# when to remove male / female



## jschristian44 (Jan 6, 2011)

okay, so im gonna get my female in about 3 weeks. got the male now. tank is cycling right now. i know i put the male in the tank, and i put the female in her own container shielded from teh male for 2-3 days right. after this i release the female and in about a day or so i should start seeing eggs drop if they spawn, etc. my question is, how many times do they spawn. when is the perfect time to take the female out? i thought they squeeze each other several times before she is done. when it looks like they are just swimming around and not squeezing each other, i should remove the female right? and after the eggs hatch and the fish are free swimming i remove the male. is this correct?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

There is no exact right time. 

Most of my pairs I've introduced into the tank together and then released the female about 12 hours later, sometimes even right away depending on their behaviors.

The actual spawning process can take hours. The pair will embrace and collect eggs numerous times and may even take breaks inbetween. You'll know their finished when the male begins to chase the female off and won't let her come near the nest.

At this time it's in the best interest for the female to be taken out before the male does any damage to her. I've also had a female that destroyed the nest and tore up the male after a very peaceful spawning because she was left in the tank too long after they were finished.

It's up to you when to remove the male. If he seems to be a good father and is not eating the fry I would leave him in there as long as possible. Allow him to do some natural culling. He'll be able to tell sick or "wrong" fry and will eat them... making the chances of your strong fry surviving much higher. If he seems to be eating all of the fry then by all means remove him quickly. Remember, males will typically catch and hold fry in their mouths only to spit them out somewhere they think is "safe". I had a male that spat out like 20 fry when I went to feed him LOL.


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## jschristian44 (Jan 6, 2011)

lol wow. thanks for that helpful info 1fish2fish. when the male chases the female and wont let her come near the nest. all i really needed to hear. thanks again! and basically just keep an eye on the male to make sure he doesnt eat all the fry and leave him in there until they hatch. good deal.


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