Setting up a breeding tank/fry raising tank.

[Billsgate]

My keyhole cichlids are due to spawn again one of these days, and I want to raise the fry myself, without help of the parents, since they have already ate their eggs 3 times and 2 times the fry was gone after day 1.

I have a 15g ready (currently empty).
I will make sure water temperature is near to exactly the same.
Will add anti-fungal thing to make sure the eggs don't go bad.
Filter will be a sponge filter which is currently running in main tank. Once they spawn, what do I do? Fill the 15 g with water. Do I take water out of the tank they spawned in? Or can I do a mix of tap and tank water? Or even pure tap?

When moving the eggs, can they leave the water for a couple of seconds? Or do I take the rock they spawned on out inside a tuperware box with water?

Are eggs sensitive to different water conditions? Sorry if this is a strange question. (different water parameters in tank eggs are laid, and growout tank)

TIA!

 

[BrianNY]

The simplest thing to do is move the rock with the eggs to a new tank. The eggs are not that sensitive however the temp should be the same. Have a seeded sponge filter ready to go for when the fry hatch. Make sure there is an airstone gently moving the water around the eggs. That's it!

 

[Billsgate]

I thought I remembered something about growing infusiora.
So I took hay, put it in a jar, filled with water. This should grow me some infusiora, right? I set it up in a sunny place on the terrace. Is this an ok method of doing that??

I was thinking of feeding a mixture of infusiora and powdered spirulina, dissolved in a small glass of water. Will this foul up the water quickly? And should I attempt to aim the food towards the fry? Or can I just poor it in the 15 gal?

I want to be as well prepared as possible.


And about moving the eggs. Offcourse I will take the rock out with the eggs on it, I was just wondering if I can take the rock out of the water for some 15 seconds or so, before it enters the other tank (they two tanks are maybe 15 feet away from eachother) OR do I take the rock out inside a tupperware container, so that the rock never leaves the water?
Sorry if this is a silly question.......but better safe then sorry.


And about the airstone, is the sponge filter flow not enough as water movement? I would position the rock so that it receives some flow. And after adding the anti-fungal thing, it shouldn't really matter that much, or am I gravely mistaking?

 

[Toirtis]

I thought I remembered something about growing infusiora.
So I took hay, put it in a jar, filled with water. This should grow me some infusiora, right? I set it up in a sunny place on the terrace. Is this an ok method of doing that??

It should, but toss in about 50% tank water.

I was thinking of feeding a mixture of infusiora and powdered spirulina, dissolved in a small glass of water. Will this foul up the water quickly?

Not if you feed sparingly.

And should I attempt to aim the food towards the fry? Or can I just poor it in the 15 gal?

I would aim, but it is not that critical.

And about moving the eggs. Offcourse I will take the rock out with the eggs on it, I was just wondering if I can take the rock out of the water for some 15 seconds or so, before it enters the other tank (they two tanks are maybe 15 feet away from eachother) OR do I take the rock out inside a tupperware container, so that the rock never leaves the water?
Sorry if this is a silly question.......but better safe then sorry.

Personally, I would do the latter, although I am sure the eggs would suffer no damage if exposed to air for a few seconds.

And about the airstone, is the sponge filter flow not enough as water movement? I would position the rock so that it receives some flow. And after adding the anti-fungal thing, it shouldn't really matter that much, or am I gravely mistaking?

I would have an airstone within reasonable distance of the eggs, as the water movement created by the sponge filter is likely not going to reach that well to the eggs.

 

[Billsgate]

Thanks for the replies!!!!
I'll be going to the lfs today to pick up an airstone and see if they got any liquid fry foods.

 

[Toirtis]

Thanks for the replies!!!!
I'll be going to the lfs today to pick up an airstone and see if they got any liquid fry foods.

Egg yolk (hard boiled) makes a good fry food, too, but again, use it sparingly, or you will cloud your water.

 

[BrianNY]

It's entirely safe to move the rock with the eggs out of the water for a few seconds Thomas. The embryos are protected by the shell. As long as the water parameters are close, no damage will be done.

 

[Billsgate]

Ok, I got me an air pump and air stone....pretty expensive!!!! :|
And I also got freeze-dried BBS. You have to soak them in warm water for 20 minutes and your done!
Do I scoop out the bbs, or do I throw in the water with the bbs?

 

[BillD]

If you are going to put the eggs in a seperate tank, and use methylene Blue as an antifungal, don't put a sponge filter in the tank, as the MB will kill all the bacteria. Put an air stone near the eggs, with just a light flow. When the eggs hatch, start doing 50% water changes daily until the water is clear. When the fry start swimming, start feeding. When hatching angels I take water right out of the tap, without dechlorinating. I personally think the 15 gal is to big for a hatching tank (I use a 2 1/2 gal) because you want the fry concentrated when feeding them. I generally keep the fry in the small tank for a week or two depending on how many there are (with no filtration, doing daily water changes. I have no experience with keyholes, but have raised a number of angel spawns this way. I use BBS for the first food. Hope this helps.