Geophagus Stripping

[Miss_Morg]

My new mother G. steindacheri has been holding for nearly a week in water in the mid to upper seventies. (Spawning trigged by blackworms.) She is looking a little thin. Should I strip her, or let her raise the babies? I am all for the natural, old fashioned way of letting her do it, as I am not planning on selling the babies, but I do not want her to get sick. I would like to keep the babies for fun, however, so I do not want to throw them away. (I have tanks with plants for refuge and a quarantine tank with a sponge uplift, but I do not want to keep eggs in it, only fry.) Has anyone got a success story for me?

Thanks!
Morg

[URBANFLAGE]

I've had more success after the fry has become free swimming.

Brad

Miss_Morg" > wrote in message
.. .
:
: My new mother G. steindacheri has been holding for nearly a week in
: water in the mid to upper seventies. (Spawning trigged by blackworms.)
: She is looking a little thin. Should I strip her, or let her raise the
: babies? I am all for the natural, old fashioned way of letting her do
: it, as I am not planning on selling the babies, but I do not want her
: to get sick. I would like to keep the babies for fun, however, so I do
: not want to throw them away. (I have tanks with plants for refuge and a
: quarantine tank with a sponge uplift, but I do not want to keep eggs in
: it, only fry.) Has anyone got a success story for me?
:
: Thanks!
: Morg
:
:
: --
: Miss_Morg

[Miss_Morg]

I stripped her a few days ago (before I got this reply) and took about 2/3 of her brood. The remainder I let het keep. The fry lasted a week or so, then died (got sucked up to the filter/stuck in the algae). She spat out the rest of her fry in the main tank almost a week after I stripped her and the other fish ate them. I intend to separate her in a small holding tank with a sponge filter and food for the babies when she spawns again. I will take Brad's advice and let her do the dirty work.

I had no idea they could hold so many babies in their mouths!

[URBANFLAGE]

I also use a plastic guppy trap with the ends covered. I use filter bags cut
to shape and secured with rubberbands. other fish in the nursery tank will
"hit" on the sides of the trap and take the small fry through the slits (see
photo next post). I have also placed the mother mouthbrooder in the trap
itself because of overaggressive males that try to spawn again with them. I
currently have two pairs of convicts and a pair of nice Dempsey's spawning
in my 55 gal and over 200 assorted fry in my 40 gal. Over the years I have
had many types spawn, conpressiseps, arattus, Kribs, discus, bachardis and
may others I trade for credit at the LFS and it has, at times, become a self
funding hobby.

Brad


"Miss_Morg" > wrote in message
.. .
:
: I stripped her a few days ago (before I got this reply) and took about
: 2/3 of her brood. The remainder I let het keep. The fry lasted a week
: or so, then died (got sucked up to the filter/stuck in the algae). She
: spat out the rest of her fry in the main tank almost a week after I
: stripped her and the other fish ate them. I intend to separate her in
: a small holding tank with a sponge filter and food for the babies when
: she spawns again. I will take Brad's advice and let her do the dirty
: work.
:
: I had no idea they could hold so many babies in their mouths!
:
:
: --
: Miss_Morg