atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hi GuysSo I currently have an Electric Yellow who has been holding well over two weeks now and she is in the maternity tank.The last couple of days my Crimson Tide female has not been eating and while her mouth is no where near as swollen as the Electric Yellow, who looks like she is about to burst, she does have a tell tale pouch under her chin and is very placid.So my question is will these two be happy enough together in the maternity tank? Or should I wait till the Electric Yellow Spits and is returned to the main tank before moving her accross.Any advice is always appreciated as these will be my first ever fry!ThanksPeta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hi. Do you have a fry saver at all? I have had similar situations to yours And has the females spit their fry and then eat the other fry in the tank. Not saying it will happen but it might. Otherwise make sure there are plenty of places for fry to hide that the adults can't get to. Thin gaps between rocks are ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Congratulations on the spawns.Your crimson tide is also a maternal mouthbrooder so will have the same swelling of the buccal cavity if she is holding.I suggest that rather than transfer the females into your maternity tank that you make a couple of fry savers. Normally made using icecream containers a bit of foam and plastic fly screen material.Cut a window out on two of the sides of the icecream container. Make certain that the windows are not too low down and then silicone the fly screen on the inside of the container. The fly screen is trrimed prior to silconing so that it is a 1cm larger all the way round.Add the enough foam so that the fry saver will float. Oncethe silicone has dried you have a fry saver that can sit in the top of your tank and the females can spit in there safely. Once the fry a larger than can be transferred across to the maternity tank.I will try and post some picture tonight. If you do a serch on the forum you may find some great examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 So what you guys are saying is the idea is to put each holding female into her own fry saver in the main tank until she spits? Then remove the fry into the maternity tank?Will the babies not get eaten through the net? I have also seen the plastic breeding boxes but thought they looked a bit small which is why I put the first one in her own tank.Decisions Decisions, sounds logical though that by them sharing the same one will ea the others babies. Must be starving after all those weeks..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 If the tank has plenty of cover I tend to put the females, if she has maintained her condition, back into the tank after she spits. The fry can then be feed in the fry saver until they grow a bit. Having the fly screen up a bit will stop the fish from trying to suck the fry out. The plastic ones that are normally for sale in LFS tend to allow fry to be sucked out. I use one fry saver per female and use 2 litre containers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 That's what I do with mine. And I leave the babies a few weeks before I move them so they aren't going into a new tank and new water straight away. Make sure you have lids on the fry savers. I have forgotten to put them on once or twice and found a very fat fish ( that jumped in) and no fry in the saver. And the fry are generally ok if they are free swimming bit if worried you can use gutter guard on the bottom as well as fly wire. I put the flywire inside the icecream container and gutter guard on the outside so there is a 1 or 2 mm gap. Seems to help. Feed them crushed adult food or I use NLS grow with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Gutter guard is a nice addition. Peta buy a cheap pepper grinder and added your fish food and then you can give a few turns and grind your food. If you are feeling adventurous the fry love microworms. It not nice to look at but your fry will love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Ok thanks all, well for now the Electric Yellow is in a plastic box in the main tank and she is not happy.Might have a hunt around tomorrow for a bigger and better saver, if not I will raid the husbands shed and attempt to make my own. I know he has plenty of gutter guard and such lying around, we use it to hold bait in our crab nets?I presume they sell flyscreen at Bunnings or Mitre 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 yep, get the fibreglass stuff not the meta, and aquarium safe silicone to fix it to the icecream container, messy job so i always use disposable gloves, I Hate silicone.i use cable ties to fix strips of polystyrene on so it floatsor one made form an icecream container from an icecream shop, 50c each Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 They look awesome compared to the stupid little box i got at Pet Stock. Thanks heaps. Will have a go over the week end.Do you have to put mesh on the bottom or can you just put it on the sides?Also thanks for the feeding hints, I do have some Liquifry food to start them off on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 i put it at the bottom so some solid waste can fall through, but not an absolute need if you keep it cleanliquifry is better for smaller fry that you get from egglayers, you will find the mouth brooding fish you are breeding have much larger fry and they will handle much larger bits of foodgood luck and enjoy, its a great feeling to have fish breed for the first time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 If you don't have the fly screen on the plastic container there will no water exchange you will end up with problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Ok thanks Ged.Here she is all pi**ed off in her box.http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/atep32/Yellow.jpgAnd here is Dad trying to get in.http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/atep32/Yellows.jpgHe is actually behind it but looks like he is in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenstrat Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 that feeling of your first batch of fry.....its like a drug this hobby, chasing that feeling.20 odd tanks later and 15+species and im still chasingcongratulations on your first spawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 She will settle down after a while. The home made ones give more room. If you want to buy an excellent fry saver you should have a look at Matthew's or zigzagfish savershttp://www.aceforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=53388http://www.aceforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=53405 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Lo and behold she had spit 6 this morning! I let her out before realizing she has more in her mouth and now I gotta take the kids to Little Athletics. Cr*p. Lol. Will catch her again this arvo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atep32 Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 I was worried about it all day, so stopped at Lfs on the way and bought a net fry saver. Then I caught mum and bobbed her up and down holding her mouth open like I have seen on YouTube and I now have 13 babies! I put some floating plants in for cover ( fake ). Then I gave them a couple of blobs of liquifry type 2 which is for mouthbrooders and before it washed away they showed no interest. Am now waiting for a grinder to dry out so I can try flakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Congratulations on the fry. It is clear that you are enjoying the whole breeding side of the hobby. I still remember the first time I had a spawn. That is the problem with the net fry savers. If it is one I am thinking of the food will drift through and net and attract the larger fish who will then try and have a go at the fry through the netting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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