My Lab. Hongi female has spit tonight and I have 15-20 fully formed and healthy-looking fry! They are a lot larger than the Albino Socolofi fry were when they were first spit by their mom. They're taking to powdered flake aggressively. Their dad is my avatar image on this post. Wooo hoo!!

I have her in the isolation tank, and the fry are hanging out under a rock and some plastic plants I put in there to make her feel comfortable.

I'd like to get her out of there (having decided not to strip her and let her spit) without getting her freaked so she takes some fry back in her mouth.

Anyone have a good technique for doing this without letting her pick up any fry? Help!

Thanks!

Don

Don, you might try darkening the tank for a bit and putting her into "sleep mode" and then turn the lights back on and catch her quickly.

Actually, this is one of the main reasons I prefer stripping. I can't stand the thought of putting a female back into the main tank with even one fry still in her mouth...And if I leave them in with the fry too long or until they lose interest, I'm afraid they will eat them!

Kim

As Kim said, turn tank lights on and sneak up on her, she won't have time to scoop any in her mouth!

My schedule this week made a nighttime invasion difficult and I was getting worried about her eating the babies, so I went in tonight and netted her -- I suspect she got 1 or 2 babies in her mouth but the rest are fine.

I have her in a floating breeding box with the latticed floor in place. If she has any fry in her mouth and spits them again they should drop through the grate into the lower compartment, where she can't pick them up again.

This got one fry out of my Socolofi last time as I waited a day. I may give my Hongi 3 days to see if I can get her to spit whomever she's protecting.

I'll keep you posted!

Don

She was eating normally and getting frazzled this morning, with no fry spit into the breeding box. The time this worked for me it worked the first night, so I revised my plan and returned her to the main tank.

Seemed like she had no fry in her mouth, but I'll never know. worry wart!

It's impossible to tell sometimes, even when you've got two people looking down into what seems to be an empty mouth! We noticed we have a tiny little one braving the elements in one of our 55G tanks this weekend. I have no clue what it is, everything in there has been spawning, but if it survives this bunch, it's one tough little fish!

Kim

Congrats, Don on your successful spawn! the Clap the Clap

I love the Hongi! Drooly

I just wish I could find more than the one
lonely fish I now have. I don't even know the
sex of this Hongi! dumb dumb

In my adult pair, the male has many egg spots and spends much more of his time a barred lavendar color. His anal fin is pronouncedly longer and more pointed, and he is somewhat more aggressive that the female. My avatar is a tiny photo of him.

The female spends more of her time a matte purple, though she can flash the lavendar shade. She has only a couple of egg spots, and a more rounded anal fin. They both have bright yellow dorsal fins and long pelvic fins.

Hope this helps! I really love this species, their beauty and their constant color changes.

BTW, once I actually got a good count on the fry I think I have 14. As I commented above, I'll never know if she went back in the main tank with any in her mouth. I have some ideas I want to try on my next holding female to avoid such worries.

Don

The young Yellow Lab at my office spit this weekend as well (maybe 8 fry?), and unlike the Hongi she is hyper-defensive about picking up the babies.

Since I already have taken a chance by not stripping her, I'm going to risk it and leave her in a little longer and see if I can get a better moment to get her into the breeders box.

Once I do get her out of there, would it be OK to mix the Yellow Labs and Lab Hongi fry since they're about the same age? The Hongi were spit considerably larger than the Yellow's on this pass.

It should be fine to mix those together as fry, Don.

Post up some pics!

Kim