Microworms as fry food - or vice versa?

[k9outfit]

I've tried feeding microworms to my German Blue Ram & Alto. Compressiceps fry, but when I do, I always get the horrid feeling that it's actually the microworms that are munching the fry! :shock: I've observed them with a magnifying glass, and it's unnerving to watch - I usually end up rescuing the fry and placing them in a fresh container. Are microworms carnivorous, given the chance? Would they eat fry that are too small to eat them?

[Merrilyn]

Yikes - microworms eat carbohydrates, oats, wheat, potato. Don't think they eat fry, well I hope not anyway. But then again, I've never watched them under a magnifying glass :shock:

[k9outfit]

Thanks Ladyred; makes me feel just a leeeeeettle bit better about the microworms. :?

[Ben]

I have read a lot of literature starting that newly hatched artemia has the best nutrition over all live food that can be fed to baby fish.

[k9outfit]

I was hatching bbs for over a year, but all too frequently I'd loose a batch, and then I'd be stuck trying to feed something.... anything.... to the fry. The microworms seemed like a sensible alternative?

Looks like I'll just have to bite the bullet and start hatching them again. Though, think de-capsulating them will make at least some difference. I could feed the de-capsulated bbs to the fry, even if they don't "hatch", couldn't I?[/i]

[Th0mas]

BBS is too big for ram fry at early stage. Need to use something smaller like microworm, vinegar eel, etc (from what I've heard).

Thomas.

[catfishbone]

i was told to feed the rams fry with brine shrimp food ... :)

or you could try to get some liquifry no 1 ...

- andrie -

[Robdog]

I agree with the liquifry No1 option. There is also a powdered fry food from Sera. When they get a bit bigger you can hit them with frozen BBS.
I'm using this method with some caca fry atm(I admit they are a bit bigger than ram fry) but I've had great growth since using the frozen bbs.
Comes in a tab sheet and I've used 2 tabs in two weeks. It's gonna last forever!

[Th0mas]

Apisto fry should be able to take BBS without any problem - the baenschi were happy to take them on their first day of free swimming.

Ram's egg being much smaller than apisto, hence BBS maybe too big for them.

Hatching BS isn't that difficult, just the extra effort in doing it. The fry (as well as the adults) love them.

Thomas.