The incubation period (time from fertilisation until the fry are released) is normally about 8 weeks. To shorten the period the fertilised eggs can be hand removed from the male's mouth on the 30th day after spawning. The brooding male should be carefully caught with a fine net and covered with a wet cotton towel to avoid injury and struggling.
The lower jaw of the fish is pulled backward slowly and the body is shaken slightly to release the half developed larvae from the male's mouth. The larvae are collected in a plastic basin and incubated in an aquarium. The number of the fertilised eggs collected in a single brood is usually about 20 - 35 larvae.
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