From what I've read, you're suppose to remove the male after he fertilized the eggs which can take about an hour. I did this and let the female take care of the eggs and she constantly fanned the eggs to clean them and even removed the white (unfertilized) eggs. I then siphoned the eggs once they hatched into a 10 gallon tank and started to feed them once they could swim on their own. I also read that you can leave them fry with the female as long as she doesnt eat the eggs or babies. And she will raise them on her own.