Burundi fry not eating

[Paul76]

I had 10 Burundi fry about 3 cm know I only have 5 they seem to be not eating enough I feed them nls .5 sinking pellets and Thera a .5 sinking pellets I now have them in a fry saver tank in my main display tank please help don't want to lose any more

[Josh]

How long have you had them, how long was the tank cycled for for and what size is the tank and filters you are using?

[Paul76]

Had them for about 2 weeks they are in my main tank now had that for 8 months it's cycled well all my other fish healthy as the tank they where in had fish in it also but they are the only ones that died running canister s with marine pure matrix sponge filters and air stones do regular water changes everything is running spot on I put it down to stress but have been watching them they seem to be not eating a great deal

[Link2Hell]

Do you or the guy you bought them from have your

water parameters up over 8.0 pH and high hardness

just thinking it could be water chemistry mis match

do they behave normal and swim around or clamp up

and not move

[Ducksta]

When they are in the main tank (not the fry catcher) are they completely disinterested? (Clamped up like Chris says) or are they purely being outcompeted?
From my very limited experience, fronnies get outcompeted for food by basically everything.

I think they are probably incredibly stressed in the fry saver, too. There is no cover in there, and they are being held up high in the water column...

[Buccal]

Ten Burundi in a fry saver at 3cm each is getting a bit crammed,, they like to have their quarters upgraded as they grow,, especially fronty's,,,, even though they are fairly hardy.

Don't forget that a fry saver doesn't get much circulation, and fronty's of that size are going to expect a bit more oxygen.

Small fry in fry savers don't demand a lot of oxygen,,, but 3cm are not fry to me,, they are juveniles.

If you stick a air stone in there on slow trickle I'm sure all will come good.

Lol, I apologize,, I read your post wrong assuming the juvies were in a fry saver from beginning.

But I do know that fronty's are much easier over fed than other types fish,,, meaning they need just the right amount.

Other juvie species are fine getting round bellies from a heap of food.

But I've lost juvie fronty's in the earlier stages of breeding days due to letting them pig out.

But they do like highly oxygenated water.

[Paul76]

They do clamp up then they seem fine swimming around the fry catcher has slits all the way up the sides it's a floating one do u think I should get them out and let them swim around the big tank I'm worried the other fish might eat them there are venutus 6cm white knights the same ice blues around 5 cm couple of yellows water parameters are the same as the guy I got them off

[Buccal]

That may be your problem right there dude, venustus really smack into the food in a ravenous fashion.

The heavy competition and massive saga at feeding time is enough to bring on desease to juvi fronts simply through stress/trauma.

Frontosa do mix well with many African fish,, infact very well,,, but as Ducksta said just about everything outcompetes them.

My personal experience,,, coming from a aquarist that's crazy on mixing and doing all the dont's, it's Definetely around the 10cm mark that fronts grow a set of nads.

3cm fronts do well with leptosoma, P.nigrinnis and small goby cichlids,,,, all together as young growing out.

Venustus are at the other end of the scale.

I get wet feeding my breeding colony, nearly every time, even when not feeding thinking they are going to get a feed because I'm standing there lol.

Frontys at 3cm and venustus at 5cm and blues a 6cm,,,,, your situation is going to ten fold every fortnight with the crazy growth differences.

[Link2Hell]

+1 with Buccal

[Ducksta]

Moreover I think the venustus will hit 15cm in no time and start looking at the slow growing fronnies as snack size.