I have a pair of labs that are starting to breed on a regular basis. We are up to our third pregnancy now. The past two times though they have only produced one fry that I have seen. Is this typical? Two things I thought of is 1) this is just because they arn't used to it or 2) something is killing the other fry. Any thoughts or do they just have single babies per batch?
Yellow Labs
- Thread starter R.A.C.K
- Start date
What else do you have in the tank? In my experience, they are a little more prolific then you are experiencing, maybe something is eating them?
Wow, 20-40. Looks like if I strip them I'll need a tank just for them. I've seen in a book you can strip them by putting them in a basting tube, but how do you know when to do it? Also if she is scared due to all the effort it will take to catch her will she drop the fry anyways?
Edit: other tank mates included a german red female peacock and an unknown sex Hongi, but they have been removed since the last birthing. Now it is just other labs and acei.
Edit: other tank mates included a german red female peacock and an unknown sex Hongi, but they have been removed since the last birthing. Now it is just other labs and acei.
yeah you should strip her after about 3 weeks? im not sure i forget how long i would wait but you want to do it before she spits them out on her own and eats them all and you would need a separate tank for the fry. i dont think she would spit them out if you tried to catch her
I keep my fry in a Petsmart 10 gallon set up. It works good for growing out the first few weeks and is usually on sale for around $20. I am going to have to get a second one soon. You will need to add a heater.
I start with making sure my egg tumbler is ready just in case the fry aren't free swimming yet. If they are still in the egg stage, they go in the tumbler. If they are fry with egg sac still attached, I put them in a breeder net inside the 10g (so that the netting buffers the filtration flow). If they are healthy, free swimming fry, they go right in the tank. I usually try to strip at the 1 to 2 week mark. The holding fish isn't eating and the sooner you can get the fry stripped, the sooner she starts eating again. You can isolate the fish of course and let her release naturally...but, you might have problems introducing her back into the main tank. Stripping seems to be a good alternative for many reasons.
I start with a plastic bucket about half full of tank water. I catch the fish and put her in it. I have never had one release at this time, but stress can cause a lot of problems of course and she may spit them out, but doubtful. I get two oral syringes ready (usually, one will do, but I have a second ready just in case). The style I use is like this:
Once ready, I make sure my hands are wet from tank water and I carefully pick her up in my palm. I hold her so that when I am making a fist, her belly is against my fingertips, her dorsal fin is against my palm and her head/face is sticking out between my thumb and index finger. Of course, handle her carefully.
Facing her at a slight downward angle, face first towards the water, I use the syringe tip to carefully pry her lower jaw open. It's actually a lot easier than it may seem. Once open, I give the syringe a steady, slow squeeze. You have to keep the syringe off to the side to allow room for the fry/eggs to pass. You may have to do this a few times to insure all the fry are out. Every so often, dip the fish and your hand back in the water to keep her wet. The whole process should take less than a couple of minutes tops.
Be prepared, the sight of a bunch of dark, squiggly things pouring out of your fish's mouth can catch you off guard the first time or two. Once it's over, I put the female back in her tank first, then take care of the fry.
Again, it's a lot easier than it may seem at first. The main thing is to work carefully and to have everything ready prior.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask.
I start with making sure my egg tumbler is ready just in case the fry aren't free swimming yet. If they are still in the egg stage, they go in the tumbler. If they are fry with egg sac still attached, I put them in a breeder net inside the 10g (so that the netting buffers the filtration flow). If they are healthy, free swimming fry, they go right in the tank. I usually try to strip at the 1 to 2 week mark. The holding fish isn't eating and the sooner you can get the fry stripped, the sooner she starts eating again. You can isolate the fish of course and let her release naturally...but, you might have problems introducing her back into the main tank. Stripping seems to be a good alternative for many reasons.
I start with a plastic bucket about half full of tank water. I catch the fish and put her in it. I have never had one release at this time, but stress can cause a lot of problems of course and she may spit them out, but doubtful. I get two oral syringes ready (usually, one will do, but I have a second ready just in case). The style I use is like this:
Once ready, I make sure my hands are wet from tank water and I carefully pick her up in my palm. I hold her so that when I am making a fist, her belly is against my fingertips, her dorsal fin is against my palm and her head/face is sticking out between my thumb and index finger. Of course, handle her carefully.
Facing her at a slight downward angle, face first towards the water, I use the syringe tip to carefully pry her lower jaw open. It's actually a lot easier than it may seem. Once open, I give the syringe a steady, slow squeeze. You have to keep the syringe off to the side to allow room for the fry/eggs to pass. You may have to do this a few times to insure all the fry are out. Every so often, dip the fish and your hand back in the water to keep her wet. The whole process should take less than a couple of minutes tops.
Be prepared, the sight of a bunch of dark, squiggly things pouring out of your fish's mouth can catch you off guard the first time or two. Once it's over, I put the female back in her tank first, then take care of the fry.
Again, it's a lot easier than it may seem at first. The main thing is to work carefully and to have everything ready prior.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask.
CLDarnell;4889620; said:I keep my fry in a Petsmart 10 gallon set up. It works good for growing out the first few weeks and is usually on sale for around $20. I am going to have to get a second one soon. You will need to add a heater.
I start with making sure my egg tumbler is ready just in case the fry aren't free swimming yet. If they are still in the egg stage, they go in the tumbler. If they are fry with egg sac still attached, I put them in a breeder net inside the 10g (so that the netting buffers the filtration flow). If they are healthy, free swimming fry, they go right in the tank. I usually try to strip at the 1 to 2 week mark. The holding fish isn't eating and the sooner you can get the fry stripped, the sooner she starts eating again. You can isolate the fish of course and let her release naturally...but, you might have problems introducing her back into the main tank. Stripping seems to be a good alternative for many reasons.
I start with a plastic bucket about half full of tank water. I catch the fish and put her in it. I have never had one release at this time, but stress can cause a lot of problems of course and she may spit them out, but doubtful. I get two oral syringes ready (usually, one will do, but I have a second ready just in case). The style I use is like this:
Once ready, I make sure my hands are wet from tank water and I carefully pick her up in my palm. I hold her so that when I am making a fist, her belly is against my fingertips, her dorsal fin is against my palm and her head/face is sticking out between my thumb and index finger. Of course, handle her carefully.
Facing her at a slight downward angle, face first towards the water, I use the syringe tip to carefully pry her lower jaw open. It's actually a lot easier than it may seem. Once open, I give the syringe a steady, slow squeeze. You have to keep the syringe off to the side to allow room for the fry/eggs to pass. You may have to do this a few times to insure all the fry are out. Every so often, dip the fish and your hand back in the water to keep her wet. The whole process should take less than a couple of minutes tops.
Be prepared, the sight of a bunch of dark, squiggly things pouring out of your fish's mouth can catch you off guard the first time or two. Once it's over, I put the female back in her tank first, then take care of the fry.
Again, it's a lot easier than it may seem at first. The main thing is to work carefully and to have everything ready prior.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask.
Nice description! I am filing it away for future use.