Do Parents always eat the fry?

[ragin_cajun]

I have a male and female Midas in a 125, with a big cloud of fresh hatched fry. 3rd or 4th batch, and I've got enough Midas fry now.

The last batch, they ate all the fry, and started laying eggs a few days after.

This batch, I'd like to keep the fry, AND separate the pair so I don't get more fry. If I remove just the male from the 125, will the mother still eat the fry after a couple weeks? Or does she only do that because the male's in the tank and wanting her to lay eggs?

Would I have a better chance of keeping the fry if I left the male in the tank with the fry and move the female?

Or do fish just eat the fry after a week or two no matter what?

I don't have enough tanks to separate the Midas pair, AND keep the fry in the 125.

 

[Ihsnshaik]

I had over 20k of fry from my Midas pair easily so I can tell you this every cichlid if their spawning again will make room for their new children by eating the fry. Its natural behavior. Mine didn't but mine were out in a 200 gallon tank to themselves. Out of like 2000 fry I had two dozen live. When I had them In their own tank I only let 300 or so grow out and let parents or overflow take the babies.


All you need is a 40 gallon breeder and put the fry in there.

Chances are tons are going to be eaten for them to prepare for next batch.

Leave parents in the big tank and take fry out. Watch your hands they will attack. I wait two weeks right before I see her tube and net all the fry out that I want.

My Midas pair started out from 50-100 to 2-3k! Male was 15.5" female was 8"

 

[Cichlasomasteve]

I have a male and female Midas in a 125, with a big cloud of fresh hatched fry. 3rd or 4th batch, and I've got enough Midas fry now.

The last batch, they ate all the fry, and started laying eggs a few days after.

This batch, I'd like to keep the fry, AND separate the pair so I don't get more fry. If I remove just the male from the 125, will the mother still eat the fry after a couple weeks? Or does she only do that because the male's in the tank and wanting her to lay eggs?

Would I have a better chance of keeping the fry if I left the male in the tank with the fry and move the female?

Or do fish just eat the fry after a week or two no matter what?

I don't have enough tanks to separate the Midas pair, AND keep the fry in the 125.

I also have the same problem my midas eat there frys. After three days they're all gone.

 

[Skalper666]

I've kept some cichlids with their fry for monthes before I took them out. They never bothered them. But that was after many unsuccessful and then successful frys.

 

[duanes]

I have had both experiences, sometimes where the pair spawn again and the older fry eat the younger fry. I often wondered if it is instinctual behavior to spawn again and produce a sacrificial spawn, as food for older fry.
But of course its happened many times that the parents just eat the older ones.
I usually remove the male soon after the spawn, of siphon out fry.