Re: [GSAS-Member] Paradise Fish Fry!

["Clifford Miller" <clifford@clevergeek.com>]

> No one is more amazed than I am that the Paradise fish pair that Cliff
> offered at the June meeting can now be credited for yet another brood of
> fry!  I have a bunch of amazingly small little fry that are starting to
> swim around out of their nest - very exciting!

I always feel the same way when there are new "eyeballs" (as my wife calls
the fry) in my tanks...fun stuff.

> But now what do I do???? Please help!  I got some microworms from Steev
> (thanks Steev!), so I am armed with the right food I think, but how do I
> feed them, how often, and do I leave them in the main tank with the
> parents or do I take them out and put them in their own tank??  Right now,
> I have about 20 of them in a small bowl as a tester; there are at least
> three times that amount still left in the tank.  I tried dabbing some
> mircoworms in both places but I really cant tell if any of the fry are
> eating them.

The parents will certainly pick some off, and if they stay together in the
long term, the male will get territorial and pick on everyone else a
little...but they aren't nearly as aggressive toward the young as some of
my killies, peacock gudgeons, and cpd's (the only other egg-layers I'm
working with besides cories, all of which will completely wipe out all fry
which aren't removed).  As long as there are some plant clumps to hide in,
you'll end up with more of these guys than you want.  =)

I would say micro/walter worms are a perfect food for the fry.  In the
first couple of days they may be more focused on microfauna in your plants
(the stuff practically too small to see), but they'll move to the worms
quickly.  My fry survival rates went way up when I started using the
walter worms, although I have to admit, I have since accidentally let my
culture liquefy (oops!), and have moved back to
greenwater/infusoria/microfauna (which also works quite well).

> Any advice anyone cares to share on raising these little guys would be
> MOST appreciated!  And, any idea on how old these parents are?? It sounds
> like they have made the rounds through the club; I am very glad to be the
> current owner of them!

I received the adults from Phil (our auctioneer extraordinair), and they
were full-sized breeding adults at that point, but I wouldn't be surprised
if they had another year or more left in them.  For me the paradise fish
were pretty much bullet proof-- and that's from someone who can't get
whiteclouds to breed.  Again, I have a feeling that unless you're using
them as feeders for those crazy pike killies, you'll soon have more than
you have room for.

> His nest is not very big though; just wondering if
> they are getting worn out or something, if that is possible.  Should I
> separate the two of them to give them a break from each other, or is that
> not a good idea either?

I would say the nests were around 1" square, and a little less than a
centimeter thick (and kind of mounded in the middle)-- 80-100 seems around
what they were throwing for me...which sounds like about what you got. 
They'll do this every month (or more often) as long as they are kept
together and are reasonably well fed.

I think if they get too cramped he'll definitely pick on her, but if you
separate them and reintroduce them, you'll probably encounter plenty of
aggression too.  I'd just make sure she has some cover to hide in if she
needs it.  I had them in a 10 gallon with plenty of java moss, and they
all seemed to get along.

Once they get about 1/2 inch, you can see what colors the fry will
develop, some are all blue, some are blue with pink tails, some are blue
and white striped, some are blue and yellow striped.  (I really like to
blue and yellow striped, personally).

If anyone else in the club wants to try these out, I still have about a
hundred, and I wouldn't mind having the tank space back.  I can make you a
heck of a deal if you bring your own bucket. =)

Congrats on the success!

Cliff

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