A Second Opinion ( and a third , and fourth etc .)

Hey folks , just wondering if someone could confirm ( or give an opinion on ) what i hope to be true . The female geo in the vid ( best shot at around 53 seconds in ) looks to be holding to me .

Anyone out there that might be able to enlighten me ?

Thanx in advance folks .

Martin

i'd say she is... either that or she has a mouth full of maltesers, in which case, fair play to her for being able to open the packet! i've had african cichlids mouthbrooding and this looks very similar. if you watch closely, sometimes you'll just about be able to see them when she swims right at you... and occasionally she'll be very obviously "juggling" them around in her mouth. is she eating at all? they often stop eating for weeks if they're mouthbrooding. i had a brooding Pseudotropheus crabro that used to get just as excited as all the other fish at feeding time. she'd dash to the surface and then realise "ah crap!" and swim away

To be honest i only noticed this evening for the first time and as you sai , she darted to the top of the tank for food but took nothing

Wot about stripping her ? How and when would i go about it ? And how advisable would it be ? Any suggestions ?

duzzy1 wrote:

Wot about stripping her ? How and when would i go about it ? ?

Do it at night with your teeth and leave the bloomers on.

derek wrote:

duzzy1 wrote:

Wot about stripping her ? How and when would i go about it ? ?

Do it at night with your teeth and leave the bloomers on.

wrong forum!!! i can only assume there's a forum for strippers somewhere else on the web that are trying to figure out why you're talking about fish

duzzy1 wrote:

Wot about stripping her ? How and when would i go about it ? And how advisable would it be ? Any suggestions ?

way too early to strip her shes barely holding a couple of days, she'd need to at least be mid way through her 12 day incubation term before i'd attempt it, but i'd recommend moving her to a breed on tank

www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/geo_steindachneri.php

I agree with shea, your best to let them rear the fry in a breeding tank, although it seems to be a growing trend with African keepers its not the best aproach pal.
I've had geos that were great parents. Best of luck with them.

cool guys cheers ..... i better get the grow on tankset upin a hurry so . adaidn't really fancy the idea of stripping her but was just curious . The better plan definitely sounds like setting up a seperate tank for her in the next few days so if and when she spits them , at least there won't be anything to predate on them.

Thanx again

Martin

Not a great quality video to be honest , but mammy is still very protective and shepards all the fry into her mouth at the slightest movement past the tank ...

I guess it wasn't a mouthful of maltesers lol

MAZELTOV!!!

nice one mate, knew ya could do it

Nice Job Martin
well done Man







Des

cheers guys

hey again folks ... just a quick question ... Mammy geo spat all her fry out approx 5 days ago for the first time and did so right up until 2 days ago . Now tho she has released approx 10 fry into the tank but her mouth has been full of the rest ever since . Would anyone have any ideas on this .

she might just be spooked, i'd try covering the tank for a few days and check then

heres a litlle info from cichlid-forum.com on the breeding habits of these geo's

To observe post-release parental behavior and to assure harvest of fry, isolating brooding females is recommended. Although the incubation period is about twelve days at 28°C, females seem to handle transfer with no loss to the brood after two days of incubation. Offering food to the female may also trigger release of the fry, as the female doesn't eat during the incubation period. Upon release, fry will accept newly-hatched Artemia nauplii or crushed flakes, although growth is much more rapid on the former. Females are excellent parents, continuing to offer buccal shelter for up to three weeks depending on the growth rate of the fry. As fry get larger, the female eventually becomes unable to accomodate the entire brood. As a result, the larger fry get left out, and these individuals are then chased from the immediate brooding area.

At ca. three weeks of age, the young fish begin typical eartheater "sifting" behavior and can be weaned to other foods such as chopped frozen blood worms, live adult brine shrimp, and flakes. With generous feedings, frequent partial water changes, and regular filter cleanings, fry can grow to lengths of 2.5 cm at eight weeks post-release and 4.5 cm at twelve weeks. Fry begin to become sexually dimorphic in regard to color at 14 weeks, at which point they can be sold or traded. At 20 weeks spawning activity can begin but is usually not successful until several attempts are made.

Yup , for once you were right Seamus ...... she spat them all out now and by the looks of this vid , she isn't too interested in letting them back in anymore !!!! guess they're too big now ...

gotta the love the whole , " get out in the big bad world and fend for yourself" attitude