Loosing Fry

[Lionel_t]

Can anyone offer any advice please. I have a batch of fry 4 weeks old today, i seperated them from the parents at 3 weeks. They are eating bbs 3 feeds per day, just started the odd feed of fine dry food.
But i had 60 fry and am down to 40 now, seem to loose 2 or 3 a day. Can see no obvious problems, all eat well, the dead are different sizes, no signs of flukes or change of behaiviour that would point in that direction.
Keeping them in a 60 ltr tank (24 x 15 x 15 inch) temp 28C (84F) 50% water change daily, water is reconstituted RO water (use RO Right)
water tests today after 3rd feed of the day
PH 6.4
140 tds
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 10ppm
Copper 0
Phosphate .5ppm
GH 60ppm
KH 20ppm

The only thing i can think of is the nitrate is too high,I can get the nitrate down to 5ppm by doing 2 water changes a day as my 3 stage ro unit only reduces the nitrate down to 5ppm.
I would appreciate any advice, this is my first successful batch as the first two attempts the parents ate them after 7 days from hatching.

[Merrilyn]

Welcome to the forum Lionel. The weeks after weaning are a critical time for fry, and a lot of them seem to die at around this time.

I would suggest you may have a water quality issue with so many fry in a two foot tank. If you can increase you water changes to two 50% water changes per day, it will help.

Do you have a UV filter on the fry tank? That seems to put an end to a lot of mysterious fry deaths.

[Lionel_t]

Hi Ladyred and thank you very much for the advice, I lost 12 in a single night, absolutely gutted.
I will step up the water changes to 2 x 50% a day and look at what UV's the local shop has

Again thank you for taking the time to help

Lionel

[Merrilyn]

Good luck Lionel. Keep us posted.

[Lionel_t]

Well i ended up loosing all of the fry, a few at a time right up until 4 weeks. The last one was 3cm. Still can't understand why.

[Lionel_t]

Hi all, thanks for your advice last time round, i have transfered the pair to a larger tank and they have settled in and after eating the first batch they have laid again and these should hatch tonight (fingers crossed). I have noticed a slight "fur" on some of the eggs, your could not call it "cotton wool" just a fuzz.
I was wondering if i should treat the water with methylene blue. I attach a picture and would really appreciate help again please.

Lionel

[samir]

lionel have you treated your pair for flukes and worms. if not i suggest you do that before trying to breed them. the uv sterilizer for the babies would really cut down on deaths.

[Lionel_t]

Thank you samir for your reply, i did deworm the pair using flubonel (i think thats how to spell it) about 6 weeks ago. I should do it again as i believe people do it monthly.
I am trying to get a uv steriliser for my system.

Lionel