Angel Spawn - Advice needed

[Barracuda]

Hi

My angels have been spawning consistently every two weeks since they first did it about 1-2 months ago. It is now their 4th or so spawn, and they are becoming really good parents - looking after the babies. The babies are almost free swimming now - about 5-6 days now since the eggs were laid, and the parents keep chasing away other fish (its in a community tank) as well as constantly "cleaning" the babies - they put them in their mouth and spit them back out again. They have even transferred them from the breeding cone to the amazon sword, to other leaves three times.

I really dont want to seperate the parents as I feel they are doing a great job at looking after them and there is no threat of them getting eaten. I think if i do take them away, it might prompt them to eat their future spawns (happened to my kribs). So my plan is to put the parents and their babies into another tank by themselves before the babies get free swimming and the parents lose track of them (when one would fall off they would pick it up and put it back on the leaf). The only problem is that i'm not sure how I will go about transferring the babies - atm they are on a leaf of an amazon sword. Should I cut off the leaf? Should I take the whole plant? Or should I siphon the babies with a hose? (will this have a detrimental effect on the babies??) What method would you recommend?

The tank I am planning to put them in is a 2ft - is this ok? I also plan to put a large sponge filter. Anything else?

Also the food I am planning to feed them is Sera Micron - is this good? I know its not as good as BBS but its all I have atm. With the parents in the tank with them, will they need to be fed straight away once they become free swimming (do they eat the slime coat?) Will I feed the parents as usual?

Thanks

[mattrox]

The tank I am planning to put them in is a 2ft - is this ok? I also plan to put a large sponge filter. Anything else?

With the parents in the tank with them, will they need to be fed straight away once they become free swimming (do they eat the slime coat?) Will I feed the parents as usual?

Thanks

Yes a 2 ft would be ok. I'd make it a bare bottom tank and take out the parents as soon as they are free swimming.

And they do need to be fed, they don't feed on the slime coat. And feed the parents as usual.

HTH.. a bit anyway

[Barracuda]

Thanks for the advice

I have successfully transferred the parents and the fry into their own 2ft tank (thought that i may as well give it a shot). The parents are still looking after them, the only problem know being feeding. The fry are at the bottom of the tank, and I currently only have access to powdered food (sera micron). When I put this into the tank, it stays at the top, and I am not sure if the babies are feeding or not, as they stay at the bottom.

How would you recommend I go about feeding? I went to 2 fish shops and neither sold microworms or BBS eggs - they only had frozen BBS. Is this any good?

Thanks

[Barracuda]

The fries are all fully free-swimming now, and are eating the powdered food until i can get some live ones. I have tried feeding the parents their normal food (tetra colorbits) but they dont seem to be interested. Is this a problem?

[mattrox]

The fries are all fully free-swimming now, and are eating the powdered food until i can get some live ones. I have tried feeding the parents their normal food (tetra colorbits) but they dont seem to be interested. Is this a problem?

If the fry are feeding, then it is just as well to remove the parents. They will get back to concentrate on feeding. Feed them up on some bloodworms and blackworms and they'll condition up again to spawn in no time.

If you deliver the sera micron with a dropper pipette... mix a pinch in a tiny amount of water and sqirt a cloud of this in the direction of the fry. You can also use NLS growth formula and grind it up to a fine powder and then use the same method to deliver it. Try this while you sort out a bbs hatchery.... if you really need it.