Since we're moving our offices I brought the fish from my work aquarium home to a tank I freed up for them. At the same time I separated out a holding Cop. Azureus mom and a holding Yellow Lab mom.

I know this was two stresses at once. The Cop. Azureus mom spit about 3 egg-sac fry in the plastic container as I was acclimating her to the water in the new tank. The fry had big enough sacs that they couldn't really swim.

I put her and the fry in the breeder box I set up for her, in the hope she'll pick them up again. I figured that if I tried to take care of them separately they'd have problems, and I think she may have more in her mouth. She's a first-time Mom.

I looked in the breeder box a couple of hours later and saw no fry separate from her, though they could have been eaten or be in the strands of the plastic plant I put in there.

Any advice? I'm still freaked about trying to strip females, especially when I know the fry are not yet viable.

Thanks!

Don't worry she probably picked them back up when she had some privacy. You could buy an egg tumbler or make one to tumble the little guys in. I've made one and I think Aura might have tried one too.

I agree with cturner; she most likely picked them back up. Good Job

I did make an egg tumbler after seeing how easy it was for cturner! It's best to make one before you actually need it. That way you can take your time and get it right. My first time I just threw one together in a panic because a fish had unexpectedly spit out all of her eggs. It was a comedy of errors on my part.

If the egg sac fry are able to move or bounce around on their own, they will probably be fine without being tumbled. I would just insure that they have good water circulation in whatever you keep them isolated in.

Do you know how long the mom was holding?

Looks like she ate them. Oh, well -- next time we'll get fry. fishy