Monday I moved them to my 10g with Java moss/Java fern until they were done. So shouldn't I see the fry by now? I moved the moss around and still saw nothing. Do you think my snails ate them? I've never bred egg-layers before.
If they spawned it would take several hours for the bulk of the eggs to have been dropped.
Cherry barb eggs take from 24-36 huors to hatch, sometimes 48 depending on water temperature. For the next 5-7 days, again depending on water temperature, they feed off a yolk sac.
Cherry barb fry are very small. While they are feeding on their yolk sac they will often hang on the glass of the tank and moss, they are small and look like small slivers of glass. Just before they go free swimming they disappear from the glass as they take a more horizontal position along the bottom.
I have bred cherry barbs and had them school just below the surface and also have had them not school and just scatter practically motionless around the tank. In either case, if you do not know what to look for they can be invisible.
To have a quality bunch of fry they need to feed on microscopic infusoria. If the tank is well matured with lots of plants then some fry will survive on the natural infusoria that exists in mature tanks. If the tank is sterile then cultured infusoria are best.
But nature seems to have a way, and often a few do make it past the infusoria stage with no special attention.
Newly hatched brine shrimp should be offered to the fry, if you are experienced with vinegar eels or micro worms than these can be used. Brine shrimp are the easiest to culture consistantly and will be the best food for the fry.
If fed well and the water quality looked after then they will grow rapidly. In 12 weeks you will have nice little cherry barbs.
Snails in any egg laying tank is a no no, they will indeed make short work of tetra and barb eggs, as will flat worms and planaria. The good thing is that tetras and barbs hatch rather rapidly so some eggs should survive.
Bill
