[bmweiler09]

Just stripped 15 fry from two holding dems. It has been 17 days since they started holding.

Here is a pic of the fry:

And a pic of the fry tank:

The tank is divided because I have another holding female that is about a week behind on the right side. I didn't know if she would be able to suck the fry through the breeder box, so i divided it. Is this neccessary?

a couple questions:

1. I picked up some Hikari First Bites. 2-3 times a day seems to be what everyone does, but how long do I feed them this? Also how important is it to vaccuum out every bit of the left overs? This stuff is incredibly small!

2. How much and how often for water changes? I add a tablespoon of baking soda to my main tank during WC's because my KH is basically 0, do I also need to add some to the fry tank?

This is my first time raising fry, any advice or tips would be appreciated

 

[GTZ]

Just stripped 15 fry from two holding dems. It has been 17 days since they started holding.
The tank is divided because I have another holding female that is about a week behind on the right side. I didn't know if she would be able to suck the fry through the breeder box, so i divided it. Is this neccessary?
Likely not, but I would probably do the same just in case.
a couple questions:

1. I picked up some Hikari First Bites. 2-3 times a day seems to be what everyone does, but how long do I feed them this?
Until they're large enough to fit the next size food in their mouths.

Also how important is it to vaccuum out every bit of the left overs? This stuff is incredibly small!
Not terribly, assuming you have sufficient filtration and bacteria to keep up with ammonia. Just get the majority. I use a few otocinclus for clean up duty.

2. How much and how often for water changes?
It varies, 25-50% weekly, many breeders will do daily 20%+ changes to encourage quicker growth.

I add a tablespoon of baking soda to my main tank during WC's because my KH is basically 0, do I also need to add some to the fry tank?
If you have pH drops then I'd add some. You might be better off using main tank water for fry tank water changes rather than adding buffer directly to the fry tank, would save having to guess how much to add.

This is my first time raising fry, any advice or tips would be appreciated

 

[greggb]

After the fry get a few days old and start moving around the tank they'll probably find all of the leftover food that has settled on the sand. That's one thing I really like about sand - not much food gets wasted.

IME water changes don't need to exceed what you'd normally be doing, to keep your nitrogen levels acceptable. Little tiny fry in a good-sized tank won't be creating much waste given the volume of water. You do want to make sure that your ammonia and nitrite don't get too high if that's a new tank or hasn't had anything living in it for a while.

Other than that, just feed them a few times a day, keep an eye on the temperature and you should find there's not much to it. Mbuna are tough fish. I've never had any fry die, unless maybe they were spit in the main tank.

 

[bmweiler09]

After the fry get a few days old and start moving around the tank they'll probably find all of the leftover food that has settled on the sand.

I have noticed them doing that in the breeder box, so I imagine they will do the same in the main tank.

I read that raising the temp a little helps promote growth in fry, so I turned it up to about 82. Is that a good temp?

Thanks for the tips! I actually found one more hiding in the rocks, must of escaped while I was stripping the female. They all seem to be healthy and active. :thumb:

 

[bmweiler09]

My total now is 37 fry. 17 from the first two females (found 2 more in the ten gal, must have escaped when I was stripping the females), 7 from a female 6 days later, and 13 from a female 4 days after that.

The first 24 are now in the 10 gal doing fine. All of them are still eating the hikari first bites, but im sure they are ready for crushed flakes. The largest are about 5/8". When would be a good time to move them to the 20 gal long?

I have the filter pad for the 20 long in my main tank collecting bacteria. I had an outbreak of bloat and am currently treating with clout, is there anything I need to do before putting the pad in the 20 filter?

 

[bmweiler09]

I have the filter pad for the 20 long in my main tank collecting bacteria. I had an outbreak of bloat and am currently treating with clout, is there anything I need to do before putting the pad in the 20 filter?

anyone?

 

[GTZ]

I have the filter pad for the 20 long in my main tank collecting bacteria. I had an outbreak of bloat and am currently treating with clout, is there anything I need to do before putting the pad in the 20 filter?

anyone?

How long has the pad been in the main aquarium? 2 weeks should be plenty. Clout isn't supposed to affect bacteria, however, if the 20 is empty when you add the pad to the filter, I would dose 1ppm ammonia to make sure there's enough bio to process the ammonia to 0 as well as nitrite to 0 within 24 hours.

 

[bmweiler09]

Its been in the main tank about a week and a half now. What about the fact that the pad is coming from a medicated tank that is infected with bloat (or was, hopefully)? Is it still safe to use for the juveniles?

 

[DJRansome]

If I had a choice, I'd probably use other media. If I did not have a choice I'd use it because it would be better than a tank that was not cycled at all.