Fwd: Re: Fwd: factors relating to growth

["Ed Pon" <edpon@hotmail.com>]

 This has
>been noted among tank breed angelfish. After several generation 
specimens
>exhibit behavior totally different than their wild counterparts 
including 
>a tendancy to eat their own eggs and fry. In the wild this type of 
uncontrolled
>agression would be bred out of the line by such fish being incapable of 
>successful breeding while in a commercial hatchery the eggs are 
routinely 
>hatched and raised artifically and so even the worst specimen in terms 
of
>parental care can and does successfully spawn time after time.
>
We see a lot of egg-eating from wild fish.  Actually most of the apistos 
that I see are at most f2 from the wild.  Dr. Ronald Coleman lectured at 
the PCCA at some time in the past and pointed out that his studies 
indicated that cichlids seem to make some kind of decision on whether it 
is best to eat the eggs and use the energy for a future effort at 
reproduction when conditions are more in favor of raising fry to an 
independent stage.  If there are not enough eggs, or if the fry count 
has been decreased to a low number, it might be better for the fish not 
to expend energy and risk it's life to produce just a small amount of 
offspring who will pass on the genes.  I surmised from this that if 
there is not enough cover, that a small fish like an apisto has a 
lessened chance of successfully rearing fry to an independent stage, so 
apistos in a tank that has lots of cover will more likely raise their 
own fry.  My own observations, thus far, support this.  

>The solution I have attempted, with uncertain results, to counteract 
this
>disparity in feeding behaviors is to feed several small feedings in a 
short 
>period of time. Instead of adding as much food as the fish will eat in 
2
>minutes,
>I add as much food as the fish will eat in 30 seconds over and over 
again until
>some is finally falling to the bottom of the tank. This often results 
in more
>food being eaten than would be in a single feeding. Also, with young 
fry their 
>intestinal tracks are so short that it is imperative to feed them at 
least
>several 
>times a day, and the more meals/day you can arrange the better.
>
>But don't take my word for it, Kaycy's the REAL expert in the 
family....
>
>-- dj

I totally agree with this.  When I was in school and had more free time, 
this was the tact that I used to get growth on fish.

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