First ever batch of Fry! Yay! Uh...now what??

[darkdep]

My first ever batch of fry was released on July 2nd (Metriaclima callainos)!  They hid for a day and I thought momma ate them, but this morning I saw them under a clay pot.  Looks like about 12-15, but I can't be sure yet.

Anyway, the question I have is how to properly feed them?  I have the mother and the fry isolated in a 10gal, and this morning in a bit of a panic I tried crushing up flake food really fine.  The little bit that fell near the fry was eaten eagerly, but the mother took most of it (I assume she's quite hungry!)

I'm thinking of moving the mother back to the main tank tonight or tommorrow, but I need to get some advice on how to properly care for fry...food?  How much?  etc...

[dandaman]

If i were you, Id start feeding them with baby brine shrimp, or micro worms.
After you can start giving them brine shrimp, blood worms, flakes ect...
someone corect me if im wrong lol

[darkdep]

These guys are mainly veggie eaters when older, is it ok to give them mainly meat as fry?

Also, stupid question I know, but there isn't any particular "feeding method" to feeding fry, is there?  What I mean by that is, for my main tank I put pellets on top to attract the cichlids, then use a long fat straw to get sinking shrimp pellets to the bottom near my multipunctatus (so the cichlids don't get em).  I Haven't seen the fry venture up to the top of the water yet...I guess I just don't know how they will behave yet X=)

[gvv]

The best solution is to provide fry with food variety. Give them BBS, micro worms, later on crushed flakes, just don't let them eat live food all the time. They will not eat the artificial food later on as it will not "move". Besides, I'm feeding juvies and fry with algae: I put stones into the pond (or you may use any tank outside the house) for several days and when it starts covering with algae I take it and place into the grow-up tank. They love it.
And at the beginning try to give food in the vicinity of the fry, later on they will find it by themselves, but at the beginning they are way to "shy" to locate the food by themselves.
Regards

[darkdep]

Awesome, thanks so much.  I think I'll try the Algae-rock method.  I also assume I can get BBS and microworms at the LFS?  (Never bought it before...)

[BigDaddy]

You can buy frozen baby brine shrimp at the LFS, but you should be hatching your own instead.

As for the microworms... you'll need to find a starter culture, as they only sell whiteworms at most LFS that do carry live food... and whiteworms are far too large for fry.

[darkdep]

Ok, what's involved in hatching my own BBS?

[gvv]

Ok, what's involved in hatching my own BBS?

Hatchery...
The simpiest one is just a glass can (I used the one of about 1.5 or 2 litres) filled up to 3/4 and airstone. The concentration of salt is usually provided on the bag with the brine shrimp eggs, I use 2 table spoons for this can and no baking soda (sometimes it is suggested to add it) as I'm taking the water from my Malawi tank.
Salt should be without iodine... Also some people say that the light is needed, but I put the can inside my cabinet without any light and they hatching very succesfully. You just need the light to catch BBS, as they are moving towards it.
I also have some micro worms so I can part with you...

Regards

[pegasus]

I feed mine with Walter worms (micro miniworms) and Nutrafin Fry Food for their first 3 weeks. I never keep mbuna mothers with their fry. I would also temporarely partition the 10 gal as I find it a bit to big to feed only 15 little fry.

[Mettle]

Awesome, thanks so much.  I think I'll try the Algae-rock method.  I also assume I can get BBS and microworms at the LFS?  (Never bought it before...)

I've seen little BBS starter packs at the LPS. It's basically the eggs, food and everything needed. Just like sea monkeys! Can't remember the price tag, but it was under $20.

[darkdep]

Thanks for the help folks.  I moved the mother back to the main tank tonight and the fry are starting to explore and are eating a variety of crushed flake and frozen BBS I bought tonight until I can  get a hatchery established.  They all seem happy and are eager at feeding time.

[darkdep]

Fry are doing well, but apparantly the decision to move the mother back to the main tank might have been in haste...I found her dead the next day.  Guess I didn't do enough to mix up the tank before putting her back, wife says the "daddy" hassled her to death.

[pegasus]

You moved her at night and you had plenty of hiding places? At least you can rejoice in the fact that a new generation will be soon filling your 90 gal.

[darkdep]

Yep, I moved her about 20 mins before lights out, fed them at the same time (so they'd have something else to focus on), and there's lots of caves.  Did my best X=)  The dominant male in that tank just couldn't wait to have another go at her, I guess.

[hummer]

i had that same problem with my esthrae. I just had some fry and the male chased both females after returning them to the tank. Hopefully in my case i just got a frontosa which doesn't mind the females near his cave but hates the male. The male esthrae would try to get at the females but he'd get chased off.  I'm currently feeding my fry baby brineshrimp and a finely grinding up flake food. They're growing and none have died yet. I feed them as much as i can, up to 5 times a day. I cover the top of the tank in a layer of food. I was told that you can overfeed fry because its just like anything when its young it needs food to be healthy and grow.

[gvv]

I was told that you can overfeed fry because its just like anything when its young it needs food to be healthy and grow.

Not with "a layer of food" :lol: , but I should agree that they are not adult fish and it is better to feed frequently... as soon as they eat what have been given previous time.

[darkdep]

Those little guys sure can eat...I've been giving alternating meals of baby brineshrimp and crushed flake 4 times a day, and I swear I can notice a size difference in them from 3 days ago...!