Making Ro water for breeding tank. 2 problems

[Willie]

...When do you start to give them live artemia (hatched eggs)? Thanks a lot

Congratulations! My advise for hobbyists with their first spawn is to start a live artemia hatch right away, just to practice. You can always freeze them for future use. I agree with Liz to feed early. For me, I usually make the first feeding on Day 4 free swimming.

While bbs feeding is satisfying, you should think about how to wean fry to solid food sometime between Day 15 - 20 free swimming. I prefer using finely shredded beefheart. The growth rate on solid food vs bbs is incomparable.

One problem with young pairs is that they may spawn again - often when the fry are still young. If that happens, you need to remove the spawn or the parents will eat them.

Willie

[fljones3]

Start out with BBS and don't overfeed. Start with a little and add as you see them eating. I would also turn off the filters during feeding.

[slaven]

Between 3 and 5 days free swimming. It can take them a little time for them to figure out that it's food so try squirting the BBS right over the parent's back.

Dear All,
as I have told you 2-3 days the parents were literally covered with babies. Attached well, eating from mucus. This morning was the same. I was so happy. This afternoon only 20-30 left.
Any experience what could happened?
Can they eat the babies? I doubt.
I am desparate.
S

[Willie]

I've not seen parents eat fry that are attached, unless they've spawned again. Watch your fish carefully because something else may be going on.

[fljones3]

If there are no other fish and there are no dead fry seen, if there is no canister intake filter, then you have only one conclusion left.
Any aggression between the pair? Are you feeding the pair a little?

Dear All,
as I have told you 2-3 days the parents were literally covered with babies. Attached well, eating from mucus. This morning was the same. I was so happy. This afternoon only 20-30 left.
Any experience what could happened?
Can they eat the babies? I doubt.
I am desparate.
S

[slaven]

If there are no other fish and there are no dead fry seen, if there is no canister intake filter, then you have only one conclusion left.
Any aggression between the pair? Are you feeding the pair a little?

The procedure was like this. When they started to swim I removed the sponge filter and hanging filter. I have reduced the water level to 1/3 just above the dorsal fin. And as I have told you the babies (maybe it was 200) were attached perfectly. After that I add a new water until the top. 2 days I did not change the water and no sponge filter.
I was feeding the parents 3 times a day with small portion of beefheart. I suspect only or dirty water or parents were hungry. The parents are very peacefull and in calm place in garagge.
Today only 3-4 left
Maybe lack of mucus?Could this happen?
I have to arm myself with a lot of patience.

[LizStreithorst]

You should have added the filter back after attachment. 2 days without a water change and no filter may be what did them in.

[fljones3]

As Liz mentioned, once attachment was made the sponge filter should have been placed back in the tank or the area of the tank where the spawn occurred. With fry, WC are critical - at least daily if not twice a day (see the 2019 grow out challenges). I put only a few pellets with my pair a day. Later, I added FDBW. I also would have kept the water level reduced for awhile. Hopefully, they will spawn again.

The procedure was like this. When they started to swim I removed the sponge filter and hanging filter. I have reduced the water level to 1/3 just above the dorsal fin. And as I have told you the babies (maybe it was 200) were attached perfectly. After that I add a new water until the top. 2 days I did not change the water and no sponge filter.
I was feeding the parents 3 times a day with small portion of beefheart. I suspect only or dirty water or parents were hungry. The parents are very peacefull and in calm place in garagge.
Today only 3-4 left
Maybe lack of mucus?Could this happen?
I have to arm myself with a lot of patience.

[Willie]

The sponge filter should be returned and operational 24 hours after attachment. Perhaps the ammonia built up and killed off the fry. Lots of different things can also be happening. It's difficult to understand how much urea a swarm of fry puts out. Their metabolism is super high and ammonia spikes are possible without a nitrogen cycle.

New pairs will almost always spawn again and you'll be ready this time!

Good luck, Willie

[CliffsDiscus]

The procedure was like this. When they started to swim I removed the sponge filter and hanging filter. I have reduced the water level to 1/3 just above the dorsal fin. And as I have told you the babies (maybe it was 200) were attached perfectly. After that I add a new water until the top. 2 days I did not change the water and no sponge filter.
I was feeding the parents 3 times a day with small portion of beefheart. I suspect only or dirty water or parents were hungry. The parents are very peacefull and in calm place in garagge.
Today only 3-4 left
Maybe lack of mucus?Could this happen?
I have to arm myself with a lot of patience.

Pairs can kill or eat the fry in a split second.
Need to do more waterchanges. As far as
lack of mucus yes, some commerical breeders add prolactin this will make
the breeding pair to produce mucus.

Cliff

[slaven]

After this situation I did complete WC and the pair started to be aggressive to each other. Never noticed this before. I hope that they will recover from this stress.
S