Bandi Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I had a pair of fish spawn in their 75 Gallon tank. They are along in there except for their 60 or so offspring. The fry are about .5 inch. Do I just leave them in there with the parents until they are big enough to sell, or should I set up my 20 gallon tank as a grow out? And, if I move them...how do I move them? With a net? they seem so frigile...will catching them in a net harm them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Well that all depends on your setup. Is there tonnes of little hiding spots the parents can't reach the fry in when they get to be the size that says dinner to the parents (for my jewels that was about 1.5cm) then you might get away with leaveing them in the tank. When they are free swimming and the parents don't seem to care for them then take a bunch of the larger ones out and put them into a holding tank. Leave a few of the smaller ones to keep the parents happy. With my jewels i lost all the fry once by moving them too soon and the parents started to fight because the male wanted to breed again and the female didn't have the eggs. The other thing that happened is that If i left the fry in the tank with the parents they slowly dwindled in number from thirty to ten to two. I'm not sure why this happened but this is what happened with mine. NLS powdered with a mortar and pestle is all that you really need to feed them. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Thanks for the advice. Right now the parents are guarding the fry fiercely and taking active interest in keep them fed. They don't SEEM to be eating them. But I am not sure. The fry swim out in the open and make no effort to hide in the nooks and caves. The species in question here are Nicaragua Cichlids. I don't even know if they are worth keeping. David at Gold Aquarium tells me there is no market for them. Should I even waste my time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 You might find a few buyers, but they don't seem to be a fish that sells by the hundreds like quality livebearers, cichlids, plecos, cats, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 I found my Red jewels were a tough sell but they were fun to try and get a viable batch out of them. Use them as a learning experience if anything especially since you have some EBJD's. The parents will guard the fry for a long while and won't hurt them until a while after that even but you best want to watch out for when they get to be clocer to 2 cm long including the tail. This should take a few weeks at least. I'm just going by my own Red jewel and Electric Yellow experience. I just got the Jewels figured out FINALLY so i can give you first hand and recent beginner mistake experiences. The electric yellows on the other hand.... well the river rock substrate provided sooooo many hiding places that i have a tonne of surviving fry and i didn't even lift a finger to help them. I just left the mom in the tank with everyone else and she spat where and when she wanted. It's funny that the 2 Eureka reds and one Electric yellow both were holding and spat at about the same time and only one Eureka red made it and about ten electric yellows did. Especially since the Reds had much better camo then the yellows. Maybe it's the difference of the parents being F2's or domestics. HAVE FUN that 's the whole point of fry and if they don't survive then have another go at it. I'm sure there are some people who would LOVE to take them off your hands later if you are worried about that. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted October 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Thanks, I will have fun with them, I am having fun with them. I guess making mistakes is all part of the process. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll keep a close watch on them and move them in a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 If you raise a dozen or so I'm sure you would be able to sell them, it is when you flood the market with hundreds that they become difficult to move. I personaly would probably take 4 of them around the 2" to 3" size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.