Help! Should i remove the red jewel fry from communitytank?
5 posts
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rraymondddh - Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:21 am
Help! Should i remove the red jewel fry from communitytank?
I have a set of red jewels that had fry in a 55gal community tank with other cichlids(convict, dempseys) but larger, and I want the fry to survive. The eggs arent stuck to the glass anymore and i think they are starting to hatch. I'm afraid other fish will eat the fry. Should I remove the fry to a small tank? When? How? and Should i take the parents with them? Thanks
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dizzcat - Posts: 648
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am
Are the eggs being guarded by the parents? It is best to keep eggs with parents until they hatch at the least. They will be little wigglers after they hatch then free swimmers.
I don't know anything about Red Jewels, but do know that eggs do best if the parents hatch them. And most likely if you move the eggs and parents into a new tank the parents will eat them.
If you still have eggs, explain what is up? Where they laid them (on the glass??) where they are now? Usually cichlids will put hatched wigglers into a pit and watch over them.
I don't know anything about Red Jewels, but do know that eggs do best if the parents hatch them. And most likely if you move the eggs and parents into a new tank the parents will eat them.
If you still have eggs, explain what is up? Where they laid them (on the glass??) where they are now? Usually cichlids will put hatched wigglers into a pit and watch over them.
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rraymondddh - Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:21 am
The whole story is that my convicts laid eggs on the outer left hand corner of the tank (the corner of the glass where you see through). There weren't alot of eggs, and one of the convicts guarded the eggs alone. The red jewels drove them out, and the convict's eggs dissappeared
The red jewels laid eggs on the inner left hand corner of the tank. The eggs have hatched i believe, and are wiggling. They were moved to a spot near where they laid the eggs, and the jewels are guarding them very carefully.
So basicly now 1/3 of the tank is guarded by the red jewels (left side). I want the fry to survive. My question is should i remove them now before they start swimming(easier to catch) with a baster, wait until they start swimming, or just leave them in there?
The red jewels laid eggs on the inner left hand corner of the tank. The eggs have hatched i believe, and are wiggling. They were moved to a spot near where they laid the eggs, and the jewels are guarding them very carefully.
So basicly now 1/3 of the tank is guarded by the red jewels (left side). I want the fry to survive. My question is should i remove them now before they start swimming(easier to catch) with a baster, wait until they start swimming, or just leave them in there?
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dizzcat - Posts: 648
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am
Well, you could do as milky suggested and put a divider in. Give the parents and fry about 1/4th of the tank or move the fry when they start to swim. I always put a divider up when my Bolivian Rams spawn. It is mostly to keep the fry safe from the others in the tank, but also to keep the others safe from the protective parents. I do not know anything about jewels or their fry but I do know that without the parents continuing to fan the wigglers until they start to swim the fry die off. The fanning of the parents keeps a constant flow of fresh oxygenated water over them. You could try moving the wigglers into a different tank, but I personally wouldn't. Free swimming fry are easy to catch the first few days because they don't swim very good yet.
What tank setup would you move them to? Another option is to get a breeders net and put the fry in there. Just be careful because cichlids can suck fry right thru the netting of those. Do not use one of those clear plastic breeder boxes, they do not let enough water flow thru for a long time option. My best batches of fry are when I divide the tank up and let the parents raise them for about a month. After that the fry no longer need the parents help guiding them to food and I move them to a 10 gallon grow out that has a thin layer of sand and a couple live plants. If you use a divider (they cost about $15 at a lfs) make sure it fits very tight against the sides of the tank or the fry may swim right past it. I don't know how tiny jewel fry are but my Ram fry can also swim thru the holes in a divider so I cover it with a fine netting I get at a fabric store.
Once they start to swim you will need to feed them. They will probably be too small for crushed flakes. In the past I have used the Haki First Bites (make sure to soak it until its soft) or frozen baby brine shrimp (thawed). Use a baster to squirt the food right down into the fry cloud. I have a new batch of fry and have been feeding them live baby brine shrimp I am hatching. I am having more luck with that then either of the other foods. If you want to try that Google hatching baby brine shrimp and you will find articles on how. BBS takes about 24 hours to hatch. Most wigglers take about 4 days from egg to free swimming.
I also suggest Googling for articles on jewel spawns, that way you will know what is happening and how to take care of the fry.
Here is an example of my divided setup.
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... 2544-1.jpg
What tank setup would you move them to? Another option is to get a breeders net and put the fry in there. Just be careful because cichlids can suck fry right thru the netting of those. Do not use one of those clear plastic breeder boxes, they do not let enough water flow thru for a long time option. My best batches of fry are when I divide the tank up and let the parents raise them for about a month. After that the fry no longer need the parents help guiding them to food and I move them to a 10 gallon grow out that has a thin layer of sand and a couple live plants. If you use a divider (they cost about $15 at a lfs) make sure it fits very tight against the sides of the tank or the fry may swim right past it. I don't know how tiny jewel fry are but my Ram fry can also swim thru the holes in a divider so I cover it with a fine netting I get at a fabric store.
Once they start to swim you will need to feed them. They will probably be too small for crushed flakes. In the past I have used the Haki First Bites (make sure to soak it until its soft) or frozen baby brine shrimp (thawed). Use a baster to squirt the food right down into the fry cloud. I have a new batch of fry and have been feeding them live baby brine shrimp I am hatching. I am having more luck with that then either of the other foods. If you want to try that Google hatching baby brine shrimp and you will find articles on how. BBS takes about 24 hours to hatch. Most wigglers take about 4 days from egg to free swimming.
I also suggest Googling for articles on jewel spawns, that way you will know what is happening and how to take care of the fry.
Here is an example of my divided setup.
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... 2544-1.jpg
