Cichlid Growth Rates

[kribensis12]

After raising several batches of cichlid fry from both Ram Cichlids and Apistogramma (Cockatoos) and now fry from F1 Kribensis, it is very apparent that cockatoo fry grow slow as molasses.

My F1 krib fry are a month younger and just as large or larger than 2 month old cockatoo fry.

My Ram fry were, in some cases, double the size of cockatoo fry at the 2 month mark.

Has anyone had experience that matches this? To answer all the obvious questions - yes my water is fine, the temp is appropriate, there are regular water changes and I feed them BBS and eventually transition into Gold Pearls, Sprinulina Brine Shrimp and live Daphnia.

 

[Colin_T]

My Apistogramma cacatuoides hit 1 inch long in 2-3 months.

All cichlids are a bit slower growing than other types of fish.

 

[GaryE]

Growth are different species by species. It's such a diverse group. The fastest growing I ever raised were Nanochromis parilus. The slowest had about 30 contenders....

 

[kribensis12]

My Apistogramma cacatuoides hit 1 inch long in 2-3 months.

All cichlids are a bit slower growing than other types of fish.

My cockatoos do not grow that fast. Clearly it must be something that I am doing.

What did you feed them at that stage?

 

[GaryE]

While we wait to hear from Colin T, I had about the same rates of growth. I started on freshly hatched artemia, and continued it daily into adulthood, supplemented by frozen, quality flake, grindal and white worms. If you have access to live food, it does wonders compared to prepared, although commercial flake does grow juveniles at a certain stage, and it grows them fast.

 

[kribensis12]

While we wait to hear from Colin T, I had about the same rates of growth. I started on freshly hatched artemia, and continued it daily into adulthood, supplemented by frozen, quality flake, grindal and white worms. If you have access to live food, it does wonders compared to prepared, although commercial flake does grow juveniles at a certain stage, and it grows them fast.

I usually do BBS and as they get bigger, commercial growth pellet and once they hit the right size, live daphnia, adult BS and bloodworms etc.
I feel like I'm doing "everything right" and the growth rate of my other fry would indicate that I am - but the cockatoos sometimes make me wonder if they are even growing at all...

 

[Colin_T]

Baby brineshrimp from day one. Microworms added after a week or so but for the most part it was newly hatched brineshrimp. As they got bigger I included crushed up flake food, marine mix (prawn, fish & squid blended up), and other frozen foods.

Feed the fish 3-5 times a day so they are fat and look like pregnant guppies.

Have the temperature around 28C

Do big regular water changes. I normally changed about 75-80% every day, once the babies are a couple of weeks old.

 

[kribensis12]

Baby brineshrimp from day one. Microworms added after a week or so but for the most part it was newly hatched brineshrimp. As they got bigger I included crushed up flake food, marine mix (prawn, fish & squid blended up), and other frozen foods.

Feed the fish 3-5 times a day so they are fat and look like pregnant guppies.

Have the temperature around 28C

Do big regular water changes. I normally changed about 75-80% every day, once the babies are a couple of weeks old.

Doing that large of a water change, I'm assuming that you heated the water first?

 

[Colin_T]

I had water holding containers in the fish room so the new water was similar in temperature to the rearing tanks.