Problem with raising new hatch!

[cminghan]

I have this problem with raising up my new hatch Notho. Most of the time I will have very low rate of fries growing up to adult size,Why is this happen.
I would like to ask a few questions, hope some one can help me to find out what is my problem.
What is the best water to wet the peat with ready eggs?
Should I take the fries out from the hatching tray to raising tray?
What is the best water to have in raising tray?
What is the best first food for new hatch fries?
How often should we feed?
Someone told me daily water top up is a must in raising tray,is that true?

I hope some one can guide me a proper way to have a better amount of fries that will grow to adult stage. Thank you

[whuntley]

>What is the best water to wet the peat with ready eggs?

I like cool fairly soft water. <20C and <100 ppm tds (even straight RO).

>Should I take the fries out from the hatching tray to raising tray?

Yes, leaving them over the peat can cause troubles. [BTW, the plural of "fry" is also "fry." Fries come with burgers at McDonalds. ]

>What is the best water to have in raising tray?

Harder water, with some added salt -- about 1-3 tsp/20L. If your water is very soft, add some Seachem "Equilibrium" or use "Instant Ocean" o/e to prevent the sodium from becoming toxic.

>What is the best first food for new hatch fries?

Infusoria (e.g., paramecia and rotifers), and baby brine shrimp not over 6 hours old.

>How often should we feed?

As close to constantly as possible. I usually add a good wad of Java Moss to provide infusoria between bbs feedings. A drop or two of Liquifry No 1 on the moss will produce a "bloom" in most water in 24 hours. Feed bbs 2-3 times a day. Provide plenty of small snails to eat any that die. Change water very often at first (25% at a time).

>Someone told me daily water top up is a must in raising tray,is that true?

No. You probably should either increase the volume (top up) or change about 25% of the water for the first few days, being careful that the tds and temperatures are fairly well matched. Siphon out as much dead food as possible with each change (another good reason for taking them off the peat).

HTH

Wright

[timebomb]

Ming Han,

Your problem could be the trays you are using. How big are they? For me, I use trays that are about 20 cm X 20 cm. Inside each tray, I won't put more than 20 fry. From experience, I know that if I put more, I will still end up with only about 20 fish. I suspect if the tray is overcrowded (more than 20 fry) the bigger fry eat their smaller siblings.

Loh K L

[cminghan]

Well, you are so right, my tray was a 30*20cm, like you said. Most of the time I will only have 20 fry, no matter how many fry is in there.
Sorry for my poor english.

[cminghan]

Hi timebomb,
May I know what is the water level I should set for the new born raising tray?
Some people told me that about 1 inch will do, is that ok for the frys?

[timebomb]

May I know what is the water level I should set for the new born raising tray?

For my raising trays, the water levels can be as high as several inches. I know most Killifish breeders advocate lower levels as they say the fry can't swim up and down very well but I've tried high water levels with both Nothos and Simps and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I think volume is important. The higher the volume, the better the survival rate. To get higher volumes, obviously, water levels have to go up.

But don't take my advice to be like the biblical truth. What works for me may not work for you. The thing you have to take note of is that I leave many tanks filled with mosses under my Killifish bench. These tanks do not have any fish. I leave them there for long periods so as to have a higher amount of infusoria in them. When I hatch eggs, I use these tanks as raising trays.

To tell the truth, I don't use trays anymore as I find it too much of a hassle to keep transferring the fry as they grow bigger. I use tanks and keep them there until they are almost adults.

By the way, Ming Han, as Wright has pointed out, the plural of the word "fry" is still "fry". The word "fry" is like the word "sheep", in that even if there are many, it's still "sheep" and not "sheeps". Great thing about this forum, the people here not only help you with your fish but your English too

Loh K L