feeding fry to and after 3/4 inch

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aldicks
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feeding fry to and after 3/4 inch

Post by aldicks »

HI
I have bred a lot more zebras than I actually have. It happens that they decided to form a breeding colony about 18 months ago in a planted 70 gal (which causes some problems: This is what I have observed:

1. If I leave them in the breeder tank they fade away and die within a week ..they get very thin and die... it is starvation for sure.The tank is too big.
2. If I put them into a breeder net,they are OK and develope reasonably well but they cannot stay there forever and ,in any case,sooner or later ,I need the breeder net/refuge for another batch.
3. At a few weeks or a month, they go into a ten gallon grow out tank. There,if I keep them on small food like cyclops, baby brine shrimp,rotifers ( all frozen) and dry food they do ok but at about 3/4 of an inch they seem to be ready for larger food like wafers, european shrimp mix,discus beefheart food , pellets etc. Without adding the larger food they seem to get thin. When I change over to the larger foods I get good growth but,also,deaths, often of the biggest ones. It is theorized that they choked and I think I believe choking occurs at least some of the time. I did see a very fresh death,though,and that fry,at almost 1 inch, had developed a swollen red abdomen and died within 12 hours of feeding homemade european shrimp mix..but I have fed that stuff before. Certainly you can't feed homemade discus beefheart food.

So,who knows what is a good food or group of foods that re good for zebra plecos from 3/4 to one inch.? My feel (and I have done this) is that at one inch they are fine back to be with the parents in the 70 and ,also, at that one inch size,they can evidently eat anything the parents eat.

Thanks for your help
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TwoTankAmin
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Re: feeding fry to and after 3/4 inch

Post by TwoTankAmin »

It sounds to me like you have something else going on here that is not food related. I have raised 100s of fry in my breeder tank without the sort of issues you are mentioning. I even fed blood worms to the tank along with much tinier food for the fry and did fine this way.

I also have used growout tanks. I have moved over entire caves with a dad still inside with almost free swimming babies. Later the cave and dad were returned to the breeder tank as soon as he boots/lets out the fry. Many members here feel fry grow best when left in the breeder tank. I am in this camp.

Is it possible there are parasites or something bacterial on the bottom glass? Have you treated the tank for anything? Fry have a much harder time fighting off stuff than adults.

I am aware of one breeder who lost a lot of fry over an extended period until microscopic examination discovered a disease. Once this was diagnosed and the proper medication used, the problem stopped. He lost a ton of fry before that point however.
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aldicks
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Re: feeding fry to and after 3/4 inch

Post by aldicks »

HI
Let me add some data that might be of help.
1. I know people raise the babies with the adults. But a 70 gallon is sort of big and whenever I have raised other types of fry,it did seem that the tank can get too big for them to find food.The babies used to graze on the rear glass..but they essentially grazed it clean and now seem to be unable to find food in the main tank.
2. The European shrimp mix is pretty rich...shrimp,peas,and quite a bit of spirolina powder..it's really my tropheus Moorii food but everything I ever fed it to likes it.The good article on breeding leopard frogs on Planet Catfish reccommends it for leopards...which are a bit more vegetarian than zebras.

3. When the babies are moved to a ten gallon growout,they/I am really pretty dirty. Therefore they need a siphon out every day or so...which amounts to nearly a 50% water change nearly every day. The new water,from my storage units is identical to the tank water... GH 5 /KH 1-2, PH 7 ....it's my discus growout water, but it tends to be cooler from the constant use of the RO unit. So the babies can get a daily drop in temp from 82F to even 79F. I am trying to fix that which is harder than one might imagine...and I think I should go to a new,completely newly set up 20 gallon high which will help with this problem as the temp change will be lessened.

Any more ideas now that i have added this info?

Thanks again
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TwoTankAmin
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Re: feeding fry to and after 3/4 inch

Post by TwoTankAmin »

Get a 20 long for growout (or a 15 even). Thin layer of sand, rock work and some wood. Throw in a couple of sponge filters and maybe a small Power Filter if you want. Hold the temp reasonably constant and try maintaining the temp at a minimum of 82 and I would consider a bit warmer up to 86.

I have gone mostly bare bottom and seem to be able to keep the bottom free of the build up and nasties some folks report. However, a thin layer of sand makes this a non-issue.

I have never done daily water changes for anything, and especially not any of my plecos large or newly free swimming. Everybody in cycled tanks gets a weekly water change. Uncycled tanks get about 25% every other day. But that is me. However, I never heard of a fish dying because its water was too clean.
What makes the common person uncommon is common sense.
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