Yellow_Fish7 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 Hey there! Got a bristlenose male doing what I believe is fanning eggs (saw him at the entrance of this little nook in the driftwood when the female was in there earlier) and I'm pretty sure it would be ideal to have a seperate tank for fry to move into, and potentially so I could separate them for a little while at a time if I start getting too overloaded. I'm a little tight on space so even the tank I'm thinking of buying for this purpose (51W x 30D x 43Hcm, 52L) is a squeeze but I'm pretty sure I can fit it. Ultimately I want the best for my fish so worse case scenario I will sell the female, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. Currently I've got a 70L tank with a 61 x 36cm footprint, well-filtered and with water changes and gravel cleaning every week to week and a half (about 15% water changes) and have no issues with anything. No other tankmates in there other than a couple pond snails. So, any tips on raising the fry? Would the 52L be okay to keep the fry in until I can sell them (or to keep the adults separate if I have far too many fry at once)? Cheers guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 As there's nothing else in there, leave them where they are. Once the fry leave their cave they look cute zipping about with their little tails looking like flags. Neither parents eat the fry. Indeed, neither do other fish. No special care is needed and they do not need to be separated from the adults. They love cucumbers. Weight a slice - I use a fishing sinker tied to one or thread a row of slices onto a knitting needle with the sinker tied to the middle, so it sits on the substrate, or leave it floating, and watch them eat it from the inside out until all that's left is the skin. Your biggest problem will be catching the speedy little buggers when you want to sell them 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted January 9 Author Report Share Posted January 9 Awesome thank you! Mostly I'm just worried that the tank will get too crowded with all the new little fish in there. What size can you sell them and do you feed the cucumber raw? Your comment is very helpful, makes me less nervous. :) Turns out the male wasn't fanning but I'd like to be prepared for when he is as I'm fairly certain he's getting ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Raw cucumber. They will eat all sorts of veg actually. They are very small so don't upset the bioload too much when young. I found they don't transport well under 3cm so you need them at least that to sell in my opinion. Others may disagree (someone always does 🙂 ) Fella may have been cleaning out the site ready to entice a female into his space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 Sounds great, thanks! And yeah I though he might have been too How long should you leave the cucumber in for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Until they have eaten all but the rind, or it all starts to fall to bits. Start with 1 slice as it sometimes takes them a while to try new foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 Alright, sounds wonderful thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 Thought you might like to see these pics, taken today (excuse the messy tank). The gold ancistrus is around 8cm. The Odessa barbs went nuts over it as soon as I dropped it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted January 13 Author Report Share Posted January 13 Yooo that looks cool! Cute lil guys!! Does raw zucchini work too? We've got frozen slices and I was thinking I could defrost it, weigh it down (ziptie around a rock or a plant weight) and drop it in. I'd love to do that even just for the adults tbh. Are raw vegetables safe in general? Is the boiling just to make it sink/make it softer or is raw stuff unsafe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted Monday at 07:38 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 07:38 PM I've never boiled any veg before adding them to the water. I would think they would break up and foul the tank faster. You don't have to weight them down either but I think it makes it easier for the fish to eat. Try spearing a slice onto a fork and dropping that in. Try various veg but make sure they are washed first to remove any pesticides or other stuff on store bought veg. It can take the fish a day or two to recognise it as new food. If they haven't touched it after 3 or 4 days, and it is starting to break up, remove it and try something else. Pumpkin is also enjoyed by some fish but it does break up faster, which is why cucumber, zucchini and the like work well. Shelled peas are often used for constipated fish. Experiment and see what your fish like best. I knew a cichlid who loved bananas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted Monday at 08:07 PM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 08:07 PM Ah makes heaps of sense, thank you! I gave them raw zucchini with a plant weight last night and my male loved it! Tried it in about an hour. He's a very active and curious fish, though, so I'm not surprised. Female hasn't tried it unless she did so when I was asleep which wouldn't surprise me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted Tuesday at 02:02 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 02:02 AM Here is what it looks like day 2. See how they have eaten from the inside out? You can also see gnaw marks on the outer skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted Wednesday at 05:55 AM Report Share Posted Wednesday at 05:55 AM I was going to post an updated pic of what the cucumber slices looked like today but when I looked, at lunchtime, the knitting needle was totally bare! It usually takes them 3 or 4 days to finish it and there are often rings of skin floating about, which I remove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted Wednesday at 11:44 PM Author Report Share Posted Wednesday at 11:44 PM Yoo nice! Got home from camp today, whole thing exceot a little bit of 'scum' on the weight was gone! Breeding caves got delivered today and I will wash them and put them into the tank in a couple hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted Friday at 08:52 AM Report Share Posted Friday at 08:52 AM Good luck! Tomorrow someone is coming to catch all my fish and dismantle my last aquarium. I will be fishless for the first time in 45 years. I am unable to do the maintenance myself and want them to go to somewhere they will be well looked after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow_Fish7 Posted Friday at 09:04 AM Author Report Share Posted Friday at 09:04 AM Aww, glad they're going to a good home though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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