Attachment question

[Bill63SG]

So in one week I had three pairs go all the way to free swimming.1st pair,no problem attachment.2nd,cobalts,zero attachment,wrote it off to newbie pair and me being new at the spawning game.3rd pair,getting some attachment,about day 2 free swiming for them,a melon pair.Noticed a few minute ago,alot of the fry around/under the sponge filter.Filter being dark,pair not so much,should I pull the sponge and just leave airstone going?

[mmorris]

Congrats, Bill! Sounds like things are hopping at your place! Did you turn the air down to a trickle first? If so, it's fine to pull the filter for a day. You also might want to play with the amount of light.

[Bill63SG]

Air down to a trickle.Play with light how?I apparently bumped something,and my timers were on 24hr,so I havent messed with that.Light on all the time.I got a suggestion from Yim11 to wrap in cheese cloth,lighter color,and I had a roll of cut-it-yourself filterpad,pink one side,white the other,so I wrappped the sponge in that.White outside.And yes,things are hopping.I joke with my boss now when I leave that I'm off to my part-time job.One of the first things he asked me this morning was how the fish were doing.I know,but atleast I made it too the bull$hit things to talk about list.And I could tell him that and he'll laugh.

[Brent1972]

For the sponge I wrap filter floss around it and hold with an elastic band.

[mmorris]

I've never had to wrap a sponge. Try turning the light off.

[nc0gnet0]

Position the light over the sponge and make it darker where the cone is.

[jimg]

For the sponge I wrap filter floss around it and hold with an elastic band.+1

[Bill63SG]

Position the light over the sponge and make it darker where the cone is.Is that because they'll move where it's darker?attachment is still half a$$ed.I notice fry around the cone at the edge,and fry in the corners.Just for all the details,this pair caught me a little off gaurd,and they are in a 55,so I'm fighting a large area.Water has been dropped to around 6".No I dont really have anything at the moment to divide tank like poret.Been feeding a later spawn on a different pair live bs,so I've been trying to put some in here around cone,ect.

[jimg]

I've had a couple pairs that the fry just don't attach for quite a few batches but after a few months it happens with no changes at all.
other times if they didn't attach I would either wrap the white floss around the filter if they kept going to it, lower water level or lower the ph, it will get the parents a little heavier/darker slime coat.

[Keith Perkins]

Position the light over the sponge and make it darker where the cone is.

I'm confused by this one too, and Rick usually does just the opposite.

[Bill63SG]

Well after sitting back and taking a deep breath,the floss I used on the sponge is a sheet,so I rubber banded some to some egg crate.Managed to jam it in,55 is now a 15 gal.If this dosent work,I've already picked up my 20's from PetCo,but it is/was a decent spawn.

[Keith Perkins]

Hopefully a creative solution, I'm sure trying to move them all would be an adventure.

[nc0gnet0]

I'm confused by this one too, and Rick usually does just the opposite.

what you trying to say keith, I do things a$$ backwards ;)

I have been slowly transitioning all my breeding tanks over to HOB filters for this very reason. The real root cause of the problem is young and or sloppy parents, but not much you can do about that but wait and hope.

I not too long ago had the exact same problem with a small spawn in a 55 gallon hex. I managed to save a good portion of them by feeding them artificially (egg yolk powder) and finally around day 7-8 they attached. There is no doubt in my mind all the fry would have been dead had I not fed them in this way. I was going to wait until I could repeat the procedure and document it, but seeing how this came up....

Rick

[Keith Perkins]

What I was TRYING to say is you usually clear up some of my confusion, rather than create any. I'm still a tad confused about the added light over the sponge filter, I'd think the shadow under or behind the sponge would still be really attractive for the fry.

The egg yolk powder makes sense. Wattley use to use egg to artificial raise fry, so why not give it a try.

[nc0gnet0]

With a white reflective (styrafoam) on the tank bottom, there is really not alot of shadowing under the sponge, but you are correct. The objective is to make the parents appear as dark as possible.

As for using the egg yolk powder, be carefull, if not used properly it will foul the water. When I did it, it was in a 55 gallon tank and I had uv filtration (36w) which helped with water quality. You add a small bit of water to the powder to make a paste, then spread a very thin film of the paste on a dark plastic disc and suspend in the tank (helps if the fry are congregating in a corner). They will feed off of the disc. but again I emphasize water quality.

Rick

[Keith Perkins]

Water quality was definitely an issue way way way back when when I tried artificially raising fry, excellent point. Now your back on track Rick. :)

[Bill63SG]

This is what I ended up with.74393Tried to idiot proof for wife and kid,Been telling them something different every day.74394

[nc0gnet0]

Feed here....lol. Is that egg crate supposed to contain the fry?

[Bill63SG]

Feed here....lol. Is that egg crate supposed to contain the fry?If you look closer,thats a sheet of floss rubberbanded to the egg crate.White on the other side.Keeping them in so far,24hrs.