Calvus fry..

[absolute_vodka01]

hey

how does one remove the fry from a shell??

i have a female which hasnt left the shell for some time and the male is hovering over the shell..

i they did breed i'm pretty sure it was about 3 days ago..

when and how should i remove the fry??

adam

absolute_vodka01@hotmail.com

:D

[ViS]

And any tips on feeding and housing the fry would be great as well (I lost 17 of the buggers last week while I was away )

I fed mine bbs (frozen) and they ate them ok, so I left them to their devices in a few different setups (some free roaming an otherwise empty fry tank, others in a fry saver of different types) and all were dead when I returned a week later. I had someone feeding them wich may have contributed to the cause of death, but I'd still expect at least a couple to be alive.

[Mazimbwe]

Removing fry from the shell is easy.

I think the tip came to me from fiona but basicly I get a plastic tupperware tub and but a bakers/cooling rack in there, leaving space at the bottom for fish.

I fill the Tub with their tank water and reach in and remove the shells(with the fish in them ). Place the shells, opening down onto the rack and leave em for ½hr. Come back and remove a cup or 2 of water every 20-30 minutes. Keep your eye on the bottom of the tub and you will see babies soon.

I have used this on L.ocellatus with great success and would imagie it will work on all shellies.

HTH

[absolute_vodka01]

hey thanks for that..

but one thing is that going to work even though the female is still in the shell??

adam

[Guest Gutty]

You might wanna leave them there for another week or 2. At 3 days old they will be just eggs.

Your choice though.

Matt

[YeW]

I think they'd be fine raised on frozen baby brine shrimp, microworms and vinegar eels. Powdered foods should also be fine. Also, I agree with Gutty - leave them with the parents for now. Why do you want to remove them? What else is in the tank?

Everyone seems to think Altolamps only breed in shells. They are cave spawners in the wild . Not shell dwellers.

Provide them with caves instead - the fry are easier to remove.

HTH -

[anchar]

Hi,

I wait until I can see the fry appearing in the shell opening. I carefully lower an icecream container into the tank and hold the shell in it as I raise it from the water. Then you can gently "flush" them into the container with a side-to-side motion (gently!!). This removes most of the fry. Mum stays in the shell, thus stopping some fry from being washed out. I always leave some in there because I've found that one or both parents get really upset if the fry all disappear at once, and they resort to domestic violence.

YeW is right though - they will spawn on rock faces also, but I'm not sure that this makes it easier to remove the fry

merjo

[anchar]

Oh, I forgot to add that the foods that YeW described are good. There is a brand of frozen food called Posaqua which do baby brine which is great IMO anyway. Don't be fooled and dissolve too much though, as one block will feed many multitudes.

merjo

[elise007]

I removed three batches of Clavus fry in the last week by this very simply, perhaps brutal method according to my wife anyway.

- take shell out of tank and simply empty it out into a container with water from the tank already in it

- regardless of wheter the female is in the shell if they are hatched they will flaot out

- you may need to refill and empty the shell a few times to get them all

Of the three batches two were well hatched and were free swimming the other was a bit early and was eggs so plaed them in a tumbler to hatch, whcih they have now done about four days later.

I would leave for at least a week from when i suspected there were eggs that way they should be better formed.

Those that were free swimming are in a baby saver flaoting in a tank and are getting micro pellets and frozen baby brine and doing well.

Mark