Feeding my parent raised Discus fry

[I Am Aquarius]

Hi everyone, I have a question about my discus fry. They are 16 days old from their spawn, and have been eating live bbs for about a week and a half. They are with their mother in a 20 bare bottom. I'm wondering if I can introduce Hikari micro pellets soon... I've been adding frozen bbs for the past few days trying to wean them off live, and they are starting to take it. I just wondered anyone's thoughts or experience with getting them off live bbs and at what age? I also have Hikari first bites and New Life Spectrum small fry food on hand...
Thanks for any input:)
Kathryn
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/Kitkat9902/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-11/1D4AB953-DE73-4334-8E59-F0EF52EB4D6C_zps6pdvnutu.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/Kitkat9902/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-11/1D4AB953-DE73-4334-8E59-F0EF52EB4D6C_zps6pdvnutu.jpg.html)

[nc0gnet0]

I have never rushed trying to wean them off BBS, it is a very good food.

[I Am Aquarius]

Do you mean live bbs? They are starting to eat frozen after a week+ of live...is that not ok?

[Larry Grenier]

I haven't bread for several years (there's a joke there but Ill leave it alone) but I have had great success with decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, micro-size golden pearls and Cyclop-eeze. The 1st are from Brine Shrimp Direct and see this for the 3rd http://www.cyclop-eeze.com/index.php. Worth looking into

[John_Nicholson]

Personally I feel live fresh hatched BBS cannot be beat. By now the fry should be hammering it hard.

-john

[I Am Aquarius]

Thanks for the advice, they are feeding machines and growing fast! It's my first attempt at raising discus fry, verrry exciting:) But it's bye bye for now to cooking batches of live bbs... Sorry but that's a royal pain in the butt!! Unless there is some nutritional benefit i'm not aware of, and the cyclops food is between 3-$500, really? I'm not that hardcore I guess, there must be other ways! They are happily chowing down on the frozen, and since it's flash frozen and fortified, i'm going to consider myself lucky that they don't have to have wiggling food in order to eat:).

My BD and PB have 40 wigglers on the glass of my 90 atm, was thinking to turkey baste some into the 20 with the blue turq female and her fry to see if she would surrogate parent them? I'm not sure what else to do, can't set up any more tanks right now, too busy to handle more daily 100+% WCs, 5 tanks on the go already. Thoughts anyone?

[John_Nicholson]

Not sure where you are buying your BBS from from it is very economical when you look at what you get for your money. Look to brineshrimodirect.com and buy a 1 pound can. Keep it in your freezer and it will last for years and years. No first food is as good for your babies as BBS.

Good luck.

-john

[nc0gnet0]

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/

[I Am Aquarius]

Thanks, i'll look into that:)

[John_Nicholson]

If you are a NADA member you will get a discount.

-john

[duscusnovice]

Looking great

[Cabe]

I also agree. I wasn't thrilled about hatching bbs, but after getting the eggs and setting up a couple of 2 liter bottles and air pumps, I was amazed. It's not that hard, just watch some videos and give it a try. its easy once you try. I now I wouldn't do it any other way. After about 4 or 5 weeks or so start trying black worms and beef heart flakes or beef heart mix.

[I Am Aquarius]

Thanks, I did about 10 batches for them, and you're right it does get easier, but never as easy as frozen lol! They readily took Hikari frozen bbs, and ran out last night so gave them Omega One frozen BBS that a friend gave me and they don't like it as much and aren't eating off the bottom like they did with Hikari... It also seems to pollute the water more! So I vote for Hikari and will go get some more today.

Today I will cook up a batch of live for them again, you guys definitely seem to feel it's the best way to go, I had a batch that did not hatch at one point and was freaking out and that was the day I gave them the frozen, it is definitely more stressful doing live:(.

