Fry help ASAP

[somefinnfishy]

Ok have bolivion ram fry hatched yesterday,their still wigglers and should be for a couple days.I,m prepaired with frozen BBS and a 1/4 cup of blood worm dust any other sugestions for food and what they will take the first week other than dusted flakes or pellet food.
Second this is where I lose them everytime first the parents ate the eggs as they started to hatch so I removed the eggs the last three times to a empty 10g with just a airstone then artifitialy hatched them useing Methylene Blue and the air bubbles to "fan" the eggs.1st time bad acclimation and fried the eggs last time they hatched and died before they dropped the sacks (48hrs).
third as the tanks empty and non cycled what exactly do I fillter it with my only cycled sponge filtter was installed on a sick tank so I could pull it off the central system to treat so I shouldent use that sponge.And do I pull the blue out with carbon now or wait it out?Any and all advice is needed as theses rams have spawned 20 times for me in 2yrs and I have room to house a 1000 fry.I know a bunch of you would like $2 1" ram fry.

[ChilDawg]

Usually they take live BBS readily, and maybe some microworms and the like. I think that that might be your best bet. And, yes, I wouldn't mind some ram fry at that price!!!

[somefinnfishy]

Update they are swimming in place 1-2" over the bottom does this mean they are free swimming?Do I feed now?Water changing new tap water or parents tank water?Now or latter?
This is my plan of attack I will do 1gal changes 2 times a day from the parents tank.Will offer BBS tonight.I need to use the hydro sponge in there how can I sterilize it for use with out loseing all the bacteria.Copper safe and dyacide either one should kill any nastys I'm concerned about.But will both those prouducts kill of the cycle?Dont worry will not use them together and would treat the sponge in a bucket not a tank.
I need some advise or more reasurance in my current plan.

[thalassic park]

Hi,
Unicellular microscopic alga are an ideal food source for fish larvae.
The alga cells drift through the water column. They are small enough that a larvae can swallow the cell (larvae don't chew).
Different temps & nutrients of an algal culture can alter the ratio of Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids as to the carbohydrate content of the algal cell.
Easy to grow.
Just add fertilizer to a bucket of water, leave it in a sunny position. Green water or Unicellular micrscopic algae.

[somefinnfishy]

I'm sure they are hungry now and buy the time the alge grows they wount need it any more.But will do that next time. Should I go get some kent marine micro vert for now or liquify some spiritunela(sp)flakes.I just added a clump of java moss for cover.

[somefinnfishy]

The fact I'm chating with myself about my fry on a site with 2000 fish keepers is sad.this is the 5th time I've posted questions on this matter if ANYONE has any input please respond.

[wetmanNY]

I think Ram fry are carnivorous. They'll eat the plankton that eat the algae that Jeffrey mentioned. The Java Moss is coated with critters they'll graze on. Add all the Java Moss you have. You want to see that lurk-and-dart behavior that tells you they're feeding.

You can't sterilize the sponge filter. But if it's been running in a fishfree tank for a month or so, it's not going to transmit any parasites. The fry will graze its surfaces.

Microworms are ideal for cichlid fry, because they sink slowly. (Vinegar eels rise.) Any local sources to get started right now?

You don't need to use water from the parental tank, except that it may have nutritious plankton. You should do water changes and pull the methylene blue just before the eggs hatch. The fry are more sensitive to it than the eggs.

It's hard to raise fry in sterile empty glass-bottomed tanks where all their feeding depends on you.

[somefinnfishy]

Do I pull the blue with carbon? The water is coming out of a HEAVY planted central tank system that has a green bloom prob once in awhile so the micro matter should be there.Exactly what are microworms?The fry are doing good had a 95% hatch like 100 fry.My reasons for the hospital tank was the parents all ways fought over the hatching fry and ate them,also the gravel was to light reflecting and large the fry probialy would have swam down in to the gravel to get lost in the UGF:rolleyes: Or gotten sucked into the overflow.I did add a dosen 2" chunks of lava rock from the sump of the parents tank that should start the bio system up.
Could I try adding some back into the parents tank a few days after they are free swimming?I was told the parents will still take care of the fry.
BTW wetman how do you know so much?Breeder, owned a lfs,professer of biology,or just crazy hobbiest?

[fishman156]

I can't give you any info on the fry, but here is a link on micro worms. micro worms (http://www.petfish.net/microworms.htm).
If you can't get a starter culture, I could meet you somewhere later in the week and give you a starter and directions on culturing them. It wouldn't be able to be till Thurs. or Fri. due to work. You can PM me and let me know.

[somefinnfishy]

I will definatly take you up on that starter culture:D
BTW update they are FREE SWIMMING:) :p :cool:
Almost have the blue gone so I will add more moss and some plants that feed off the water coulum.
Have done %15 water changes twice daily from the established planted tanks next to it adding the water with a airline tubeing so I dont upset the fry so much.
I had and have like a %98 hatch rate well over a hundred fry the bottom of the ten was swarming with little dots.

[Dwarfnut]

Congrats on the new family Somefinn! I finally gave up on raising any more Bolivian Ram babies as I have no where to put them!! I have three pairs in my 75 gallon and at least one pair always has some babies and usually another pair will lay eggs! I too have also found that if I don't separate them, then eventually all the fry will disappear, but only after they are free swimming so I can't be sure the parents are doing it! There are other fish in the tank. If I ever get some room, I'll move some fry out.

When I do move fry out, I used frozen BB shrimp mixed with a few drops of the liduid fry stuff and also just a small small pinch of this powdered baby fry food stuff. Seems to do the trick...

Anyway, good luck,
Bill C.

[wetmanNY]

Your water changes and fresh carbon have pulled the methylene blue by now. Your water out of a heavily planted tank is full of the best nutrition for them. The microworms will make a good next step.

How great to have a local AC poster with microworms. They're so easy to keep-- except I lost mine in the heat wave last summer.

As for me, I'm just an amateur fishhead. I had my first tank about 1956, and I've been reading and talking and looking and asking questions and looking things up and trading information ever since. But I've never had more than a hundred and something gallons going at any one time (apartment living).

But I've learned as much since the summer of 1999 on the Internet than in all the years before. It's like living upstairs over a good college library. And better all the time!