NoMondays
12-02-2016, 07:38 PM
This is a first for me. Up until today the only success I've had raising albino wrigglers has been to raise them artificially. AND doing so is very, very time consuming.
There are articles that have stated albino fry are blinded by room lighting. Some articles claim it's the color of the light that has a bearing. Please don't take this wrongly . . . I'm not saying others are wrong in any way, just saying I've tried many options without results. This is something that has worked for me, so conversely (Haha!) it may not work for you! :)
It's necessary that I explain this tank set up and lighting because some of it seems to play a key part in the attachment phase for albino fry. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder with white paint on the bottom, sides, and rear glass. Two tanks are stacked onto a bare bones steel rack purchased from a “Big Box Store”. There's a 14 watt fluorescent light placed diagonally across one rear corner. One large (over-sized) sponge filter is encircled with a white plastic fine mesh to mask it's dark color from the free swimmers. Additionally there's a Marineland in-tank canister filter with a polishing cartridge.
The parents are a forced marriage consisting of a 2.5 year old proven RT Albino male and a nearly 1 year old proven RT/Albino female (home bred intermediate). This past Sunday afternoon the pair chose to spawn on the tank wall instead of a conveniently placed PVC pipe. There were about 70 eggs. By Wednesday morning 50-60 wrigglers remained. The ratio seemed 60% RT and 40% Albino.
Previous experience has proven that albino fry seem to be blinded by anything more than very weak and indirect lighting. So, during Wednesday afternoon I removed the fluorescent light from the corner of the tank and leaned it against the painted side. A limited amount of diffused light shines through the paint.
During the night, by morning of day four (Thursday) the pair had moved the wrigglers onto the PVC. At this point there were perhaps 40 wrigglers on the PVC and the ratio continued at 60/40. Anticipating free swimmers, I shut down the in-tank polishing filter.
Sometime before early morning of day five (Friday) the free swimming phase took place and nearly all the fry were attached to the female. There were a few albino free swimmers aimlessly swimming around. Ah-Ha! There was sunshine from a nearby window casting a beam into the tank. Using a turkey baster I drew up the wayward free swimmers and re-positioned them to a shaded area near the female parent. Then I shielded the tank from sunlight using cardboard. Within 30 minutes the albino free swimmers found and attached to the female.
What was observed for this occasion was the albino's attached to the intermediate within a couple of hours of free swimming. The attachment occurred in a 40 gallon breeder tank and the water level was not lowered.
This is anecdotal evidence.
IN A NUTSHELL - -
Very low intensity, diffused lighting, provided primarily from one side might provide the albino free swimmers less confusion as well as a stronger contrast for attraction to a parent. Perhaps it's overhead lighting as well as lighting that's too strong which confuses albino free swimmers.
At a later date I'll be using the same (or similar ?) technique in a further attempt to cement what appears to have worked for this particular spawn.
There are articles that have stated albino fry are blinded by room lighting. Some articles claim it's the color of the light that has a bearing. Please don't take this wrongly . . . I'm not saying others are wrong in any way, just saying I've tried many options without results. This is something that has worked for me, so conversely (Haha!) it may not work for you! :)
It's necessary that I explain this tank set up and lighting because some of it seems to play a key part in the attachment phase for albino fry. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder with white paint on the bottom, sides, and rear glass. Two tanks are stacked onto a bare bones steel rack purchased from a “Big Box Store”. There's a 14 watt fluorescent light placed diagonally across one rear corner. One large (over-sized) sponge filter is encircled with a white plastic fine mesh to mask it's dark color from the free swimmers. Additionally there's a Marineland in-tank canister filter with a polishing cartridge.
The parents are a forced marriage consisting of a 2.5 year old proven RT Albino male and a nearly 1 year old proven RT/Albino female (home bred intermediate). This past Sunday afternoon the pair chose to spawn on the tank wall instead of a conveniently placed PVC pipe. There were about 70 eggs. By Wednesday morning 50-60 wrigglers remained. The ratio seemed 60% RT and 40% Albino.
Previous experience has proven that albino fry seem to be blinded by anything more than very weak and indirect lighting. So, during Wednesday afternoon I removed the fluorescent light from the corner of the tank and leaned it against the painted side. A limited amount of diffused light shines through the paint.
During the night, by morning of day four (Thursday) the pair had moved the wrigglers onto the PVC. At this point there were perhaps 40 wrigglers on the PVC and the ratio continued at 60/40. Anticipating free swimmers, I shut down the in-tank polishing filter.
Sometime before early morning of day five (Friday) the free swimming phase took place and nearly all the fry were attached to the female. There were a few albino free swimmers aimlessly swimming around. Ah-Ha! There was sunshine from a nearby window casting a beam into the tank. Using a turkey baster I drew up the wayward free swimmers and re-positioned them to a shaded area near the female parent. Then I shielded the tank from sunlight using cardboard. Within 30 minutes the albino free swimmers found and attached to the female.
What was observed for this occasion was the albino's attached to the intermediate within a couple of hours of free swimming. The attachment occurred in a 40 gallon breeder tank and the water level was not lowered.
This is anecdotal evidence.
IN A NUTSHELL - -
Very low intensity, diffused lighting, provided primarily from one side might provide the albino free swimmers less confusion as well as a stronger contrast for attraction to a parent. Perhaps it's overhead lighting as well as lighting that's too strong which confuses albino free swimmers.
At a later date I'll be using the same (or similar ?) technique in a further attempt to cement what appears to have worked for this particular spawn.