Re: Fry with parents

[BigJohnW@webtv.net (John Wubbolt)]

Hello Daryl
First off, congrats on the Panduro spawning.  I love that fish.   

Secondly, as to how long you can leave the fry in with the adults or how
long you should as you were asking.   That all depends on a few things.
Tank space available, the desire to have you fish spawn again or how
many fry do you want.
I've had fry in with parents of a pair of Cacatuoides for close to 3
months because of lack of tank space to move the fry to.   It got
cramped in there but everything was fine.   I normally like to leave the
fry in with the parents for about 4 weeks before I decide to move
someone.   I normally find it easier in my tank set ups to move the
adults rather then the fry.  I use mainly barebottom setups with several
flower pots and a hydro sponge filter as my breeding tank set up.   This
way it's less stressful on young fry to stay where they are rather then
being moved to a new tank.   By leaving the fry with the parents for
about 4 weeks it gives the female a chance to get back into spawning
condition.   Normally when I move a pair of adults to a new tank, I get
a spawn within a week.   

Now I have also been known to raise the fry away from the parents in a
couple of situations, like I really want some fry from a difficult
species and don't want to take a chance that they will eat the eggs or
fry, or if I know that a particular pair is a known egg or fry eater.
Had a pair of Cacatuoides that the male would always eat the eggs on the
second or third day no matter what.   Maybe he didn't want kids, who
knows for what reason but if I didn't yank the eggs I would have never
gotten fry from that pair.   Also had a Nijsenni male that was a
notorious fry eater.   Yanked thoses eggs too. 
But I do like to leave them with the parents for about 4 weeks if I can.
Gives them a better chance to grow faster if left with the adults then
if I steal them right away.   Don't know what it is but fry left with
parents do better then fry taken away from them right away.   

Now you need to decide what you want to do.
Good luck either way.   

John



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