Finding a foster parent for fry. Crap shoot?

[pinoysport]

Im thinking of trying to find a foster parent or parents out of all the adults I have.

What do you look for when trying to choose foster parent?

I can gues the obvious ones

1) Use an adult who has carried fry before.
2) try not to use an albino.

Anyone else want to chime in? Do you just move the eggs in a tank with the forster parent and hope he or she doesnt eat them? do you pick the biggest adult you have?

What do you do? Is it just pure luck ?



Thanks all!

[Bill63SG]

I could be wrong here,but I would think the foster parent should already be carrying fry.They can't just fire up the hormones,generate slime on comand?I just did it not long ago,bot the foster's had fry a week older.And you can see the size difference.

[pinoysport]

I could be wrong here,but I would think the foster parent should already be carrying fry.They can't just fire up the hormones,generate slime on comand?I just did it not long ago,bot the foster's had fry a week older.And you can see the size difference.

right... using parents that already have carried fry is a good chance they would be a good foster parent.....

but how do you select a foster parent that has never carried fry before? or is that not possible?

[DiscusDrew]

Its a crap shoot if they haven't had fry recently or on them. If you don't have anyone at least dancing and shaking I wouldn't try it at all. Preferably that's recently had some spawning activity. JMO i'm new to this too.

[nc0gnet0]

Actually they can just fire up and generate slime almost on command. If you want to try fostering, you need to move the eggs, not the fry. Your best bet is an older pair that has succesfully raised fry before. I find browns to work best, but I have even used albino's as fosters (as a matter of fact I have an albino fostering fry right now). You don't even need a pair, a good male will work just fine. Most people will move the eggs just after they have been laid and place them with the foster parents screened. Many don't remove the screen until the fry have gone free swimming, and the foster pair have had ample time to bond with the fry. However, I have removed the screen as early as after one day (before the eggs have hatched) with success. You just need to learn the cues that the foster parent(s) have bonded with the eggs (vigoursly defending them is a good cue).

Now if your going to try to move fry, then the foster parents had better have fry on them themselves, and the fry are comparable size. This is a crapshoot, and if there is a big difference in the fry (color, size, etc) you stand a good chance of haven them eaten.

[pinoysport]

Actually they can just fire up and generate slime almost on command. If you want to try fostering, you need to move the eggs, not the fry. Your best bet is an older pair that has succesfully raised fry before. I find browns to work best, but I have even used albino's as fosters (as a matter of fact I have an albino fostering fry right now). You don't even need a pair, a good male will work just fine. Most people will move the eggs just after they have been laid and place them with the foster parents screened. Many don't remove the screen until the fry have gone free swimming, and the foster pair have had ample time to bond with the fry. However, I have removed the screen as early as after one day (before the eggs have hatched) with success. You just need to learn the cues that the foster parent(s) have bonded with the eggs (vigoursly defending them is a good cue).

Now if your going to try to move fry, then the foster parents had better have fry on them themselves, and the fry are comparable size. This is a crapshoot, and if there is a big difference in the fry (color, size, etc) you stand a good chance of haven them eaten.

Thanks Rick thats perfect... I meant moving the eggs not fry... I have a few big males I can try who never carried before... I was just trying to figure out the best way to introduce the eggs. I guess adding the eggs with a sceen on them is prob the best.

[Bill63SG]

Thanks also Rick.Always learning something here.

[DiscusDrew]

Yeah for sure, excellent info Rick, I truly appreciate it as well.

[pinoysport]

Thanks also Rick.Always learning something here.


Yeah for sure, excellent info Rick, I truly appreciate it as well.

Looks like its what I thought. Its a crapshoot unless you use a foster that has carried fry before.

so the quesstion now is outside of what we know is what is the selection criteria when selecting a new foster parent?

prefer males.
possible browns
try not to use albinos
use foster that has carried fry before.

anything else?