First Brood To Keep.

[Moby-Krib]

now have a first and I'm a wreck..Likely new daddy syndrome lol

I for the first time segregated a holding female cichlid at 2.25 weeks give or take,, I did not expect that she would release her fry within an hour and about 5 days ahead of scheduled spit.As if she read the calender,
I know if she feels safe this could happen but.

IS MOM OK WITH THEM? should i send her back to main tank?(main concern)
I have always let em spit in main and watch with 0 survival
Advice? as I wish to keep em this time.

 

[eggo]

congrats, i would move the mother back into the main tank then you can concentrate on rearing the fry with daily water changes and feed twice daily

 

[justin85]

What do you feed cichlid fry in ? Live brine shrimp?

 

[Moby-Krib]

congrats, i would move the mother back into the main tank then you can concentrate on rearing the fry with daily water changes and feed twice daily

Thank you for the reply Eggo,
So you feel move her now? I am inclined to agree and will do so for multiple reasons.
You really didn't answer the main question but I have since found answer myself.
"no worries"
She would pose no threat to the fry in the short term
I am curious as to her hormonal state,as the more info I can gather the better keeper I become,

got some pics , small black spots under a sponge filter,, lol so small.

 

[Moby-Krib]

What do you feed cichlid fry in ? Live brine shrimp?

I am hatching live brine for them , storing excess in fridge ,live, but it would be viable to crush whatever you feed to the adults as well.
A high protein diet for awhile is great but the crushed adult food is perfectly viable,

 

[Tolak]

I would remove the female as well. For really tiny fry mocroworms or vinegar eels are a good alternative for the first week. I've found that a cheap electric coffee grinder is great for making fry food, turns larger dry food to the consistency of soot.

 

[Moby-Krib]

I would remove the female as well. For really tiny fry mocroworms or vinegar eels are a good alternative for the first week. I've found that a cheap electric coffee grinder is great for making fry food, turns larger dry food to the consistency of soot.

yet more good advice!! thank you keep em coming.
I feel myself as studied and successful yet this throws me a tad, I learn therefore I grow,

If I was any good at it I should make a Journal. I have dedicated so much thought to this, in preparation I forgot how i would react, or what the timetable for the female would be.
the fry tank , feed was my focus lol.
i will let her eat a meal or 2 and return her later today. Seem ok??

 

[Moby-Krib]

congrats, i would move the mother back into the main tank then you can concentrate on rearing the fry with daily water changes and feed twice daily

Eggo you are a exceptional keeper but a question
Daily based on what? I'm curious as to the reasoning here.
2x fully cycled sponge filters(rated to 50 gal each, lol as if a sponge filter has decent rating) and sand, i would say test results denote all that.Should have left the tank bare but expect 6 weeks to 6 months in this tank depending.
stellar water for for fry YES!! but daily??? not useful unless unprepared,
correction expected, Yet I learn more.

 

[eggo]

congrats, i would move the mother back into the main tank then you can concentrate on rearing the fry with daily water changes and feed twice daily

Eggo you are a exceptional keeper but a question
Daily based on what? I'm curious as to the reasoning here.
2x fully cycled sponge filters(rated to 50 gal each, lol as if a sponge filter has decent rating) and sand, i would say test results denote all that.Should have left the tank bare but expect 6 weeks to 6 months in this tank depending.
stellar water for for fry YES!! but daily??? not useful unless unprepared,
correction expected, Yet I learn more.

my fry tank is a bare bottom ie no substrate my fry tank get's very dirty on the bottom of the glass i have to syphon the fish poo and any uneaten food daily so they get a 20-30% WC daily not only does it keep the tank floor clean but will aid in the growth of your fry, when feeding fry crushed food be it flake or pellets the water can get very dirty fast and with my fry tank holding 50+ fry thats why regular water changes are necessary.

a bare bottom tank for fry is easier to maintain in my opinion

 

[justin85]

When I was breeding discus, daily 50% wc was the norm, but they reqiure perfect water to servive. I have no idea how dellicut your fry are but I would agree with the above comment if you have a bare bottom tank daily syphon out any mess would be a good idea to keep on top of things.

