Baby Yellow Labs

[GShorty1981]

My Yellow labs are constantly breeding, they are in a tank with Blue Haps, a Convict, catfish, RTBS and a Red Severum (yeh yeh i know...but i have always done this and it works as long as you pick the right fish) in standard tap water, no buffers.

I currently have 2 labs heavily holding and about 30 1" fry in the tank, feeding independently.

Should i try and catch them and put them in a breeding net or should i just leave them? i have a 6" blue hap with a huge mouth (could eat 3 at once)and he doesn't seem bothered by them, i also have 2 6" striped raphaels and a 5" featherfin Syno....again they are right next to them and could easily eat them but don't....should i just leave them as they are?

 

[interpet123]

i am sorry to change the subject for a sec, but how big do the yellow labs get!?!? thanks

 

[kribensis12]

The real question is, do you want to keep the babies? If so, then separate them and let them spit in a different tank, or strip them. If not, leave them be. How large is the tank your fish are current;y in? Also, do you have a male lab? Or are they hybrids. I also will advise you to not stock your tank the way it is currently stocked. The fish you are keeping do have different temperments and water condition requirements.

 

[GShorty1981]

I have 2 adult male labs and 4 adult female (all 4 are always holding at some stage), they are in a 4x2x2 in a neutral PH with a few south/central americans (female Pink Con, male Red Sev), a Red Tail Black Shark plus catfish (2 x raphs, 1 x L001 and 1 x FF Synodontis) that were left other from my 6x2x2 after i sold it, all are adult/breeding fish and been together for a long time, i had to remove my male convict because they would breed constantly to.

Yes i wouldn't mind keeping a few of the baby labs but I don't have another tank to raise them in.

To answer the question in my experience, Yellow labs can hit 6" total length (including tail)

 

[kribensis12]

The labs really should have a higher pH. Their eggs and sperm will be more viable. I would just leave the females in the tank. Odds are a couple fry will make it.

 

[GShorty1981]

Well i'm not sure about making them viable, i am over ran with Yellow labs, i'd say they are just fine, infact if a lower PH made them infertile (which it does not in anyway) i would probably stick to it to keep numbers down.

 

[kribensis12]

I know there are other affects to an incorrect pH involving cysts, but I do not know enough on the matter to talk about it. It may be a different story if they were born into it. I do know that incorrect pH can cause the eggs to become thicker (so the sperm does not penetrate) or thinner (so the egg isn't viable).

 

[GShorty1981]

I understand what you are saying, but i now have a neutral ph 4x2x2 tank with 200+ Yellow labs.

Heres a question..

Why is my Blue Haps and Raphael cats not eating them? they are near fully grown and huge in comparison, like the size difference between a fully grown Oscar and a Kribensis.

The only fish that chases them is my Pink Convict.

 

[kribensis12]

Who knows? Maybe they just aren't bothered by them.

 

[GShorty1981]

The thing that confuses me is Blue Haps are fry hunting predators and Raphaels have a reputation for not being community fish because of there large mouths.

Maybe i should let them grow on in the tank they are in, keep a few females and sell the rest later on once they hit 2"