An Absolutely "smacking Myself" Stupid Question

[shmee]

How, How, How, How HOW am i supposed to know if my fry are actually eating?
I have brine shrimp waiting to hatch so until that happens i was given some Liquifry food from a friend to feed them. They seem to be happy swimming around and strangely seem to prefer me leaving their lamp on in their tank (though i am told most killifish dislike bright lights i mostly use it to see them better when feeding or cleaning) the problem is.. i can't tell if they are eating, sometimes it looks like they are when they gather near the feed but most of the time i can not tell, as i am a complete novice to all this it means i may ask stupid questions and often

If they are in fact not eating, how long would it be before they die from starvation?
If they are not eating, is it because they don't like the food, can't find it, or something else?

One other dumb question. The tank i have is only a 6ltr tank but for their size at the moment i am not worried, i have a spare incase need be. It has a pump but should i wait until the fish are larger before i use it? (Has a fear it will eat them alive if they get too close to it so i haven't put it in yet!)

I had more questions but i have forgotten them...oh and the fish are Nigerianus (Misaje) ( and it's impossible to find internet-info on them) so if you could throw any tips or info at me regarding the type i would be forever greatful

Yeah, i feel really dumb but everyone has to learn.

 

[BigC]

The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask, so don't be afraid to come forward and seek answers.
You have Fundulopanchax gardneri Misaje.
There will always be something in the water for the fry to eat so no real worries there as Brineshrimp will only take around 24 hours to hatch, so you have plenty of time.
You will know when they eat brineshrimp nauplii as their bellies will be pinkish/orange and pretty well rounded.
I would also advise you to culture some microworm for use when and if a brineshrimp hatch should fail.
If you go to the killifish resource at the to po the page you should see an article by myself on this species in there.
6 litre is a bit big for fry, maybe some ice cream tubs might be better in the early days. Keeps food and fry in close proximity, but please keep them clean daily, as small bodies of water foul quickly.
Anything else!!!!

Regards
C

 

[shmee]

6 litre is a bit big for fry, maybe some ice cream tubs might be better in the early days. Keeps food and fry in close proximity, but please keep them clean daily, as small bodies of water foul quickly.
Anything else!!!!

Regards
C

Thank you for replying!
The tank is not actually full to the top with water..i'd say about just over a litre and half, (and the tank is not that wide so probably just a few inches wider than an ice-cream tub) I was advised it was easier to raise them this way, for you don't have to transfer them as they get bigger and you can just add more water when needed, in moderation I only put them in the tank a couple of days ago as they seemed to be outgrowing what they were in and nobody likes cramped quarters

I just fed them and it looks like they were hungry, they all raced towards the food and went back to swimming around after about 5 minutes but i haven't noticed any full tummies, the feed seems to be almost gone (but then again it's liquid food so a bit hard to tell, a quick clean-out and food removal is in order i think!)...although with them not having their brine yet this could be why i can't tell as easily. Hopefully the brine should be hatched by tomorrow night and then i wont worry so much.


I have been reading over your articles and culture information and i am going to attempt those tomorrow, and i am right now hunting down the article on the species.

Thanks again, you're a great help.