you hatch out the easier the task becomes, and you will find yourself stripping earlier and earlier. There are many different types of "Egg Tumblers" everyone has different style, but the principal is still the same. You want to gently rotate the eggs. Check out everyone else's tumblers and then come up with your own invention!! If you didn't want to strip the female, you could remove her to her own quarters, to brood. In about the same time she will release her fry.
Editor note: For a great "Egg tumbler" design look into Ted Judy's article
How and Why I Use a Dependaable Egg Tumbler for Mbuna found at http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a049.html
Congratulations!! Lethrinops lethrinus is a beautiful fish, some call it the "Geophagus" of Lake Malawi, because it likes to sift in the substrate. The only drawback is having to wait so long for that silver fish to turn into a mature male, before its intense colors will knock your socks off. You can strip the female anytime after the spawning has been completed and you are sure the eggs have been fertilized. Place the eggs in your "Egg Tumbler" and watch them develop before your eyes, it will take about 21 Â 28 days. The more eggs you hatch out the easier the task becomes, and you will find yourself stripping earlier and earlier. There are many different types of "Egg Tumblers" everyone has different style, but the principal is still the same. You want to gently rotate the eggs. Check out everyone else's tumblers and then come up with your own invention!! If you didn't want to strip the female, you could remove her to her own quarters, to brood. In about the same time she will release her fry.
Editor note: For a great "Egg tumbler" design look into Ted Judy's article
How and Why I Use a Dependaable Egg Tumbler for Mbuna found at http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a049.html