piranha eggs

[Julie]

Wouldn't waste any time it's going to get polluted.  BA's has them for around 10.  

Julie

[redbelly]

i have these little boxes that you can fill with polyfill. you run the bubler throught them and they use the draft from the air to suck the water though the polyfill. will these work just the same as a sponge, or is the sponge a much better choice?

[Julie]

I'm not familiar with what you are referring too.  Key is something the fry won't get sucked up into.

Julie

[BigDaddy]

i have these little boxes that you can fill with polyfill. you run the bubler throught them and they use the draft from the air to suck the water though the polyfill. will these work just the same as a sponge, or is the sponge a much better choice?

Yup, those corner units are fine.  In theory, fry MIGHT still get trapped in the box... and so the sponge filters are a little better.  But lots of breeders also use the boxes with good success.

[mseguin]

Could try putting a stocking or something around the intake of the corner fitler to keep they fry out.

[redbelly]

well here is an update for those that are interested. some fry are swimming on their own already, not many but a couple of em. so i fed them for the first time today with first bites food. i think i waited too long to start hatching brine. i was told on piranha fury not to start till day 4 but its day 4 and some fish are already chasing the tiny bits of food around. they are all still attached to the eggs sacs a bit, but its getting much smaller. you can see all of the little eyes now so its kinda neet because they are actually already taking shape.

[redbelly]

i tried taking some pics but they didnt turn out to well. i put a different light on last night so i may have to put the old one back on tomorrow and post some pics then.
sorry

[Mettle]

Yeah. Definitely gotta get food into them before they start eating each other. Heh.

[Julie]

Looking forward to the pics.  

p.s.  (always listen to what your mom has to say  :wink: )

Julie

[pegasus]

redbelly, for your next batch, consider replacing the brine shrimp with Walter worms or micro-worms. It's totaly personal, I hate hatching and collecting brine.

[redbelly]

today i noticed two things. there is a small collection of fry that didnt make it and have died, but are not getting sucked up by the bubbler (i did end up buying one of the large foam bubbler filters btw). they have turned white and you see the other fry take a bite here and there. also there seems to be the start of some very small white dots across the bottom. is this the food (first bites and some baby brine) ? am i over feeding?
should i treat the tank with anything or will it kill the fry?

[Mettle]

Get some very thin airline tubing and do a quick little cleanup on the bottom. The thin tubing will allow you to avoid sucking up the live fry. That's what I did with livebearers when I used to care about growing them out.

[Julie]

Try cutting back on the feeding and clean the tank.  Wipe the sides down with a good paper towel.

Julie

[mseguin]

Or a turkey baster, I used to use that to feed fry and to clean up without suckingthem up.

[redbelly]

thanks guys, i used a turkey bater to suck some of the sludge out and have ahtched some brine shrimp. but seeing as in the past i have only hatched brine as a treat and not for a regular diet i have a couple questions. hoe often do i have to hatch them to keep feeding the fry?
how much should i be feeding the fry?
and how long will the brine survive in the pop bottle hatchery?

[Woody]

Hey Redbelly

Feed your fry 3 or 4 times day with just enough for them to eat in a few minutes. With newly hatched brine shrimp you'll see their bellies turn orange. This will also eliviate the problem with clean up as shrimp decompose fast and pollute the water.
You can add some java moss or some similiar plant which will provide one cell organisms for the fry to munch on if they so desire.

With newly hatched fry you should be using brine shrimp that have just recently hatched, rotating between two or three hatcheries set up on consecutive days so there is always a fresh supply. The shrimp are at their smallest size with the most nutritional value not expended in growth yet.
I personally freeze any extra shrimp I produce by using a pipette and squirting them onto icecubes in a tray. When frozen just bag them. you an premeasure and use at any time.
Just warn your better half about them, otherwise you could get in trouble like I did.
After a couple of weeks you can start adding other small particle food to the shrimp, such as finely crished flake food, and slowly wean them over. This is strictly a judgement call based on growth rate.

Keep us informed.

Woody
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[redbelly]

you mention that their belly's should turn orange, but every time i go and look at the tank the the little fish have orange stomaches..

now what about the fry that survive, they seem to be taking care of the problem. is that ok?
when i put the brine in some of the fish go for it, but not a lot of em. and they dont even bother anymore with the first bites food.

oh and here is an update of some pics.

[clouxles]

That is very cool... Congrats!    

[Julie]

Awesome indeed.
They need to be weaned off brine eventually onto flake.

Julie

[redbelly]

well my latest update is rather tragic. I added some java moss last night out of my main tank, thinking the fry would enjoy it but apparently not.
this morning almost all the fry have died. there is probably about 20 out of several hundred still left.

lesson learned. if it aint broke, dont fix it!!