Bass Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Hi all,I have my first baby dwarfs! Very exciting! The've only just appeared out of the cave this morning but I am not sure what to feed them or how often.I've ground up some cichlid flakes in a mortar and pestle and have placed a small amount near the babies, is this acceptable as a food source?Any suggestions will be appreciated.cheers,Peter T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Hi Peter I feed mine on BBS...i would give that ago. Cheers Michael P.S Good on for breeding ya frist dwarfs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Its great to see someone else breeding the Apistos. Maybe soon we can start to put some pressure on to get some of the other interesting ones from the Importers.I feed my Cac fry on microworms, bbs and after a week or so a microparticulate diet high in caratonoids, HUFA's and PUFA's.Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 that would be great to get some inports in....do you have ICQ or MSN adam..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Most all free swimming dawf fry reqire live foods first up. Newly hatched brine shrimp (BBS) or micro worms fit the bill to a T.Most breeders maintain cultures of live food continuously just in case. You never know when these little guys are going to get the urge and seeing as the fry are hatched and hungry you have to be prepared. No good trying to start up cultures when they spawn as it takes time for the cultures of live food to establish.Brine shrimp however hatch in 24 - 36 hours just be sure to have good, fresh, reliable eggs on hand at all times.Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Posted November 23, 2003 Author Share Posted November 23, 2003 thanks guys for the informative replies...guess I need to get a culture of microworms going for next time...might be time to invest in a can of brine shrimp eggs as well : cheers,Peter T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanceswithDingoes Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 The parents of mine used to chew up flake and spit the small particles towards the fry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Can you keep the fry in with the parents or will they get snacked on, i have a 38 litre tank im think of converting to keep these fishcheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 The female will tend the eggs, the hatched larvae and even the juveniles to a reasonable size. She will defend them from all comers which usually includes dad. So you will either need to remove him or provide ample shelter for him. If you leave the fry in the tank the frequency between spawns will be lower. What I tend to do is set up a male with several females. They condition them all they will spawn within days of each other. Remove the male if I feel it is necessary, then the females following the hatching of the last batch. I then use the tank as a nursery and early growon. the best I have done with this method is 250 5mm juveniles.Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Hello Mr Bass How are you Caca's going..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 thanks for the information Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Posted November 26, 2003 Author Share Posted November 26, 2003 Hi Michael,I managed to get a culture of microworms this morning off petroby. All seems to be going well, the fry are eating well but I am most impressed with how great appisto's are as parents! I'm really glad I put them in the little tank on my desk as I get to watch them more often than some of my other fish. I am trying to find out how the mother communicates with the fry because there is some way that she is making the fry gather together on command...very cool fishPete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Thats great Tosser...hope every think goes well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Hey Bass! we will make a fish keeper of you yet !!! :D Just watch the mother's posture, ie fin spread, body rigidity, position in the water and her colour. The kids do what they are told (wish mine had done that). they aggregate and hide on a danger signal, follow mun on a cruise, race ahead when she spots food etc.. Watching them is a great waste of time :rolleyes: Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoolig Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 I feed my fry first with Tetra fry food and after afew days mix in HBH fry bites I mix food with a cup of tank water and useing a turkey baster I puff the mix amongst the fry not to hard or it will blow them all over the tank. I have used the baster for years on all breeds, with a variety of foods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 Hi again,what exactly are microworms? I have a culture of microworms producing well and they are obviously great food as the baby cockatoos are growing stronger everyday. Trouble is I don't know enough about what they are eating and would rather be informed.. cheers,Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th0mas Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 You'll need to propagate the culture before it goes off.Prepare a similar container, with a couple of holes on the lid.For the media, there are several combinations. The most common is oat/bran + yeast and add water, another I know is bread + water (thanks Steph). Both works but the bread formula seems not to smell as bad.It'll take a few days before the new culture is ready for harvesting.Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Hi Peter -Microworms are tiny worms from the phyllum Nematoda (aka nematode worms).They are a great source of food for fry , along with vinegar eels (which are also nematodes) they are probably some of the best food for young fish.HTH - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kribbie Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 For my little drawfs, I keep the parent in the same tank and feed them with some sinking pellets (the shrimp ones). As the pellets soften, the parent chewed and splited it to the little ones~ it's really interesting to watch! haha~ And I've noticed that wherever the parent go (it's either the mum or dad), the kids will follow them~ when there are dangers ahead, the parent will shake their bodies as to tell their kids not to move and stay wherever they are until the "enemies" are gone~ :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 thanks folks,I made a culture of cooked oats and skim milk 4 days ago to which I propagated a few teaspoons of the active worms (after it cooled of course). Very smelly stuff though when it starts firing.So is there any specific species of Nematodes that these little critters are identified as or this a dumb question... cheers,Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Hey Pete, what size tank are you keeping them in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 Hi Fi,I they are only in an 18x9 tank...I would estimate 30-40 fry, quite well established.Considering migrating the adults soon.cheers,Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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