The act of striping the female of her eggs is a

complicated process that involves equipment,

and some experience. The only fish you can strip

are mouth brooders. Malawi cichlids, some of

Tanganyika cichlid are mouth brooders that can be

stripped. Mouth brooders preferred spawning on a flat

stone or in caves, the female will take the unfertilized

eggs in her mouth, and eggs will be fertilized after the

male release his sperm into her mouth. This process

occurs when the female follow the male very close to his anal fin, male

has spots on its anal fin, those spots known as dummy eggs, the

female believes these are more eggs and goes to catch them; this is the

right moment for the male to release his sperm and fertilize them. After

that, the female hold the fertilized eggs in her mouth while the father

patrols the perimeter to keep potential problems away, If danger enters

the mother takes the fry back into her mouth, holding them in her boucle

cavity, until the danger passes, she then releases them to feed and

explore the area.

In an aquarium, keep the mother and fry in a separate tank, with water from the spawning tank, same

temperature and pH, for 4-5 days. This gives the mother a chance to build her strength up and she will not

be harassed by other fish. In many cases especially at the beginning, young parents eat or spit out their

eggs prior to hatching because the male didn’t fertilize the eggs, the mother is being harassed by other

fish, or the mother fish may get hungry and the instinct to not eat hasn’t taken control yet. This is the right

time to do something if we don’t want to lose eggs/fry. The faster we remove the eggs or fry the faster the

parents will spawn again. Whatever the reason, we determined that the mother will be stripped of her

eggs or fry.  

Equipment we need: 

Isolate tank: A 10-20 gallon Tank size can used as an isolate tank. In this tank the mother can release

her fry quietly. Keep the water temperature the same, both inside and outside the tank, the hatchery tank

should be 60% filled with the original tank water. It is very important to ensure the eggs to have the exact

same water conditions as in the tank they came from. Don’t use any gravel in hatchery tank but air stone

is more then a need. 

Heater – this is one of the most important devices you can buy for your baby fish. Always wrap airline

tubing around the heater coil so that if fry swim against the heater they won’t disintegrate. Fry drawn to

heaters because of its light and the heat given off.

Methylene Blue – Anti-fungus medicine. Methylene Blue turns your tank water blue. Anti-fungus medicine

is a must for eggs that haven’t started developing yet. Nothing hits eggs faster than fungus. Unfertilized

eggs are the first to be hit with fungus and because of the sticky quality of the eggs the fungus will attack

fertile eggs as well. Use as little of the medication as possible. After a day or so, when the eggs start

developing, start water changes of 10 - 20%, to reduce the amount of anti-fungus medicine in the tank and

always use water from the original tank to refill the hatchery tank. Once the embryo has fully developed and

is about to hatch, using clean water from the main tank, with no medication in it, for the fry to emerge into.  

Now you are ready to catch the female and strip her of the eggs. Using two nets in a slow fashion try to

isolate the fish to an area such as a side glass or front glass where there is little obstruction in the way.

You may have to remove rocks and decor prior to trying to catch the fish as this will make it easier for

you and the fish. 

Catch the fish in the net and then with your left hand (if you are right handed) hold the fish securely, but not

tight, with the head pointed down into the net, remove the fish half of the way out of the water having only

it’s gills and mouth in the water. With your right hand using a fingernail insert your fingernail into the mouth

of the fish just enough to be able to secure a grip on the bottom lip.

Apply gentle pressure to pull the lip down so that the mouth is fully opened.

This will cause the eggs or fry to swim out and into the net or to a bowel.

This action may have to be done several times to ensure all the eggs /fry have been removed and to provide

the mother fish with a rest by easing her back into the water in the net.

Move them quickly into the

container and then to the hatchery. When the eggs are in the hatchery and if all goes well you will see the

eggs develop into fish and then emerge from their egg casing. African cichlid fry usually emerge between

21-28 days from the day of starting life’s journey in mom’s mouth. If you notice eggs that are not

developing, they stay the same color or become paler or lighter, then those eggs are not fertile and must

be removed immediately, because they will fungus and contaminate the rest of the eggs. Contaminating

occurs very fast so be alert to any unfertilized egg. If the eggs stay in the female mouth for 14 days then

generally she will carry the brood to full term and will release the fry when they are ready. If you happen to

strip mom of eggs after 14 days the embryos are already formed and you stand a much greater chance for

the eggs to hatch. When the fry emerges from the egg they will have an egg sack on their stomach.

Now you can move them to another 5-10 tanks size. This tank should have good quality heater in it,

proportionate to the size of the tank, with the heating coil wrapped in airline tubing. It should also have a

sponge filter, with a solid base to it, so that the sponge may not be able to fall to the bottom of the tank and

possible hurt any slow moving fry.  The water in the tank must have come from the parent’s tank.

After the first week or so, depending on the species, start a 10 – 20% water change using tap water that

has been conditioned. By conditioned I mean to add Dechlorinator to the tap water to remove the chlorine

and any other metals that may be harmful to the fry. Once the babies egg sack has disappeared and they

are swimming normally you can start the fry on fryfood, baby brine shrimp, live food or other high quality

foods. If the mother holds the fish in her mouth to full term the fry will have absorbed the egg sack and will

emerge from mom’s mouth very hungry.  

Egg tumbler- egg tumbler is a device for hatching cichlids and other fish eggs that have been separated

from the parents. Egg tumblers are used frequently by breeders of moutbrooding fish. The gentle rolling

action caused by these tumblers can simulate the normal incubation method the mother. It allows egg

incubation in same tank as fish are breeding in to provide identical water conditions during

incubation period.

Article pictures by killer