serenitynow Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hi I'm losing corydora sterbai wrigglers at the rate of 3 per day. They are @14 days old. From reading, possible cause may indicate something wrong with the food or with the water.. Or is it natural selection/just the way it is? DIY ice cream fry saver with mesh windows is floating in main tank - airstone on very gently. Finely crushed flake, vinegar eels and brine shrimp alternated throughout the day, feed 5 times per day. Waste/uneaten food is syphoned off prior to each meal and at the end of every night. Water in big tank is changed 30% weekly and filtered well. Ammonia & Nitrite 0 Nitrate < 5 Temp at 26.5 Ph at 6.7 or so. What am I doing wrong? Feeding too much? Not the right food? Bugging them with all the syphoning? Any advantage to putting down a fine layer of sand in fry saver? I read that this may stop bacteria from adhering to fry...but hey it was on the internet, on a blog no less, so dunno how much truth is in it... Please help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braddo Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I do use a small amount of sand i my tanks and it seems to do the trick. Not sure on the bacteria sticking to the body but possible. Every one has there own theories on this. Any thing is worth a try though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenitynow Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks for your reply, Braddo - and yeah, it is worth a shot. At a loss to figure out what I'm doing wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewatch Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 My Corydorus julii spawned in a 20ltr tank, I took the parents out and left the fry in, I just fed them very fine food, when half inch long I put them in a larger tank, I have got about 100 fish of different sizes, from about 3 spawns. There could be many reasons for your fry dying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenitynow Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks Bluewatch.. Unfortunately for them/me, they were spawned in the 280 litre tank. I might move the cories into a 2fter and then remove them after spawning. Gotta move a few thousand shrimp first. You stated there are many reasons for fry dying - apart from food,water and cleanliness of environment, can you advise of other factors I should be aware of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewatch Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks Bluewatch..Unfortunately for them/me, they were spawned in the 280 litre tank. I might move the cories into a 2fter and then remove them after spawning. Gotta move a few thousand shrimp first. You stated there are many reasons for fry dying - apart from food,water and cleanliness of environment, can you advise of other factors I should be aware of? Hi Mate, I have bred many fish, you often lose a few fry, sometimes the lot, it is very difficult to find a reason, When I breed the Corys I use old water, and a well used tank, I change about 25% water and put in cold treated water, the fry feed on the Infusoria for a few days then I use very fine food, increasing the food size as they grow. There so many causes of fry deaths, I am sorry to be so vague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenitynow Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks Bluewatch - and hey, it is a very vague, open question, eh? Thanks very much for the tips - being an accidental breeder, I need all the info/help I can get! Poor little buggers. Looks like I shall get some more practise, the cories are at it again. So fascinating - lost an hour yesterday just watching their mating antics. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewatch Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Thanks Bluewatch - and hey, it is a very vague, open question, eh?Thanks very much for the tips - being an accidental breeder, I need all the info/help I can get! Poor little buggers. Looks like I shall get some more practise, the cories are at it again. So fascinating - lost an hour yesterday just watching their mating antics. Thanks again Hi Mate, I have been keeping and breeding fish since 1950, so you can see I am knocking on a bit, I have had plenty of cockups and disasters in that time, also some exciting times. You can search the many Fish Forums on the net and get advice and ideas, and also apply your own methods. I have been in Hospital for five weeks, and still have health problems. I have cut back on tanks and will have to reorganise, I will have to thin out my Corys and Apistogrammas, and work out the best way to go. Anyway enough dribble, and I wish you well in your breeding programme Regards Bert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braddo Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Berts right there. It will always be a bit of trial and error in raising young fish. The thing is what works for one person doesn't always work for another. I think that is what makes this hobby so great, that no matter what you will always be learnings. I have even had methods I have used in the past not work for me on occasions which means you have to try something else. With my really fie fry I mix a small amount of vegemite with water in a cup to make a cloudy look to it and have had great success with this. Might be worth giving this a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenitynow Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hi Bert Sorry to hear you have been under the weather - hope things improve for you very soon, eh? The net is great for info, but as it is sometimes contradictory/confusing, its of great help when experienced "local" breeders so graciously share their knowledge, such as you & Braddo have. Wow - hows that for an Olympic size suck up! All true though Would love to see pics of your apisto & cory set ups, once things have settled down for you - these are my favorite fish. Breeding apistos is something i would dearly love to try, once I have got my fish feet, so to speak, and a whole lot more reading/learning done. From what I've read , it would seem that water parameters, particularly ph, seem to be a major consideration. But I digress/blather/dribble on! Thanks very much for your kind wishes - although I think the terms "breeding programme" is much to high falutin' for my bumbling efforts - but it made me feel good Braddo - loving the vegemite idea, thanks for sharing it. One if my dearest mates grew up very poor, and vegimite soup was a staple in her house. She got a kick out of hearing I'm going to try it with my fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewatch Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Would love to see pics of your apisto & cory set ups, Breeding apistos is something i would dearly love to try, . My Apisto & Cory set ups are just fish tanks, nothing special Breeding Apisto cacatoiudes is just straight forward, put them water and let them get on with it. If the water is OK for me to drink it is good enough for fish to breed in. I had quite a few tanks a while back selling to shops and Bayfish bad health forced me to sell the lot, that was in 2005, things improved so I got a few tanks. I have to have a clear out of Apistos and Corys Regards Bert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cory1 Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Bert you are a Gem,I would love to pick your brains one day..your advice is spot on Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenitynow Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Thanks for all your help,Bert. Saw your add - just wish I had the space to house them. And I concur with Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
