Edited by Michael Wolfe, 03 June 2014 - 09:09 PM.
Woohoo! And a call for advice
Started by
Guest_exasperatus2002_*
, Jun 01 2014 10:55 PM
6 replies to this topic
#1 Guest_exasperatus2002_*
Posted 01 June 2014 - 10:55 PM
Noticed my male fathead being overly aggressive today and wouldnt feed. I just noticed, he's a daddy! There's eggs all on the roof of his cave and he's not letting anyone, even the long nosed dace, near that cave. This is my 2nd native spawning. I've bred my black nosed dace several times. How do I care for the fry? Like I do for dace fry? What do I do to save a few being that, they're smack dab in the middle of a community tank. My dace fry were barely noticeable (little slivers against the black background) and swam at the surface of my 55 when I noticed them after the first dace spawning.
#3 Guest_Nearctic_*
Posted 03 June 2014 - 02:02 PM
You have many options:
1) remove all the other fish from the tank.
2) remove the rock with eggs, male, and tank water into another tank.
3) wait until the eggs are 4 days old then remove the rock with eggs and water to another tank.
4) Scrape the eggs off of the rock with a razor blade into another tank
5) try to siphon out newly hatched fry
6) give the fry places to hide at the bottom and at the surface and hope some survive.
I would go with number 4. By scraping off the eggs, the eggs can be separated from each other, and you can remove bad and fungused eggs, since the male will not be caring for the eggs, but you don't have to worry about when to remove the rock, and the rock can be immediately replaced in the breeding tank.
When the fry are free-swimming, feed paramecium, green water, and/or crushed flake food or powdered egg yolk dusted on the water surface. Bubble some air in the tank to provide some surface movement.
1) remove all the other fish from the tank.
2) remove the rock with eggs, male, and tank water into another tank.
3) wait until the eggs are 4 days old then remove the rock with eggs and water to another tank.
4) Scrape the eggs off of the rock with a razor blade into another tank
5) try to siphon out newly hatched fry
6) give the fry places to hide at the bottom and at the surface and hope some survive.
I would go with number 4. By scraping off the eggs, the eggs can be separated from each other, and you can remove bad and fungused eggs, since the male will not be caring for the eggs, but you don't have to worry about when to remove the rock, and the rock can be immediately replaced in the breeding tank.
When the fry are free-swimming, feed paramecium, green water, and/or crushed flake food or powdered egg yolk dusted on the water surface. Bubble some air in the tank to provide some surface movement.
#4
Posted 04 June 2014 - 07:25 AM
I would be hesitant scraping the eggs off of a rough surface like a porous rock with a razor blade. While it can be done, you run the risk of damaging many of the eggs. This method works well when removing eggs from smooth surfaces like glass. (Fish like corys, Twig cats, etc. routinely lay on the glass and thus makes it easier to remove with a razor).
I personally would go with part of option 2---remove the rock with eggs and tank water. There is no need to move the male too. Leave him in the community tank and give him a new rock cave so breeding can resume. The rock containing the eggs can be placed in a 2.5 gallon tank with aeration near the eggs [to mimic the father fanning/oxygenating them]. Having the fry in a smaller container like a 2.5 gal allows you to concentrate your feeding efforts, siphon the bottom frequently to remove debris, and allows you to do large water changes quickly.
While I have not personally raised Fathead fry, I would imagine they can take newly hatched artemia once they become free-swimming and start feeding. A lot of Cyprinid fry are large enough.
I personally would go with part of option 2---remove the rock with eggs and tank water. There is no need to move the male too. Leave him in the community tank and give him a new rock cave so breeding can resume. The rock containing the eggs can be placed in a 2.5 gallon tank with aeration near the eggs [to mimic the father fanning/oxygenating them]. Having the fry in a smaller container like a 2.5 gal allows you to concentrate your feeding efforts, siphon the bottom frequently to remove debris, and allows you to do large water changes quickly.
While I have not personally raised Fathead fry, I would imagine they can take newly hatched artemia once they become free-swimming and start feeding. A lot of Cyprinid fry are large enough.
Nick L.
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