 

[Malawi MaD]

If you doing such frequent water changes with the fry, try and store the water in water barrels (If you have any) you need to match the water as much as possible with temp/ph/ etc.. The fry are temperamental but will soon get some size to them after the first few weeks of them surviving.

 

[Moby-Krib]

congrats, i would move the mother back into the main tank then you can concentrate on rearing the fry with daily water changes and feed twice daily

Eggo you are a exceptional keeper but a question
Daily based on what? I'm curious as to the reasoning here.
2x fully cycled sponge filters(rated to 50 gal each, lol as if a sponge filter has decent rating) and sand, i would say test results denote all that.Should have left the tank bare but expect 6 weeks to 6 months in this tank depending.
stellar water for for fry YES!! but daily??? not useful unless unprepared,
correction expected, Yet I learn more.

my fry tank is a bare bottom ie no substrate my fry tank get's very dirty on the bottom of the glass i have to syphon the fish poo and any uneaten food daily so they get a 20-30% WC daily not only does it keep the tank floor clean but will aid in the growth of your fry, when feeding fry crushed food be it flake or pellets the water can get very dirty fast and with my fry tank holding 50+ fry thats why regular water changes are necessary.

a bare bottom tank for fry is easier to maintain in my opinion

good explanation, makes sense. seeing as I have a ton of biological but almost 0 mechanical bare likely would have been better.

 

[eggo]

i did not go bare bottom at first but setting up my 4th tank last week i decided to give it a go, i am glad i did with the amount of crap on the glass bottom.

with a bare bottom tank you can remove any uneaten food or detritus has it is easily visable, with a substrate bottom you can get a false sense of cleanliness has the food and fish poo being so small you may not notice it on the substrate adding to poor water quality.

i am using a JAD SF104 Sponge Filter rated for a 110ltr tank and fluval u1 rated for a 45ltr tank and i still get alot of crap on the glass.

 

[Moby-Krib]

all makes sense, useful info from experience. thank you!
A pic or 2
these are pseudotropheus Acei fry.
the filter looks dirty due to the way I power cycled it with mulm from an existing filter.
The bag behind in picture 2 is full of mature media just as insurance.
Water stats are perfect.
Going to enjoy raising them, I count approximately 28 fry. Quite impressed since she is a immature fish and this is her first batch.Way to go Mamma!!
I have 2 yellow lab females holding as well (each has swallowed or spit in tank her fry at least once each, but I AM prepared to raise fry this time.)but just might strip em since I cant put them in a tank with fry already there,
but expect the fry will grow and eat with the rest easily enough.
Since it is a 20 long ( I should get the footprint measurements.) I could put a divider in I guess but for learning's sake I may just try my hand at stripping so I know if I like or not.Or am even capable.
I realize I am over doing the "bag of mature" and the rest. but the lot makes me feel better and I will out grow my pragmatic approach eventually. lol
I do have a 55 on standby if They grow way to fast , I will have to use the sponges for filtration unless I find some extra cash, plan is to negotiate a sale to LFS of excess at 1-2".

 

[eggo]

just be careful when mixing fry at different ages ie 4 week old fry should be ok with 2 week old fry but not 2 week fry with new (make sense?) i use a JAD Double Net Breeder Aquarium Fish Isolation Twin Breeding Trap in 2 of my fry tanks for my holding females and it segregates my newly spit fry from the bigger fry in my tanks.

you will also need a grow on tank has the fry will outgrow your fry tank and you will need the fry tank for more fry has they never stop breeding

Stripping is a lot easier than it looks. Be calm and gentle. Handle the fish with wet hands and see how you feel with it; it's daunting when you first give it a go, but you'll soon be an expert!