good time to separate parents from fry???

[MattV.]

my first spawn is now 3weeks old and growing quick. im workin on the pics but their file size is too large to post. about 60fry and at 3wks already showing nice color in fins. daddy is wildcaught, mama is tank raised. they are new/young pair and i want them to spawn again. my question is, at 3wks is it ok to seperate the parents, and if yes, where should i move them to(original community tank or should they get to stay in the same 20gal and i move the babies. im not sure what to do because they have been perfect parents, never tried to attack me or get aggressive at all. but i think they look like they might need a break soon.

[John_Nicholson]

If you have the babies eating BBS and/or BH you can pull them. Most will do so between 10 and 21 days. I would suggest putting the fry in a tank no bigger than 30 gallons right now. Once they get a little more age on them then more them to a 55+ gallon tank.

-john

[MostlyDiscus]

You can pull the fry as soon as 5 days as long as they are eating BBS. I use a combo of 100 mill golden pearls and live bbs to make sure they are getting enough vitiamins. The reason for the smaller tank is so that the fry can find the food better. 30 gallon is perfect. Not to big so the fry can hunt down their meals and not too small. Smaller tanks promote foul water and flukes. Ed

[MattV.]

Great, Thanks for the info. Ive been feeding the frozen bbs since about 4-5days after they clung to parents. It seems to be doing great so far, they really enjoy it. They seem pretty much independent at this point, only about 2-5 at a time feed off parents out of about 60 babies. Im thinkin i might return the parents to the community tank for a bit, until i can transfer the fry to a larger tank. How long does it normally take for them to get ready to spawn again?

[John_Nicholson]

Depends on the pair but less than a month and probably closer to a week.

-john

[DonMD]

Well, I'm in a very similar situation -- only a smaller spawn. 12 fry about 2.5 weeks old. They survived my traveling 7 days, with just one visit home for a w/c. But they look good. Problem is I have to travel again next week, and want to leave the fry with the adults until I get back (in 11 days from today) and start with the bbs. So, the question is, does it hurt to leave a small spawn of fry for 5 weeks with the parents? -Don

[Keith Perkins]

I would think you'd be fine with such a small batch of fry, but I'd NEVER do it with a big batch. You could easily come home and find two dead parents, eaten alive so to speak. If anything the parents may not find a dozen worth dealing with, spawn again, and eat the current batch. Just depends on the parents.

[MostlyDiscus]

Either way your find Don.

[mmorris]

Im thinkin i might return the parents to the community tank for a bit, until i can transfer the fry to a larger tank. How long does it normally take for them to get ready to spawn again?

How large a tank are they in now? What are your plans for a grow-out tank? It's impossible to know how long it will be before they spawn again but if they are going to, John's estimates work for me. Remember to do lots of wc's. I do two 80+% a day, temp and ph the same.

[nc0gnet0]

So, the question is, does it hurt to leave a small spawn of fry for 5 weeks with the parents? -Don

IME, as long as the fry are getting fed enough, they can stay with the parents for quite along time without any ill effect. I would imagine this verys from pair to pair, but I have yet to have fry eat the parents, so to speak. Now, if they weren't getting fed (by me) 6x a day, this might be an entirely different story.

However, I have never left older fry unattented for any prolonged period of time (days) with their parents. It is a situation that should be avoided IMO.


Rick

[John_Nicholson]

It can be a problem for large spawns. Seems to happen to younger pairs more than older pairs. Some pairs never seem to have the problem. I guess some are just better "milkers" than others.

-john

[nc0gnet0]

For me, (so far anyways ) my fry seem to lose all interest in feeding from the parent(s) at about 3-4 weeks. The thing I need to watch most is making sure that the adults get enough to eat. Maybe this is just a result of my heavy feeding schedule? I actually have a male adult in with a small batch of juvies that are a bit over two months now, without issue. He is still just as protective of them as ever. Maybe this is an exception?

Rick

[MattV.]

How large a tank are they in now? What are your plans for a grow-out tank? It's impossible to know how long it will be before they spawn again but if they are going to, John's estimates work for me. Remember to do lots of wc's. I do two 80+% a day, temp and ph the same.

well i currently have about 75 fry in a 20 gal. I moved daddy back to the community tank lastnight, couldnt get a clear shot at moma yet without the babies close by so she is still in there for now. Im thinking about getting another 55gal for the grow out tank. How long do you normally have before the fry should be transfered to a bigger home.

[DonMD]

For me, (so far anyways ) my fry seem to lose all interest in feeding from the parent(s) at about 3-4 weeks. The thing I need to watch most is making sure that the adults get enough to eat. Maybe this is just a result of my heavy feeding schedule? I actually have a male adult in with a small batch of juvies that are a bit over two months now, without issue. He is still just as protective of them as ever. Maybe this is an exception?

Rick

I'm glad to read this. I have a small brood at 3 weeks and I have to travel for a week. The fry are starting to pick on the bottom for pearl feed, and I've got the parents on an auto feeder. I'll have to get family to feed the fry while I'm gone.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

[Keith Perkins]

Rick - the last batch of fry I had numbered well over 200 and the parents were on the verge of being in trouble at day 12. Yea, it definitely depends on the parents and all that, but this pair had had batches nearing 200 before and I had no problem then to 3 or 4 weeks as you say. It's always something to keep an eye on with big batches of I guess, at least from my recent experience.