First Time Breeder... (Hopefully!) :)

[Zoepop]

I've moved the heater Harlequins but had a bit of a nightmare today!

....I didn't want any of the fry to be sucked up the filter so I'd read somewhere it was a good idea to pop some fine mesh or tights over the end anyway i did that but was looking in today after i'd been out for a few hours and there seemed to be a lot less fry....well on closer inspection about a dozen of them had somehow managed to get through the net and were stuck in the outflow...obviously dead so lost loads...they were all the strongest fry too

Do I need to have a filter in the tank if i'd doing 50% water changes (with water from my main tank)each day?

Other problem the filter is giving me is that I think it's just too strong a current for the little things....


On the bright side my microworms came today and they love them!

 

[Harlequins]

Oh no ,how sad,i know how you feel,that happened to me also,i now use a box filter run off an airpump like this one box filter or a simple sponge filter like this one also run from an air pump sponge filter

With the box filter i removed all the gravel and carbon bits and added mature floss from my external to help it along.

If you keep a check on the stats daily and do 50% w/c they should be ok until the get a bit bigger.just remember to keep the decks clean

 

[Zoepop]

Thanks...I think I'll invest in one

will they be ok without any water movement in the mean time? I don't have an airpump or anything in there...sorry for picking your brain!

 

[Harlequins]

They would be better with some sort of water movement to keep the oxygen level up,is the filter you have adjustable?

Have you a piece of sponge you can tie(or use tights) to the bottom of the filter intake? this would slow down the flow and hopefully stop the fry getting sucked up until you can get a sponge filter set up?

 

[Zoepop]

I've tied tights around the bottom of the filter to keep me going until the new filter arrives... it is still creating a lot of movement but i moved it further up the tank out of the water so now it's more of a waterfall setup so at least the water is moving!

a few more little bodies to remove from the tank today but lots are doing well, i'm busy 'hoovering' the tank at every chance i get using a pippet...haven't dared use the airline yet but it's nice and clean and the fry really are growing...can see a difference in them even in the four days since they hatched.

my latest problem is my husband...he's completely freaked out by the microworms and wants to throw them out i'm busy googling at the moment see if i can find it written somewhere that they are safe for humans...i haven't found anywhere that they're not safe but that isn't good enough for him!

might have to set myself up hatching brineshrimp if i do have to get rid of the worms...these fry are costing me a fortune!!

 

[Harlequins]

Sorry to hear you lost a few fry,this does happen more often than not,heres to the rest making it

Make sure you stir the sand with your fingers also,its surprising what sticks to the sand...

poor hubby

I started using microworms,but they started mass producing before i had chance to use them ,so changed back to firstbites and baby brine shrimp

 

[Zoepop]

so they will be fine on first bites till they are a little bigger and I get the brineshrimp set up...or could i go for decapsulated brineshrimp so i don't have to set them up either??

think the worms may have to go...can't stand the hassle! lol

 

[Harlequins]

Mine did fine on firstbites & defrosted bbs.

I couldn't stand the hassle of either microworm or live bs

Although peeps have reported the fry do grow faster with live food...

 

[Zoepop]

More eggs today!

not sure if it's the same ones or not...how soon do they lay the next batch?

I have bronze, false Julli and maete in the tank, the first batch of fry were definitely bronze as they were in a little tank but it will be interesting to see what these are...how exciting

 

[mattlee]

try and stick with the microworms as they are very good for the frys growth, ive had best results using them. brine shrimp are much more time consuming and harder work as they can only be used for a certain period of time otherwise they grow too big and cant be eaten also they lose their nutritional value to the fry. hatcheries and shrimp eggs are expensive too just put the worms in the aering cupboard and change the substrate once every 7 days or so, this way they wont smell and your chicken husband wont notice them there once they are left for too long the substrate goes black and they stink.
if its not doable then frozen bbs are second to live foods

 

[Zoepop]

well my little babies are doing well, i lost quite a few of my second batch but probably got about 35 fry in total most from the first batch so looking really like little corys now...very cute!!

...my question is now how long do i keep them on the microworms and what do i move onto next?

 

[mattlee]

keep then on microworms until they are big enough to eat flake or mini prima etc, then you can vary their diet and when big enough to eat meaty foods like bloodworm, brineshrimp etc try these once or twice a week.

 

[Zoepop]

keep then on microworms until they are big enough to eat flake or mini prima etc, then you can vary their diet and when big enough to eat meaty foods like bloodworm, brineshrimp etc try these once or twice a week.

thanks...how old are they normally when they are ready to move onto the other things? was just a bit worried that they wouldn't be getting enough food eating the microworms...obviously are though speed they are growing!

 

[mattlee]

keep then on microworms until they are big enough to eat flake or mini prima etc, then you can vary their diet and when big enough to eat meaty foods like bloodworm, brineshrimp etc try these once or twice a week.

thanks...how old are they normally when they are ready to move onto the other things? was just a bit worried that they wouldn't be getting enough food eating the microworms...obviously are though speed they are growing!

i would say at about 7-8 weeks they should be fine for crushed flake and mini prima. microworms are very good for protein and growth as you have noted, all my fry have grown much better with microworms
the growth rate really slows down when they reach about an inch but by this time small bloodworms are usually ok.

 

[Zoepop]

thanks