Freeswimmers now what?

[Nerak]

:)
Hi all

im so happy my pair have free swimmers for the first time... :D

i got home from work and they where all swimming around mum and dad some attached it looks so cool...
just a few questions?

So i left the light on the last 3 days when is it safe to turn it off?
is it ok to leave both the parents with the fry?
will the parents freak out if i start cleaning or what if i suck the fry up when doing a water change?
is frozen bbs ok?

Thanks for any help first time with fry...
Kaz

[billeagan]

So i left the light on the last 3 days when is it safe to turn it off?
I would set up a lamp just outside of the tank. As the pair gets older and learns how to keep the fry near them a light should not be needed.

is it ok to leave both the parents with the fry?
I do. You may see some fighting over who gets the fry but let nature take its course.

will the parents freak out if i start cleaning or what if i suck the fry up when doing a water change?

When I notice eggs in the tank I do a big water change and then nothing for a week. I would wait another day or two, assuming you did a wc in the last day or so. This way you won't freak the parents out and they eat the fry.
When I do the water change I fill white buckets and let them settle then using a flash light I look for fry that I may have siphoned up. Using a brine shrimp net I put them back in the tank.

is frozen bbs ok?
After about a week feed baby brine shrimp, you will have to hatch yourself to get the smallest size possible. Frozen brine is going to be too big for them at this point.
I have actually stopped using BBS and went strictly to golden pearls (dry food of the smallest size - a fine powder). At about three weeks they start eating CBW
HTH
Bill

[Nerak]

Ok thanks for the info :)

I will set up a lamp near the tank.

I dont have any BS eggs yet will look. I found frozen baby BS there so small will try them if i dont get eggs.

I did a water change the day before they hatched so they shoud be ok.

I cant wait to watch them grow...;)

[AADiscus]

I would leave the light on the tank 24 hours for the first week. This keeps the fry with the parents on a continuous basis.

I would leave both parents in with the fry. The only time I would pull one is if they start fighting bad or if one starts eating fry.

I would go ahead and introduce bbs to them. It will take a couple feedings for the fry to realized that is food also. We normally start feeding bbs at around 3 days old.

[pcsb23]

Hi Karen,

Great news and great fun. Not much to add to the advice already given, 'cept I've never had much look with the frozen bbs. Recently been using a dried fry food, and it seems pretty good so far. Don't know if its available in Oz though :( its called ZM-200.

[Nerak]

Hi All

The fry are still going well :D

ok thanks the light will stay on all week i dont wanna risk it.
i will try the frozen bbs today and go look for some dry fry food to.

how often should i feed the fry?

[Sindhu]

Hi All

The fry are still going well :D

ok thanks the light will stay on all week i dont wanna risk it.
i will try the frozen bbs today and go look for some dry fry food to.

how often should i feed the fry?
Hi Neark,
Congrats on your first free swimmers. What a sight eh? You can try feeding Decap BBS (do a search in this forum to find out how to) if you don't have the time to hatch them. Feed little every 2 hours if you want them to grow faster but you need to siphon un-eaten food after 1 hour and top up the water, otherwise the water gets foul and fries will die. If it's a large spawn, you might have to remove either parent if they get too stress out with the fries sticking to their bodies as the skin might get damaged. Have fun.

[Nerak]

Hi, the fry are still going strong. :D

Just a few more questions. I took dad out about a week ago cause they were fighting when should i take mum out?
There is about 14 babys i think they will eat some frozen BBS and crushed up colour bits but still eat off mum too.
Mum dosent eat much just watch her fry is that ok?

Dads having a hard time back in the comunity tank the other discus pick on him alot.

Thanks for any help kaz ;)

[1977]

It's best to keep them with a parent of as close to 3 weeks as possible,after that they should be well on their way. You can pull the parents sooner but only if you actually see that all the babies are eating flake or bbs or whatever your feeding.I do 2 75% wc everyday from the time they get hooked on the parents until they're 2 inches.