fry -when can I put them in with the adults?

[billswin]

I have a 75 Gallon tank with with mostly aggressive african cichlids and some peacocks. I had 9 Demasoni babies around 2 months ago (7-8 weeks now). They are in a breeder container in the main tank but secluded (safe). I would say they average around 1/2" some smaller or bigger.

My question is when is it safe to let them into the main tank. I read online that when they get there colors (which they do) they are safe to put in, but I don't know. The adults vary from 2" to 5", I have a pretty aggressive Kenyi male around 4". I don't think they are small enough to be gulped up but maybe they could get picked on pretty bad?

Any opinions would be great, They are now eating flakes almost un-crushed. The adults eat pellets which are to big for them.

[SubRosa]

As long as they fit in somebody's mouth somebody will try to eat them. When they're big enough to not get swallowed all you have to worry about is them getting beaten to death for trespassing.

[blue2fyre]

Just make sure they aren't bite size!

I made that mistake. I thought some lab fry were big enough but they all disappeared overnight. In my experiences the larger fish will totally ignore smaller fish. They just don't see them as a threat.

[verbal]

If you can I would try and get them to about an inch. You may be able to get away with them at 1/2 inch, however they may not get much food.

[billswin]

yeah I think I will try to wait until around 1" just not sure how much more room is in the breeder box with 9 of them.

How long should it take for them to grow from 1/2" to 1"? They seem to be growing slowly not sure if its the small area they have or if my 1 feeding a day is hurting the growth?

[Paragon]

yeah I think I will try to wait until around 1" just not sure how much more room is in the breeder box with 9 of them.

How long should it take for them to grow from 1/2" to 1"? They seem to be growing slowly not sure if its the small area they have or if my 1 feeding a day is hurting the growth?

On the package of the frozen brine shrimp, there is a suggestion of 10 small feedings a day, rather than one large-ish feeding. I think you're probably stunting growth by doing only one a day. I know that I'm feeding my larger terror fry about 4 times a day, intermixing the brine shrimp with finely crushed flake food. On that diet, my babies have grown on average to 3/4" in 5 weeks and 2 days.

I'm erring on the side of overfeeding and being very very diligent about water changes, i.e., about every 5 days. I've heard that constant water changes enhance growth since fish waste triggers slower growth in fry. YMMV though.

[Assassynation]

I have a good variety of cichlids in my tank, med. large size and they don't even recognize the fry at all. I also have a lot of hiding places.