Need urgent help with cichlid fry. . .there are lives at stake!

[FishNewbee]

My jewels just had babies about two days ago. I think they'll be up and swimming freely by tomorrow or so. I think I would like to try and raise them if it's not going to be too expensive or difficult to do so. I do have another 26g tank out in the garage. I have a heater for it, but no filter ($) right now. Also, obviously not cycled since it's empty. Can I "vacuum" them out and raise them in a 5 gal bucket or do I need to have another tank up and running with filtration and all? Also, when is the best time to take them from their parents? They are in a community tank with 9 barbs, a raphael catfish, a rainbow shark and a peacock cichlid, oh and 2 mystery snails. So far, the parents have them corralled safely under a "tree stump" decoration. But I'm sure once they venture out from there, it'll be a free for all. Any advice would be helpful since I need to make a decision in the next 24 hours. Thanks!

 

[fishlover9000]

You have 2 options...

1st option: leave everything as is! cichlids are exelent parents they will protect babys with there life... you may loose some but they have around 200 babys and do you realy wnt all 200?


2nd option: take the 26 gal and fill it with water from where they are now. some from sink too as long as you condition it. then take the filter out of the tank there are in now and put that in the one we are setting up now... now let that tank run for 1 day. during the time for the tank that does not have a filter now, do a 25% water change twice a day. now that it has run for a day put some kind of cloth over the filter (where it sucks in the water)(i used a old tight) now transfer the babys. once they are in.. add some stress coat or anything to relax them.

From now... let nature run it course... its almost guarnteed they will not all make it.

feed them crushed pellets or crushed flakes.

 

[FishNewbee]

I actually have two filters running on my main 55g tank. One is a penquin 150 biowheel, and the other is just some generic filter for a 60g that came with the 55g set up. So, I could theoretically take the penguin off the 55 and put it on the 26g. So, now my question is, do I take all the babies and the parents as well and move them to the 26? Or, should I just take a few of the babies and leave mom, dad and the rest in the main community tank?

 

[fishlover9000]

gather as many baby's as possible and put them in the new tank(yes use the 55g filter with some kind of material to stop them from being sucked up. leave the parents in the tank the cichlids were born in.

 

[WhiteDevil]

^^ yep.


Get a pair of panty hose and put it over your intake tube if you want a cheap pre-filter/anti suction O baby cich doom, if not get one form your local pet shop be it chain or indy its the same product and it sounds like you need the fastest fix right now.

 

[Acer]

i would leave the filter with the bio-wheels on your bigger tank, you will need less benefitial bacteria in the smaller grow-out tank than you would in an already established well stocked tank.