Netting out geos while holding

[DaveB]

My orangeheads breed every two weeks but they never succeed because by the time the eggs become wigglers and they release them into pits, the catfish gradually pick them off. There's also some current from the 2 FX5s in the tank that make it even more of a challenge.

I'd like to net them out when they first pick up their eggs, but I'm worried that this might cause them to swallow them. Has anyone ever done this?

I'd just divide the tank with some egg crate, but I think the current would still cause problems and maybe eventualy carry the eggs across the divider. I have a nice breeding/growout tank that would hold them and let them be parents to the fry. Should I try to move them to it?

 

[Toxic Fish 9999]

if it was me i would get rid of the cat fish and just adjust the flow intack diffrent gl man hope things work out

 

[Toby_H]

I have a breeding colony of 25 Red Hump Geos (different speceis than you have, but same breeding style)... I have 3~6 holding mommas at all times...

Every couple months I do a thorough cleaning and move driftwood around and such. In doing so I catch any holding momma I can and steal her young. First time mommas sometimes swallow their eggs/babies... experienced mommas hold them until I strip them.

I only keep fry that are striped. The few times I've striped a momma and found eggs I released her with the eggs. I'm used to raising fry and know how to do that well, I have no interest in trying to hatch eggs of a mouthbrooding Cichlid outside of the momma...

My tank has too much competition for any of the mommas to successfully raise a brood in the tank.