Removing the fry from parents

[norto]

Can someone tell me at what age is the best time to remove th fry from the parents? What water parameters are best for the growing youngens?
Norto.

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Norto,

I move mine between 10 and 14 days depending on how they have gone growth wise. As far as water is concerned, for grow outs it is better to be slightly harder so that the fry get their minerals etc. However, we use water straight from the tap which has a KH of 2 and a GH of 3-4 and we don't seem to get any growth issues but at the same time we feed all our fish a varied diet which is high in vitamins and minerals.
MAC

[norto]

Thanks MAC ,
Do the fry leave the parents alot more the closer they are to being separated? Also what TDS is best for the water? The water in the grow out tank I have is about 66ppm.
Norto.

[Ben]

I move mine at 14 -18 days.

But i move the parents out of the tank first.
Then leave the fry for another week.

Works better in my opinion.

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Norto,

The TDS doesn't tell you much, you'd be better off testing for GH and KH but rather than fiddling with their water I'd be growing the first lot out for 12 weeks and see what happens. As long as you are changing water daily or every other day and feeding them 4-6 times a day after 12 weeks they should be between 5 and 6 cms. If they are great, if not you may have to look at it again.

I find that once the fry get to around the 7-8 day free swimming stage they tend to be a bit more independent and will swim away from the parents far more.
MAC

[norto]

Thanks MAC & Ben,
Theres no doubt about it I would not have been able to breed these fish so quick with out the help of this site, I have only kept discus for 6 weeks so it goes to show that if you keep an open mind and listen to what is being said it's amazing what you can acheive thanks again.
Norto. :)