Can't get beefheart of any kind in Canada for some weird reason... Any thoughts on what to feed them next, and at what age I should start? Let me guess, you're going to tell me to cook up my own beef heart, right? Capital Y in yuck to that one , but if that's best I will... Any painless recipes out there lol? They're 3 weeks old today:)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/Kitkat9902/E7D69422-931F-4438-91EF-BB52E94DD78D_zpszqdtmx88.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/Kitkat9902/media/E7D69422-931F-4438-91EF-BB52E94DD78D_zpszqdtmx88.jpg.html)
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/Kitkat9902/635C623C-C776-427E-B63F-674F22E270DA_zpsoehhllxs.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/Kitkat9902/media/635C623C-C776-427E-B63F-674F22E270DA_zpsoehhllxs.jpg.html)

[nc0gnet0]

Can I ask what the mate is to that turq in the picture that produced the fry?

[I Am Aquarius]

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p498/Kitkat9902/E2FA3D91-4EAC-4BE2-9F0A-AF876B0A538E_zpse9wwek9w.jpg (http://s1152.photobucket.com/user/Kitkat9902/media/E2FA3D91-4EAC-4BE2-9F0A-AF876B0A538E_zpse9wwek9w.jpg.html)

Why do you ask?

[John_Nicholson]

LOL>...Rick you already knew the answer.....


Not sure where to go for the next food. I always use beef heart mix.

-john

[I Am Aquarius]

Your last comment to "Rick" sounds arrogant. I hope there are other members on this forum who aren't so judgemental, or at least keep those as direct messages. I'm not looking to win a ribbon here, I do this as a hobby that I am passionate about. Forums such as Simply should be about support not criticism.

[OC Discus]

I don't know how cobalt pellets compare to beefheart mix, but my fish took them immediately. They contain beefheart, vegetation, vitamins, probiotics, and other things. Protein is just under 50%. Ive only been using it for about a month, but pleased so far. It slowly sinks to the bottom, not getting sucked into the filters. Yet, it is not as hard as Omega Pellets, softening faster so they can eat it more quickly. At this point I would recommend it.

[Bill63SG]

Your last comment to "Rick" sounds arrogant. I hope there are other members on this forum who aren't so judgemental, or at least keep those as direct messages. I'm not looking to win a ribbon here, I do this as a hobby that I am passionate about. Forums such as Simply should be about support not criticism.

Go to Ricks Mutt Motel in the homesteader section, and youll see why John commented.He wasn't arrogant,they're long time buddies.All John has done on this thread is give you solid advise.I think you need to lighten up a little.It was just some friendly banter.

[John_Nicholson]

Your last comment to "Rick" sounds arrogant. I hope there are other members on this forum who aren't so judgemental, or at least keep those as direct messages. I'm not looking to win a ribbon here, I do this as a hobby that I am passionate about. Forums such as Simply should be about support not criticism.

LOL...Good Lord man lighten up. From the pictures posted it was more than obvious that it was a PB X non PB. If you don't want the obvious stated then don't ask questions. I do not own Simply but in my opinion it is about getting the best information about discus out to the general public.....not about supporting over sensitive people.

-john

[I Am Aquarius]

I lightened up a lot the day my discus fry went free swimming onto their mother's back, and have been on a constant high ever since! So lightning up is not the point. Solid advice, yes, more experienced, for sure…but inside jokes without a kind word to the poster is in poor taste, IMHO. If he's into mutts, maybe he could have said that, I didn't know!

[nc0gnet0]

Good lord, we have taken overly sensitive to an all new level.............

[nc0gnet0]

If your looking for a good next food, and don't want to mess with BH, then try Al's FDBW and some of these:

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c183/BSD-Marine-Slow-Sinking-Pellets-06-MM-c231.html

btw I am sure the cobalt pellets are just fine, however they are way to big to consider them as a "next" food for your fry, unless you break them up into itty bitty pieces.........

[I Am Aquarius]

Thanks for the feedback on the food, much appreciated. My intention was never to be "overly" sensitive, i apologise if i came across that way... Sometimes too little information can be dangerous....