removing the male

[jimjon]

will it be alright if i leave the male with the female after spawning? is it a must to remove the male?

 

[Z Man]

My first choice is to leave the male with her if there are other small fish in with them. If they are alone and she doesn't bother him, I leave him in as usually he will help with the fry after a few days of free swimming. But if she chases him up in a corner all the time, I remove him. Every pair is different and each time is different with the same pair. I am home all day so I can check frequently. If you are at work all day it may be a good choice to remove him. It's always a difficult decision but I myself most always remove the pot & female or the male as it's much easier.

 

[Charlotte]

Some people prefer to remove the female, depending on who is the better parent. I had to do that with rams, and dad raised them fine.

 

[Neil]

Charlotte is correct. I have no less than 12 tanks right now with males left in. & of those tanks, 7 only have the males caring for (or at least tolerating) the fry. Additionally, out of the 70 different species and species-forms of Apistogramma that I have spawned over the last few years, I have used the male at least 25 times to raise the fry to the 4-6 week mark and have only had problems twice. Many times it is the female who wants to clear the area because she is ready to spawn again. The male has an investment in the current babies promoting his genes, because he has to rely on the female to spawn again for another chance. This doesn't always work, but I probably wouldn't be currently able to raise fry from more than 20 species in their original breeding tanks, if I didn't employ this method.
All this is not to get you to remove the female, it is simply to point out that the male can be a valuable tool in breeding and doen't have to be liability.
Neil

 

[Eva32181]

Hmmm. . . I think my Borellii male might be the one picking off the baby fish. I have just the pair and their fry in a 10 gallon, and Mom seems to guarding the babies from him. It's their first spawn, so I'm just going to let whatever happens to happen. Fishy infanticide and all.

 

[Neil]

I would be inclined to remove the female. Unless you have seen the male eating the babies, it has been my experience that, more often than not, the female eats the babies because she doesn't want the male to get them. A few at a time under stress or all at once. Sometimes the male is sharp and recognizes what is going on and forces the female away and takes over. Again, this is IME and the most conventional way to deal with things is to remove the male. Without the added stress of the male in the tank (with no invaders to keep him busy and useful in the females eyes) she is more likely to deal with her young well. But I am a rebel that likes to buck the system and the males have often done well by me. I consider the female more unpredictable.