We have twins donfenk.....our little peewee has the black on its dorsal already...is that possible so early in its life....:read:
Yellow LAB - Strip or not?
- Thread starter nzo
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We have twins donfenk.....our little peewee has the black on its dorsal already...is that possible so early in its life....:read:
I have fed several crops of brineshrimp, but I am only going by 48 hours and they`ve hatched + when they settle, they form a pink blob. I can't tell they`ve hatched at all - how do you?
OOOHHHH, nzo...I am sooooo sorry I forgot to add the frozen in the brine shrimp...I am sooo sorry for the stupid error on my behalf...
i found this website on live brine shrimp...
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/...
again I am sorry for not putting the "frozen" word....
i found this website on live brine shrimp...
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/...
again I am sorry for not putting the "frozen" word....
No, we didn't hatch any...because the big ones would eat all of the shrimp...and we never knew you could hatch shrimp for cichlids in the same tank...Well, I didn't know...
The fry we have right now (the 2 that survived) are eating frozen brine shrimp...you wouldn't believe what they are capable of sucking in their tiny mouths...I will have to have my hubby try and take some pix of them and post them....they started eating brine after mama spit them out...and it helps them grow bigger...and they are already swimming in the open...little gutsy fellas....and PeeWee is already an inch and quarter...1.25...s/he is getting bigger everyday...amazing....but the new labs eat flakes also..we turn off the canister (magnum350) for the food to float around the tank and under the rocks so the babies can get some...and they suck up some frozen that are almost their size also....and PeeWee swims with the big guns when it is feeding time...right there in the whole crowd....but I will have hubby try and take some pix and show ya tomorrow....the light is off right now....so all the kids went to bed....
The fry we have right now (the 2 that survived) are eating frozen brine shrimp...you wouldn't believe what they are capable of sucking in their tiny mouths...I will have to have my hubby try and take some pix of them and post them....they started eating brine after mama spit them out...and it helps them grow bigger...and they are already swimming in the open...little gutsy fellas....and PeeWee is already an inch and quarter...1.25...s/he is getting bigger everyday...amazing....but the new labs eat flakes also..we turn off the canister (magnum350) for the food to float around the tank and under the rocks so the babies can get some...and they suck up some frozen that are almost their size also....and PeeWee swims with the big guns when it is feeding time...right there in the whole crowd....but I will have hubby try and take some pix and show ya tomorrow....the light is off right now....so all the kids went to bed....
The babies eat mostly flakes, but when the frozen float down to them they will grab whatever is in their range....I found this on how to tell when the brine hatch...
http://cichlidresearch.com/tips.html
The nice thing about hatching brine shrimp is that you don't have to be exact. If your jar holds about a quart, put a heaping tablespoon of salt in the jar along with warm water. Stir it up until the salt disolves. Stick the rigid tubing on the airline, attach the airline to your pump and stick the tubing into the jar. You should now have a bubbling jar of warm salty water. The rigid tubing ensures that the air mixes the water down to the bottom of the jar, otherwise you end up with a pile of dead stuff down there. You want the water to be churning, but not volcanic. Add a teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs.
Wait 24 hours and they will have hatched. The water will be filled with tiny orange shrimp.
To separate the shrimp from the shells, turn off the air and let the jar sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If you can, put a light bulb near the base of the jar and the shrimp will be attracted down. Without the light, it takes longer for the shrimp to settle. The shells will float up. Disconnect the airline from the air pump. Now remove the shrimp by carefully siphoning the shrimp out by sucking on the airline tubing. Siphon the shrimp into your other jar. Alternatively, use a turkey baster to collect the shrimp from the bottom of the jar (but get a new turkey baster and use it only for this purpose).
I found this on how to tell when the brine hatch...http://cichlidresearch.com/tips.html
The nice thing about hatching brine shrimp is that you don't have to be exact. If your jar holds about a quart, put a heaping tablespoon of salt in the jar along with warm water. Stir it up until the salt disolves. Stick the rigid tubing on the airline, attach the airline to your pump and stick the tubing into the jar. You should now have a bubbling jar of warm salty water. The rigid tubing ensures that the air mixes the water down to the bottom of the jar, otherwise you end up with a pile of dead stuff down there. You want the water to be churning, but not volcanic. Add a teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs.
Wait 24 hours and they will have hatched. The water will be filled with tiny orange shrimp.
To separate the shrimp from the shells, turn off the air and let the jar sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If you can, put a light bulb near the base of the jar and the shrimp will be attracted down. Without the light, it takes longer for the shrimp to settle. The shells will float up. Disconnect the airline from the air pump. Now remove the shrimp by carefully siphoning the shrimp out by sucking on the airline tubing. Siphon the shrimp into your other jar. Alternatively, use a turkey baster to collect the shrimp from the bottom of the jar (but get a new turkey baster and use it only for this purpose).
You definitely DON'T put mom in the same tank with the fry after you strip them.
I always stripped mine to another tank then put mom in a tank by herself and fattened her up before returning her to the main tank. I had a group of 2 males and 5 females that regularly produced more babies than I could handle.
I always stripped mine to another tank then put mom in a tank by herself and fattened her up before returning her to the main tank. I had a group of 2 males and 5 females that regularly produced more babies than I could handle.
3 of our newest labs...
First photo is of one of the 2 remaining fry that mama spit out a week ago...
and the second is of one of the new labs (the right one) we bought from PetsMart also a week ago...the left is our little peewee...
First photo is of one of the 2 remaining fry that mama spit out a week ago...
and the second is of one of the new labs (the right one) we bought from PetsMart also a week ago...
the left is our little peewee...
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Interesting actually. Your peewee looks much more yellow than mine and I think mine might be older!?
Anyway, It's interesting to note that I have now stripped two more females a little earlier than I did the Lab.
They have both gone back to normal feeding / hierachy straight away, whereas the Lab is struggling to get her weight back and compete for food etc.
I reckon that it can be beneficial to strip (especially younger fish) as if they hold on too long, they get so wasted, as to not be able to hold their social position etc. I know you could keep the female out and feed her up, but the last two females I've stripped are straight back into the same pecking order and everything is the same as before.
I know some species will be different, but it pains me to see the Lab still looking wasted and hassled away from the food, even weeks later. She's getting food, but her shape hasn't properly returned after several weeks now.
Anyway, It's interesting to note that I have now stripped two more females a little earlier than I did the Lab.
They have both gone back to normal feeding / hierachy straight away, whereas the Lab is struggling to get her weight back and compete for food etc.
I reckon that it can be beneficial to strip (especially younger fish) as if they hold on too long, they get so wasted, as to not be able to hold their social position etc. I know you could keep the female out and feed her up, but the last two females I've stripped are straight back into the same pecking order and everything is the same as before.
I know some species will be different, but it pains me to see the Lab still looking wasted and hassled away from the food, even weeks later. She's getting food, but her shape hasn't properly returned after several weeks now.
Oh - about the brine: I have been happily using an in-tank hatcher which is pretty cool and hatches a good rate of shrimp in 24-48 hours. I use "artemia revolution" which are decapsulated, so no shells to choke on. The fry get a brineshrimp boost every other day. See my other thread for different aged fry, as I`ve got 3 different aged fry in the same tank needing different food now!
