Pregnant Red Empress Cichlid

Question
Hi and in advance thanks...heres a brief on my current tank set-up and the issue I have.

55 gallon tank, two 75 gallon power filters, heater (temp stays between 76-78 degrees), coral and pebble substrate with plastic plants.

Fish: 2 red shoulders (male), 2 red empress(male/female), 3 yellow jakes(1 male/2 female, 3 blueberry's(2 male/1 female#, 3 eureka reds#1 male/2 female#, bushy nose pleco, pleco.

Ok so here's my problem: the red empress pair was spawning yesterday when I got home #June 29).  This morning when I went to feed the fish, she was the only one not eating.  I'm afraid she is carrying eggs now.  I have never had a pregnant cichlid before and have no clue what to do.  How long is the gestation period? Do I need to put her in another tank and if so when?  How big should the tank be?  what kind of set up should it have?  How many babies will she have?  Any then what do i do with the babies once they hatch?

I would assume that the babies need a lot different care once they hatch.   

Any guidance you could provide on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Kari

Answer
Hi Kari,
  The best part of the whole business is that you really don't have to do anything.  The female is perfectly capable of caring for the eggs and fry all on her own (up to a point).  She will hold them for about 2-3 weeks.  The trouble comes when she wants to "release" them.  In a tank with other fish, the kids don't have very good odds of surviving unless you have a LOT of plastic plants in there.   So, many people will GENTLY catch the female (hard to do sometimes) and put her in a small aquarium so she can release the fry.  I suggest doing this around 2.5 weeks from when you first noticed her "holding".  She should have somewhere between 5 and 50 kids depending on how large she is.  

 After she releases them, she does no more parental care so you can put her back in the main tank. Keep an eye on things in there because sometimes the male will want to spawn again immediately and she needs some time to eat and fatten up.

  As for the babies, they may be large enough to eat crushed flake food, but feeding them frozen baby brine shrimp is a much better option.

-- Ron C.
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>