Wigglers At Last!!!!!

[AngelWings]

That's great Bob! I'd love to see pictures of the parents!

I still don't see any of the wigglers or swimmers in my tank, and the parents don't seem to be paying particular attention to any spots in the tank. I think this spawn was a no go. I'll be impatiently awaiting the next round in a week or two.

 

[Andy Sager]

That's great Bob! I'd love to see pictures of the parents!

I still don't see any of the wigglers or swimmers in my tank, and the parents don't seem to be paying particular attention to any spots in the tank. I think this spawn was a no go. I'll be impatiently awaiting the next round in a week or two.

There is one way to determin if the problem is the parents or the fry themselves: Artificially hatch the next batch in a separate tank. If the wigglers don't become free swimming, there is a good chance that they are genetically disposed not to because of the pair's genetic makeup. (Remember, all Scalare Angelfish originated from Silvers so all the colors today have been created through inbreeding.) If it doesn't matter to you, you can just let them keep trying. It sounds like you are past the "New pair" syndrome so I doubt that's the reason.
Good luck and keep us posted

 

[AngelWings]

Thanks Andy! The last spawn did become free swimming and I had some last for several days. Unfortunately I didn't have freshly hatched brine shrimp, and I don't think they took very well to the powdered fry food I used. Bummer.
But the good news is that it does look like these two can make healthy babies. YAY! Now if they can be successful and I can be prepared, we might be in business. I plan to just let them take their time getting it right without pulling the eggs to a separate tank. I love watching them herd around the fry. It's so darn cute!

 

[bob mccoy]

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - bob mccoy's Album: bobs fish - Picture

 

[Karay]

Been following this thread because my mated pair are spawning at this moment. Trying to decide if to let the parents try to raise the brood on their own (last three attempts unsuccessful) of pull the slate out and place in a jar and raise myself. Problem I have is keeping the temp of the jar at 80 degrees with no funds to buy a heater. Other problem is the filter type in the tank now. It's an aquaclear hob and as I just learned from this thread the sponge is the best but don't have an extra one. Argh

 

[AngelWings]

Karay, I'm not an expert by any means so take the following with a grain of salt.

I have another fry tank I use for Platy fry, and it has an hob filter. I have covered the intake with pantyhose before and I've also stuffed the intake with filter floss or filter sponge. Both cut down on flow, and both prevent the fry from being sucked up into the filter. The best part is, both solutions require little to no money.

 

[Andy Sager]

Been following this thread because my mated pair are spawning at this moment. Trying to decide if to let the parents try to raise the brood on their own (last three attempts unsuccessful) of pull the slate out and place in a jar and raise myself. Problem I have is keeping the temp of the jar at 80 degrees with no funds to buy a heater. Other problem is the filter type in the tank now. It's an aquaclear hob and as I just learned from this thread the sponge is the best but don't have an extra one. Argh

If you don't mind the appearance, here's a trick to keep the water at the right temp: using a 1 gal glass jar or bowl, place the jar /bowl in your main tank. If you need to, put something under the jar/bowl to keep the top of jar/ bowl above the top of the water level of the tank. You'll just need to keep an airstone running in with the eggs. (I used to heat 1 larger tank and put 3 or 4 jars in it to save on heaters ) This buys you about 7-10 days to get a sponge filter and another tanks.

No, your filter is not a good environment for the fry. If you are serious about keeping and growing the fry, you should do it in a separate tank (and my preference is without the parents) with the proper filtration. Keeping fish is a fun and interesting hobby but raising fish fry can be a very expensive endevor. If you really want to raise a number of fish fry, be prepared to set up some more tanks. In my breeding days, I used 4 tanks per pair of Angelfish. 1 tank for the pair, 2 tanks for the eggs and 1 very large tank/vat to grow out the fry. This all took a few dollars but was essential to raise the number of fry my fish were producing. You really can't cheat with fish. They let you know when you have crossed the line by getting sick or even dying. (Sorry for the bluntness but it's just the facts.)

Feel free to PM me or Bob McCoy if you'd like some more help with your Angels Keep us posted on your spawn

 

[Karay]

Karay, I'm not an expert by any means so take the following with a grain of salt.

I have another fry tank I use for Platy fry, and it has an hob filter. I have covered the intake with pantyhose before and I've also stuffed the intake with filter floss or filter sponge. Both cut down on flow, and both prevent the fry from being sucked up into the filter. The best part is, both solutions require little to no money.

I currently have that type of set up with lacustris rainbow fry in it. Before was platy as well. Have been slowly acquiring the necessary equipment

 

[Andy Sager]

Karay, I'm not an expert by any means so take the following with a grain of salt.

I have another fry tank I use for Platy fry, and it has an hob filter. I have covered the intake with pantyhose before and I've also stuffed the intake with filter floss or filter sponge. Both cut down on flow, and both prevent the fry from being sucked up into the filter. The best part is, both solutions require little to no money.

For what it's worth, I have been told by different manufacturers of HOB filters that restricting the waterflow through their products through means not supplied with the filters is a sure fire way to burn out the filters faster. Since most filter motors are magnetic drives, they need to be cooled by the aquarium water flowing through the filter. Reducing the flow increases the heat and burns out the unit so you are looking at a " Pay me now or pay me later" situation. Also, you cannot compare the fry of a livebearer like a Platy with the fry of an Angelfish. The Platy is a much stronger fry from the time of it's birth and can handle a stronger current.

