moving holding Pseudocrenailabrus multicolor?

[dheideman]

So I was doing my fishy chores this evening (why, oh WHY do I only seem to be able to do water changes at 1 AM?) and noticed one of my Egyptian mouthbrooders in my 72 hiding under a ledge, breathing heavy and looking strange. A closer look revealed that she indeed DID have a huge, distended jawful of eggs. I was suprised because I didn't think the lot I had were quite old enough to breed, but there it was.

Now the problem is that she's in a 72 gallon community tank with lots of other species, and fry don't have much of a chance of making it there. If I move her to a holding tank, is she likely to swallow her eggs from the stress of being moved, or will she hold on to them?

I know some critters like most kribs and apistos eat their eggs if you look at them cross-eyed while most of the mouthbrooders are a little less prone to that behaviour. How are the dwarf mouthbrooders in that regard? This is my first time breeding any dwarf mouthbrooder. (Also, if it's OK to move her, would a 5 gallon suffice in the short term until she releases the fry, as it's what I have free at the moment. I wasn't quite expecting this right now!)

(Edit: they're Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor multicolor, not victoriae, fwiw.)

 

[tjudy]

I would let her hold in the 72 for five or six days, then move her. She is less likely to spit them out. If she does spit them out they will be old enough to incubate. Just put them in a plastic dish with an airstone.

 

[dheideman]

I would let her hold in the 72 for five or six days, then move her. She is less likely to spit them out. If she does spit them out they will be old enough to incubate. Just put them in a plastic dish with an airstone.

I moved her Sunday, all was good, she held the eggs through the move... then this evening while I was watching her, in her nice tank by herself with no reasonable external stimuli to cause it, she just randomly spat the eggs out. Don't know if she's just too young, or inexperienced, or got too hungry, or what.

I managed to recover 7 eggs. 5 for sure look good, 2 look a little "iffy". They're in a dish with an airstone now. Should I use meth. blue on them to help prevent fungus? How much air flow should there be? Enough to 'tumble' the eggs, or just enough to move the water and keep the eggs still?