Jilian, they'll be developing eggs either way, but I heard from a lot of professional breeders that they keep their females away from the males. Actually, it is more the other way around - the males away from the girls. The reason behind it is probably that the breeders want to control the timing, I guess.
As to feeding, yes, they are being fed more food in general - protein, and otherwise. Up to 3-4 feedings a day, instead of the usual 1-2. The amount of food also increases to whatever the fish can eat within 20-30 minutes. This of course requires keeping a close eye on the water parameters, and more frequent water changes to avoid the ammonia creeping up.
