Wild spawning

[peewee1]

Are you using any night light for the breeding tank?

During the day it is natural light. At night it is blue overhead light from the hood.

[peewee1]

The fry became free swimming around 125 hours from beginning. The parents were fighting too bac for the fry to attach to them so the fry were somewhat congregated near the top front left of the tank. I decided to remove the female because the male had been the one that had spent most of the time guarding the eggs. With the female gone he as returned to tending to the pot but the pot has no fry attached any longer yet they are swimming about a foot away from him so maybe they will spot him and swim over for food. I wonder if I should let nature take its course or perhaps fire up the bbs and feed them that way.

[Second Hand Pat]

You might try dimming the light over the tank. You mentioned natural light so would suggest throwing a towel over the tank.
Pat

[peewee1]

You might try dimming the light over the tank. You mentioned natural light so would suggest throwing a towel over the tank.
Pat

I will give it a try. I had turned the blue light on thinking that the fry would need light to see the male but I will turn that off and try the towel to make it darker rather than lighter. Thanks for idea.

[fljones3]

Peewee,

My fry were in a room with no natural light (other than what comes through the curtains that are closed). I have a 3-way LED des lamp that I would have at max during the day when I was working. At night, I turned it to the lowest setting and left it on all night. You mentioned natural light but how much natural light?

Frank

[CliffsDiscus]

The fry became free swimming around 125 hours from beginning. The parents were fighting too bac for the fry to attach to them so the fry were somewhat congregated near the top front left of the tank. I decided to remove the female because the male had been the one that had spent most of the time guarding the eggs. With the female gone he as returned to tending to the pot but the pot has no fry attached any longer yet they are swimming about a foot away from him so maybe they will spot him and swim over for food. I wonder if I should let nature take its course or perhaps fire up the bbs and feed them that way.

Seems like 125 hours is too soon for free swimming. Are you estimating the time from the time from laying eggs? Currently
I think the fry are eating off of their egg sac ,
it takes awhile to dissipate before free swimming. You can see the egg sac on the
fry.

Cliff

[peewee1]

Seems like 125 hours is too soon for free swimming. Are you estimating the time from the time from laying eggs? Currently
I think the fry are eating off of their egg sac ,
it takes awhile to dissipate before free swimming. You can see the egg sac on the
fry.

Cliff

The timing is correct. I put the towels over the tank and Pat suggested in order to make it darker. It's now 160 hours. I can see about 10 darting around the tank. Two are trying to feed on the male while the rest are moving around and not interested in the parent. I wonder if they are too small for brine shrimp? What are your thoughts?

[seanyuki]

The fry after five days free swimming,I feed them newly hatched baby brine shrimps.

The timing is correct. I put the towels over the tank and Pat suggested in order to make it darker. It's now 160 hours. I can see about 10 darting around the tank. Two are trying to feed on the male while the rest are moving around and not interested in the parent. I wonder if they are too small for brine shrimp? What are your thoughts?

[peewee1]

The fry after five days free swimming,I feed them newly hatched baby brine shrimps.

That would be Tuesday morning then. Thanks. I've got the tank covered with white towels and have removed the black sponge filter. I don't see more than about 10 but there could be more that I cannot see. The good news is if this first spawn do not make it I do know that I do have a confirmed pair. Those fry are fast swimmers!
!

[seanyuki]

Perhaps lower the water level in the breeding tanks and easier for the fry to locate the parents....

[peewee1]

Perhaps lower the water level in the breeding tanks and easier for the fry to locate the parents....

Thanks, Francis. All ideas help and are welcome. The spawning is at 6 days. In a way I would like to end this small spawn and let the pair start again but too this is good practice for the male with only 10 or so fry to manage will be good practice I think.

[peewee1]

Observing the process from paring to fry is an interesting one. Getting the fry to find the parent and the methods used to make that happen is puzzling. After covering the tank with towels, removing the sponge filter, leaving the blue light on overhead at night, lowering the water level none seems to motivate the fry to find the parent. I wonder how in the wild any of those fry find their parent? Since the fry swam away from the flower pot they have spent their time near the front left surface of the tank while the male hovers near the lower back right side of the tank. Neither have an interest in finding one another. Since none of these methods worked at getting the two parties together what I did this morning was to remove the towels and return the tank back to natural light from the room. It will be okay with me if this batch does not survive because it was the first attempt for this pair and I have had the female for now lest than a month. I do have a confirmed pair which in itself is an accomplishment. As soon as I don't see any more fry I will clean the tank up, turn on the filter, and put the female back into the tank and wait for them to spawn again. I do know that my tap water with Prime will allow for spawning activity and agg hatching.

KH is 100 tap
PH is 7.6 tap
TDS is 260 in the tank but 135 from the tap.
water teimp 81