Arrrggghhh My Tank

[SuperGuppyGirl]

So my cryptoheros spawn and I have wigglers and they are growing like weeds ;-), the problem is Billy and Tilly are chasing everybody away from the fry, which while they are fantastic parents the spot they are raising is the middle of the tank, and I am still doing my water changes with the increased feedings my tank has a huge build up of excess food, they are chasing out my corys and SAE's so it looks horrible, how can I fix this? I get in and pull some off the plants by hand and off the sponge filter but still tons everywhere, but how can I get rid of this without endangering the fry by vacuuming? The fry is still too small to net without possibly squishing them and dont want to spook Billy and Tilly too much so they eat them but my tank is just icky, they are in a 75 G communitand with the others are a tad stressed as well, so far have only lost one cherry barb but other than a few bites on me and from some fins no real aggression which is a plus, any suggestions?

[damtrees]

Use a siphon to get the fry out

[Vallisneria]

This is why you don't want some cichlids breeding in a community tank. Either removed the fry and grow them out yourself or if you want to keep breeding the pair move them to another tank. If you just remove the tank the parents will probably breed again soon and this will happen again. hopefully they choose a more convenient house this time.

Also for cleaning I wouldn't worry about sucking up the babies. Usually fry will stay clumped into a group so it should be fairly easy to siphon the tank without worrying about sucking them up. Just stay away from where they are being kept. I've always siphoned my fry tank and never got any babies. You could also siphon into a bucket then check the bucket before dumping it. I do this in my shrimp tanks sometimes.

[jvision]

If there's lots of extra food, you're feeding too much. If the fry are still quite small, you don't need to increase the amount of food you've been feeding before. The parents will chew up some food for the fry.

But really, the advice given is probably the best. If you have a spare 10 or 20gal, move the fry there with a mature sponge and feed a tiny amount 2-3 times per day.

[Vallisneria]

Also, I found with feeding fry that using a pipette to shoot the food closer to the fry works best. Crush up, or use whatever food, then mix a tiny bit of water in and suck it up with the pipette. Then use that to kind of spot feed the fry instead of just adding lots and letting it float around until the fry find it. Works better and you can use less food. With this method you can feed 3-6x a day without "overfeeding" and having leftover food pollute the tank.

[SuperGuppyGirl]

Been trying to find a pipette but none at my lfs, just have to keep trying I guess

[Driftwood]

Try a laboratory or medical supply store. You may have to buy the whole case.

I use the plastic disposable 3ml size. (about 6' long). Very handy and they stand up very well.

[Vallisneria]

If you can't find a pipette ask your pharmacy. They should be able to give you a eye dropper or at least a syringe. Both work fine too

[vince0]

i use a turkey baster i get from the dollars store. i also use fine mesh nets sometimes. getting fry out can be a pain, as long as you save 20-40 youll be fine. Trying to raise them all, and then finding homes for the all cane be a real pain.

[Bandi]

Siphon the fry out with a small hose and raise the fry in a ten or twenty gallon tank with a bubble filter

[SuperGuppyGirl]

From this spawn, I mqnaged to save 3 and popped them in with my cherry shrimp as I had no tank free but I havent seen them in the tank and am thinking they expired or were eaten by the wild betta I forgot was in there. I now have a 10G that has been running for 2 weeks with seasoned media for this new batch that have just become free swimming that I plan to follow the siphon method with. Fingers crossed for a decent survival rate. My nitrates are now down past 40 ppm. Thanks everyone.