Here is the scenario. You have cichlid fry for the first time and you can’t keep them. You need to net them and either sell them, give them away, or trade them. But how do you know when the fry are large enough to transport?
Technically, there is no official size minimum to transport cichlid fry. However, I wouldn’t attempt to transfer fry anyway. I think it is best to wait until your cichlid offspring are juveniles. What’s the difference between fry and juveniles?
There is no formal definition that delineates “fry” from “juveniles,” that I am aware of other than fry is a term for a pre-juvenile stage. However, most hobbyists would tell you that, when a cichlid baby reaches the size where you can definitively determine its species, it has become a juvenile and thus is no longer fry. Note the difference in appearance from the juvenile Julidochromis species in the photo above and the Telmatochromis species fry in the photo below. In other words, size is what matters distinguishing fry from juveniles.
With regard to transporting cichlid offspring, it is universally recognized that the smaller the fry, the harder it is for them to handle the physical stress of being netted, moved, and introduced to a new tank. Hence, the smaller the fry the more fragile or physically delicate they are. By transport, I mean net them, transfer them to a container, and drive them across town or ship them. This doesn’t mean catch them and move them across the room to another tank.
From experience, I have discovered that the probability of survival for juveniles maxes out at roughly one to one and half inches (~1″ – 1.5″). I think mortality rates drop significantly once most juvenile species reach that length. This applies to most cichlids except the smaller shellie species in which, at 1.5″, they’re already adults approaching full size.
I have transported 1,000s of cichlids and, for most species, I wait until they’re at least 1″ in length before I even attempt it. I have discovered that more fish survive the rigors of transport the larger they are.