Removing fry from parents

[Jon G]

Hello all.  So I have a pair of gold rams that have been spawning. The first few clutches of eggs were eaten which is to be expected for new fish parents. I am happy to report that the last two clutches hatched successfully and it seems as if I have two great parents that have learned to raise their fry. The first batch that hatched lasted for a week before they died off. This was my fault because I was not prepared with my live baby bribe shrimp and they would not take frozen baby brine or Hikari first bites. This last batch is doing great however. I have been feeding live baby brine 3x a day and occasionally frozen babh brine which they are now eating at 10 days old. They all look to be very healthy with nice big orange bellies.  

My question is about moving the fry to a grow out tank. How long should I wait to move them?  What is the best way to move the fry. Turkey baster?  Siphon? Net?  Any help is much appreciated. 

Here are some pictures. 

[KBOzzie59]

That is very awesome!

[Daniel]

This is my favorite part of the hobby! Parents being parents and shepherding vigorous fry from place to place. Congratulations!

Sometimes it is easier to move the parents. If that is not possible, make sure you have a decent amount of water from this tank in the tank where you are moving them to and then I would net them.

 

[Jon G]

 

7 hours ago, Daniel said:

This is my favorite part of the hobby! Parents being parents and shepherding vigorous fry from place to place. Congratulations!

Sometimes it is easier to move the parents. If that is not possible, make sure you have a decent amount of water from this tank in the tank where you are moving them to and then I would net them.

 

Thank you. I'll probably move the fry and leave the parents since they are very comfortable breeding in the tank they are in and I want to put the fry in a bare bottom to make grow out and cleaning a little easier. 

I was thinking to give them another week with the parents before I move them. That will make them a little over 2 weeks old. Do you think that is a good time to make the move or should I wait a bit longer?  I have always done 40 to 50% water changes on the tank and have continued since they have hatched 2x per week. I use my tap water which has a ph of about 7.2 , 2dkh and 2dgh. 

[Daniel]

At this point you can move them whenever it is convenient for you. It is more fun to leave them with the parents and watch all the cool parental and fry behavior, but the price you pay is a bit of risk. The risk being that the parents might suddenly eat them if they got spooked or who knows why. But if they have been good parents up to now, my guess the risk is reasonably low.

Water changes have worked for you (I do water changes like this) and I would keep dancing with one that brung ya, meaning if ain't broke, don't fix it. It also means the fry will be well acclimated to your tap water when you do move them.

[Dean’s Fishroom]

17 hours ago, Jon G said:

My question is about moving the fry to a grow out tank. How long should I wait to move them?  What is the best way to move the fry. Turkey baster?  Siphon? Net?  Any help is much appreciated. 

You can move the fry anytime you are comfortable  that you will be able to consistently provide food for them. A tank with a sponge filter and heater, maybe with some java moss or other free floating plants would be nice. If you can take water from the parents tank I would definitely do that. The water change for the parents could trigger another spawn. For moving the fry a turkey baster will work bitch is inconsistent and you will always lose some. Netting them can turn into a big mess and can also damage their tiny fins at such a small size, I would not use this method. The best way in my opinion is to use an airline tubing siphon, the key is to not have a large fall in distance and always have water in your catching container before you start catching the fry. Oh and do not siphon into a net, use a plastic container and pour the fry into their new home.

[MickS77]

1 hour ago, Dean’s Fishroom said:

The best way in my opinion is to use an airline tubing siphon, the key is to not have a large fall in distance and always have water in your catching container before you start catching the fry.

Great tip Dean, I will be trying this next time I move fry. Standard airline tubing is big enough? 

[Jon G]

Thanks @Dean’s Fishroom.  I have learned so much about breeding from your videos with @Cory. Particularly about rams.  I already have a 10 gallon with a heater and a sponge filter ready to go.  I can takes some cuttings from plants in my main display and float them. I just have to get a cheap light for the tank. 

[Dean’s Fishroom]

On 8/8/2020 at 2:48 PM, MickS77 said:

Great tip Dean, I will be trying this next time I move fry. Standard airline tubing is big enough? 

For ram and angel sized fry yes. I actually attach a piece of rigid airline tubing about a foot long and use that for sucking them out. Makes it easier to aim the siphon and give you better control. For larger fry I've made siphons like this using 1/4" i.d. tubing and 3/8" i.d. tubing. Just be sure you are not sending them into the catching container like they are riding class four rapids.