Just some more of my 2 cents

 

[Karay]

I've become interested in fish in September and have learned lots (and still learning). The day after Sandy hit we felt the aftermath in Canada and went 13 1/2 hours without power. I learned the value of air driven filters that day as they require less wattage and I was able to keep 6 tanks running off a small inverter and car battery. Had to heat water bottles on the stove and place them in the tanks to keep them warm? That's for the idea of placing it in another tank. Would you recommend methyl(spelling?) blue should it get accidentally knocked over?

 

[AngelWings]

Karay- I'd definitely follow andy's advice, rather than my own. He's been very successful for a long time, and I'm still trying. That should say it all!

 

[Karay]

Sorry that question was for Andy

 

[Andy Sager]

I've become interested in fish in September and have learned lots (and still learning). The day after Sandy hit we felt the aftermath in Canada and went 13 1/2 hours without power. I learned the value of air driven filters that day as they require less wattage and I was able to keep 6 tanks running off a small inverter and car battery. Had to heat water bottles on the stove and place them in the tanks to keep them warm�� That's for the idea of placing it in another tank. Would you recommend methyl(spelling?) blue should it get accidentally knocked over?

I had the exact opposite happen after Hurricane Wilma. I had to keep putting Ice in my tank to keep it cool. lol But I understand the situation . Using the tanks and bottle method is the same principle.

Methalyne Blue is a fungacide and won't hurt the fish if it gets into the tank by accidental means. A little carbon in the filter will remove the blue from the tank. Just set the bottle in a corner so it has less of a chance to fall

As for Angelwings comment, I am just trying to help with methods I have either done in the past or know are not correct (via other pros.) I know the flow restriction method is being done by a number of people but what you don't know is how long they do it or how often they are needing to replace parts. Nothing lasts forever but by being careful, I still can use items from my fishtanks, made by companies that are no longer in business and you can't get parts for. That in itself should tell you that proper usage of your machinery can yield you long usage. (I spent most of my fish keeping days on a budget so I know what you are going through.)

Hope some of this helps

 

[Karay]

Angels finished spawning at 3 pm. As of 5:30 pulled out the slate and placed in a jar inside a 20 gal with water to maintain the temp at 80 degrees. Man are the parents ever honked off. I swear the father is pink and he's a koi

 

[Andy Sager]

Angels finished spawning at 3 pm. As of 5:30 pulled out the slate and placed in a jar inside a 20 gal with water to maintain the temp at 80 degrees. Man are the parents ever honked off. I swear the father is pink and he's a koi

There's a good news, bad news thing doing this. The bad news is that the pair thinks they lost their spawn and might be sad about it but thankfully they get over it pretty quick. The good news is that by removing the eggs, the pair will usually spawn again sooner than if they had raised the prior spawn. I look at this as a good thing. I never had a pair of Angelfish refuse to spawn again after removing their eggs and I have had many pairs to prove this out. (It might have been my animal magnatism tho. )

Remember to put an airstone in the jar, positioned to flow gently over the eggs. There is a chart in my Albums in my profile (Labeled "Instructions Charts") if you need to see proper placement.

Good luck with your endevor

 

[Karay]

I've taken a pic. Lets see if it works and tell if I got it right.

 

[Andy Sager]

It's right as long as the eggs are on the side with the airstone
Next step, a sponge filter and then prepping your baby brine. (Don't cook it too early. It's best at newly hatched.)

 

[Karay]

I have brine shrimp eggs that are currently being hatched. A local breeder was closing and I snapped up 21 juvenile blue angels and 16 lacustris rainbows plus have a 15 gal full of platy fry. Finished building a light box (pic to come later) to up the heat to speed up hatch rate. Looks like I will be going back to him and buy a couple of 10 gal tanks for the fry. Two more should do? Right now I need to do small WC to remove the blue. This needs to be done daily, correct? Also in a jar like this how much of a WC?

 

[Andy Sager]

I have brine shrimp eggs that are currently being hatched. A local breeder was closing and I snapped up 21 juvenile blue angels and 16 lacustris rainbows plus have a 15 gal full of platy fry. Finished building a light box (pic to come later) to up the heat to speed up hatch rate. Looks like I will be going back to him and buy a couple of 10 gal tanks for the fry. Two more should do? Right now I need to do small WC to remove the blue. This needs to be done daily, correct? Also in a jar like this how much of a WC?

At 80 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 3-4 days but they won't become free swimming for another 3 days or so. At THAT point you need to start hatching out brine shrimp. Not before. The newly free swimming fry will need smaller food the first few days. The older the hatched brine shrinp gets, the less nutritous it is. (Pm me and I'll get you my system for hatching brine in 24 hours. )

You don't want to remove the meth blue until the eggs hatch. At that point, you do small water changes with the water they will be going into to reduce the blue. (The eggs can fungus if the blue is gone.) Usually about 15%-20% of water volume. By the time the fry are ready to be eating, the blue is mostly gone or so diluted from being added to the bigger tank that it's of no consequence.

Lastly, I experimented with rapid hatching fish eggs and did not have good results. I also did this with my Bettas by accident (I do them outside and the temps got up into the mid 90s.) They hatched quicker but the results were that the fry had many problems and losses and those that hatched were smaller and not so hardy. I'd just leave them at the 80 degrees as nature intended

So as not to highjack this thread, you can PM me and I'll explain the ways you use the tanks.

 

[Karay]

My basement room temp is 68 degrees if I'm lucky. The light box brings the temp to 78-80