fry on side

[coco]

hi all,
would anyone be able to tell me why fry lay on the bottom of the tank .
like there resting and then swim away like nothing is wrong , then in time they go dark and eventually die


cheers margaret

[Hollowman]

Sounds like a bit of a problem. Probably a bacterial infection at a very young, even at egg stage of development. Can be related to a deformity in the swim bladder, often referred to as 'belly sliders' You need to cull any that show this, as they will not grow properly and you will be spending time on deformed fish.

To avoid this in the future, you need to condition your parent fish before they spawn, make sure that your water change regime is good, wipe down the inside of your tank to remove residual bacterial growth and slime build up (even if you cannot see it...it's there) keep everything spotless. At this stage, it's all about the water.
When you get eggs, you can still do your normal cleaning (well, I do) and once the fry have attached, large water changes. Remember, the parents are giving out far more slime than normal, there are lots more little fish producing waste, and it all needs cleaning up. I even water change to the point where the parent fish are laying on their sides in an inch of water. You must try to get the fry onto BBS (baby brine shrimp) asap or decaps, or after a week, ILLUSN feeds very finely ground beefheart. Again, you must clean after a feed.

Hth a bit. :D

Hollowman

[peppermintman]

I didnt see the spawn, but i would say if the males arnt muture or the water conditons arnt right the fry will die. I used to use coconut husk for softning and keep the ph at 6 to keep the eggs soft.

[coco]

thanks for your reply hollowman .i will look into that belly sliders
what do you use to condition your parents before spawn ?

thanks for your reply peppermintman this pair has had 2 x 100 or so spawn ph at 6.6 , my blue diamonds use same water and there fine and seam to be growing faster .

cheers margaret

[Hollowman]

what do you use to condition your parents before spawn ?

cheers margaret

Basically, in a tank on their own, sponge filter, heater, cone. Lower the conductivity if you can to about 60uS or 30TDS. Stable ph. Lots of good water. I usually worm the fish, and sometimes give a PP treatment ot get rid of any external parasites. Feed high quality food twice a day or more if you have time, wipe the sides of the tank down at least once a week. Lots of good water.
Wait for he sparks :wink: