FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi,

I posted on hembo666's thread about my Severum eggs that hatched yesterday morning. As I said, I siphoned some of them into a bowl and dumped them in a 20g tank that I set up with 50% used tank water and 50% aquarium-safe water (treated). I installed a baby-safe filter (foam block) with an airstone attached and a heater, no gravel. The hatchlings are not free swimming yet but seem to be all alive.

My concerns are these: 1- is there enough water movement with just this airstone and foam block to aerate them since the parents are not there to fan them. 2- Should I add anti-fungal in such a large tank? 3- Since this is a new tank and hasn't cycled, should I worry about ammonia build-up?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Daphnis

Ammonia won't be a major problem with fry because they'll produce so little of it to begin with. However, I'd implement daily 10% water changes to make sure.

If your sponge filter came from another established aquarium, and already has a bacteria colony living on it, you're fine. Otherwise, the 10% daily water changes will become a fairly pressing issue.

The airstone and sponge filter should provide enough aeration, but to be sure, try and position the airstone close to the egg mass. Once the fry are free swimming, then the nusrery duties will begin in earnest ...

Oh, as for an antifungal agent, the one I use and which shouldn't be too difficult to obtain, is Tetra's FungiStop. Worked for me and my madly spawning Panda Corys (which are now infamous on this Board ) and is formulated specifically for egg care. It's also useful as a fungal suppressant alongside more potent antifungal medications when treating Saprolegnia.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Since you stated they've already hatched, I wouldnt worry about using anti-fungal remedies. I usually only use them when the eggs are unhatched. Its also unlikely hatched severum fry will succumb to fungus. Just be sure to do the 10% water changes calilasea suggested to take out the dead fry. To target the dead fry, don't use the normal siphon and instead use airline tubing with rigid tubing on the end you'll use for siphoning to allow you to pinpoint dead fry and lumps of dirt that gathers.

Whats the temperature in the tank? If you havent set it at about 78-80 already, I would..

Thanks so much for the info.

I've set the tank at 80 degrees and have used anti-fungal only once but I agree that I probably don't need to use it again.

The hatchlings aren't quite free swimming yet but they don't seem to have any eggs attached anymore. They sort of lay around the bottom with their little tails wagging.

I have fed them "first bites" fry food with a turkey baster once to localize the food where they are laying. I have a batch of brine shrimp hatching right now but I think the fry might be too small to feed on live food. I also put an ammonia indicator in there and do 10% water changes every second day.

I REALLY want to do my best for the little fellas. The ones in the 55g with the parents seem to be doing well, though the parents change their location every day. I'm anxious to see them swimming around.

Thanks to both of you that have replied. I really need your support!

Daphnis

They should be free swimming by now, or very close to it. For future reference though, you don't need to feed them until they become free swimmers. The thing is, they still have some yolk sacs attached and won't eat till then. The food will just waste and cause the ammonia that you might get. When you start feeding them, then start doing 25-50% water changes every 1-3 days. As the fry have small eyes that don't see all that well yet. They will only see the food that is right in front of them. For this reason you will get a lot of wasted food settling to the bottom, and rotting away. This is the reason I always prefer to feed live foods to my fry. So what they don't get to see and eat right away, they will eventually find and it will be alive and not wasting away. Try microworms for a couple of weeks. These will live in your tank for weeks or more. If you are using a bare bottom tank, which I recomend, you will be able to see the microworms alive on the bottom of the tank and know when you don't see any more there to feed them again. This also helps in the multiple feedings you should be giving every day to fry. With the microworms, you can add enough once, that it keeps food in there for a day or two at a time. In other words, instead of feeding 3-5 times a day, like fry should have, you only have to feed once a day or so. Because the food is alive and in there. Just feed enough that when you look at the bottom of the tank, it looks like it is moving, even if you can't see the individual microworms.

Then start them on some crushed or powdered flakes after that. Or if you want to keep with the live foods, start them on some BBS. Or some white worms, or grindel worms, or a choice of many other smaller sized live foods.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Thanks Acidrain! Some really good advice. My hatchlings are free swimming now, and I had to take the rest out of the 55g because the parents were going crazy trying to prevent them from being eaten. My bala shark and the tiger barbs had discovered the free buffet, and even though I put a screen in there to seperate the parents from the rest, they would manage to worm their way through the edges to get at them. Tenacious!! I siphoned the rest of the babies out and about a dozen escaped me which is good since the parents can manage that little group.

As you recommend, I have the hatchlings in a bare bottom 20g tank and feed them "first bites" with a turkey baster to localize the food. They tend to group together. I vaccuum the tank once a day and suck up any extra food lying around. Since the food stays localized on the bottom most of the day, do I need to feed them 3 times? Does the food rot quickly? I'm trying to hatch baby brine shrimp. Will the babies be big enough to eat baby brine shrimp? I'll look into microworms though. Thanks!!

Daphnis

I always feed my fry at least 3 times a day if using something other than live foods. The food will start rotting in less than a days time. So it is good that you syphon it off every day. I would hold off for about a week for the BBS. That gives you plenty of time to get some and hatch them out. Some people feed it almost as soon as they are free swimming, I just prefer the microworms better. The good thing about using microworms, is that you can gut load them. You can put other nutritious things (color enhancers, vitamins, etc) in the oatmeal mix and the microworms will eat it and thus the fish will get it. As well, you can place color enhancers in the oatmeal mix and again they will get into the fish. I like to use the powdered red seaweed stuff, It is called Naturose Astaxanthan Powder. It will truely intensify the reds in all fish. Just add a little to the oatmeal mix so that it makes the "soup" look pink.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...