Moba Frontosa - Phantom pregnacy? -

[dempsey]

Hi all.

To me this is an amazing story, and Im interested to see if this has happened to others.

I have a w/c colony of Moba

A female spawned last week. I decided to let her tumble, dispite them being swallowed so far, and to my surprise shes held for a week. - the others were 4 days -

so yesterday, I decided, Ill strip her, because by now they're at least head and tail.

NOTHING came out her mouth.

she doesnt seem to be carrying eggs.

So I was almost crying, thinking,,, its just one more spawn that brought no result. I thought she must have swallowed them when I tried to catch her.

So I put her back in the tank, had a cry and went out.

I woke to put the lights on the tanks, made breaky, walked past the tank, and BANG!, that moba is tumbling eggs in her mouth

and shes been doing it all day and night!! her mouth is swollen, and shes puffing her lips, like shes been doing all week.

Is it possible I just didnt strip her properly,

or maybe she can keep them in her mouth while I hold her mouth open and dunk her in a bucket?

Ive never seen this happen before, and Im hoping someone else has.

Cheers

people,

Karl.

[Bruce]

I am quite sure Benthochromis tricoti do this except with an air bubble. The females grab a bubble from the surface and will act as if its eggs.

Bruce

[mcloughlin2]

When you say spawned does that mean you witness her tube dropping and or saw her spawn?

If you saw neither i would say:

a) She was tumbling gravel or food.

b) She has gulped air. (Some females make this a habit)

It is possible you didn't strip her properly so don't rule out that there are not eggs straight away. I have heard excellent results from sealordau in QLD about flushing eggs out of their mouht. Why not try using a syringe and squirting water in her open mouth and see if eggs come out then? Remember be quick and effective. Only keep them out of water for 30secs max then give them a break.

Goodluck.

All zaires are hard to get to hold to full term or for that matter hold at all. So even getting her to have a phantom pregnancy is an accomplishment.

[dempsey]

I monitor this tank closely, - constant water changes, temp/Ph/Gh/food monitor, -

I saw the tube, then I saw it swell, like frontosa do. then when I came home from work last week, she had a mouthfull.

and Ive watched her tumble them for a week.

Its strange.

[kilroy]

My question is, if they are wild caught why aren't they holding full term?

[mcloughlin2]

My question is, if they are wild caught why aren't they holding full term?

I;m guessing they were probably bought between 12-15cm. That would mean they are only just hitting maturity so would not have experianced holding full term yet.

[dempsey]

My question is, if they are wild caught why aren't they holding full term?

I;m guessing they were probably bought between 12-15cm. That would mean they are only just hitting maturity so would not have experianced holding full term yet.

thats the one, they're one of the first batches to come in at that size. - since legally aloud -

they've been breeding for a while, but Im not wanting to strip them, so Ive aloud them to practice, and fail.

But look out, theyre getting good at it..lol

Are there a few people breeding them to full term that Im not aware of?.

[kilroy]

My question is, if they are wild caught why aren't they holding full term?

I;m guessing they were probably bought between 12-15cm. That would mean they are only just hitting maturity so would not have experianced holding full term yet.

makes sense, I just assumed if they were wild caught they would be fully mature and ready to go!!

[dempsey]

makes sense, I just assumed if they were wild caught they would be fully mature and ready to go!!

Hi mate.

we cant get them fully mature and ready to go.

w/caught are under a size restriction.

had to grow them out, like any other fry.

Karl.

[kilroy]

ok, didn't know that. It's good in a way. At least you aren't going to get an old crusty one, which is the chance you take with adult wilds.