Use care when netting mouthbrooding cichlids which appear to be "holding". Try not to chase or startle them as they may spit out the brood prematurely. I strip large fish, fish with small heads, and very small fish in the net suspended in the fish's tank. Fish which are easy to hold I strip directly into the bowl.

With your less dexterous hand, gently but firmly grasp the fish about the body. Your thumb should be resting across the fish's forehead, and your index finger behind the operculum. Hold the fish head down in water at least to the posterior edge of the operculum. Very carefully, slide the edge of the pen cap into the fishes mouth. If possible, rather than pulling the mouth open, rotate the cap so the jaws are leveraged open. This prevents dislocation of the upper jaw.

While the jaw is open, lift the brooding fish up, then lower it to move water through the operculum. This will wash out the embryos. Free swimming fry can be put directly into a fry tank while embryos may need to be placed into an egg tumbler.

While some people use their fingernails, toothpicks or any convenient object to open the jaw, I have never injured a fish with the pen cap.

Stripping is stressful to the fish. As I emphasized before, exercise care as fish may die if they are handled too roughly