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Caring for bristlenose fry?


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6 replies to this topic

#1 Meghan

Meghan
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  • Location:Leeming, WA
  • Location: Leeming, WA

Posted 21 February 2008 - 11:57 PM

I have my first-ever batch of fish-babies! They're common bristlenose. My question is, what is the best way to feed them? I figure they won't move until they are ready, since the male is still guarding them 24/7, but should I put in an extra vegge wafer near where the fry & male are camped? Or will they move out and eat food when they're ready, and survive on the nutrients they've gotten from the egg until then? Do I have to worry about the male getting enough food?

(Is there something useful I could read about this? I've found lots of things about making bristlenoses breed, but not much about what to do once the eggs have hatched! smile.gif )

Thanks!

#2 Scat

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Posted 22 February 2008 - 06:31 AM

Hi,

I usually wait until the fry are wrigglers ( no longer just eggs ) and then seperate them into a floating fry saver, then once their eggsac`s are gone i will put softened ( in the microwave ) cucumber in each day then they start with that when they are ready to feed.

This has worked for me many times biggrin.gif

Cheers
Craig

#3 Meghan

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  • Location: Leeming, WA

Posted 22 February 2008 - 06:16 PM

Thankyou for the reply Craig.
What is a "floating fry saver"? Is it something I can make myself?
The fry are already free-swimming type creatures that look just like tiny versions of their parents. They're about 10mm long.

Cucumber is good - I have a limitless supply of vegges so that part will be easy! smile.gif

Meghan

#4 Scat

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Posted 22 February 2008 - 08:08 PM

Hi Meghan,

Try this , this is what i use for bristlenose fry

http://www.perthcich...h...opic&t=5638

Also i remove the seeds from the cucumber pieces as i found that the seeds go everywhere and make a real mess of your tank.

Ive just found my second peppermint bristlenose spawn tonight biggrin.gif

Craig

#5 malbone

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  • Location: Joondalup WA

Posted 22 February 2008 - 08:12 PM

You only need a frysaver ( floating plastic or net container ) if you have something that will eat them - they will eat what the parents eat but don't go too mad with the food to start with as you will compromise the water quality and the cycle. They eat alot and poo alot so clean the filter more often and water change more often if you want max growth water change 50% each day but if you don't care about twice a week.

#6 syroc

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  • Location: doubleview WA

Posted 28 February 2008 - 10:42 AM

biggrin.gif What Malbone said biggrin.gif I have raised lots of Bristlenose fry both common and albino and this works all the time. I also do lots of water changes making sure the temp is pretty much the same as the tank water. Happy for you.
fran

#7 Meghan

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  • Location: Leeming, WA

Posted 28 February 2008 - 11:28 PM

Thanks for the advice Scat, Malbone and Syroc!
Congrats on the peppermint spawn Scat! Those are very pretty fish. smile.gif

Malbone-
I would have thought that 50% water change would be a bit much for the little guys though? I was planning on doing a 30% one twice a week because I thought they'd be more stressed by changes in temp/water chemistry than adults? :S So will they be okay with more frequent changes? I've been using filtered water from the parent tank (and by filtered I mean poured through a makeshift sieve to get rid of any debris).

Fran - do you have a certain method to check the water is the same temp? I suppose mine would be pretty close, because both my tank heaters are set to the same temp. O_o

the other problem is that the tank I've got the babies in now has gravel in it, so I'm a bit afraid to siphon the bottom! I've just been very careful and made sure it was going relatively slowly but is there any other way to do this? I want to avoid taking out the gravel because I think it would probably be stressful for them and some might get killed if they were hiding in the rocks/or something.

I've just been putting in 1cmx5mm slices of zuchinni (1/every 1st day) with vegge wafers (1/every 2nd day), and then removing whatever's left before I go to sleep.. they haven't been very interested in the food though, they ate alll the algae in the tank over about a day, but they're still not showing much interest in food? It's probably just that I haven't caught them at it and they're too tiny to eat all of the food I've been putting in? (There is over 20 of them though?)

Thanks biggrin.gif (Sorry for the wall of text! :oops: )




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