Spawning of and growing out fry in a 90 gallon

[LizStreithorst]

When I pour the wigglers in with their parents they are still too young to eat BBS. They still have to depend on their parents. But I do add newly hatched very tiny BBS on day 3. Most of them don't even look at it for another day or two, but I squirt it on their parents backs so I'm sure that they get a taste of it earlier than most fry.

The size of the male of the contest pair is 7 7/8" Mom is about 6 inches. I pulled dad out a while back and put a tape on him, so I know for sure. Mom's size is just an educated guess. My other pairs from the same line are younger and not quite as big. They're not the fastest growing fish I've ever had but they do get quite big.

[jimmyjoe]

Actually, it's a 90. I have both sizes and I just made a mistake in the title. Still, it's a huge tank, even with the water level reduced to half to raise a bunch of fry in. If I do get enough to sell I'll be advertising them here. I do have some nice looking babies from the same breeding stock ready to go now, though.

Liz I sure would like to see pictures of these babies from these two that you might have available for sale. I'm really interested I've been looking for some nice snakeskins with these markings.

[mleibowi]

Beautiful pair, Liz!

[LizStreithorst]

Wigglers this morning. I'm sure that Pat and Al, with their great knowledge and great equipment could get a pic of the little 'uns wiggling, but I'm afraid I'm not that good....yet(?).

[Charlyc11]

As free swimmers out of the pitcher they don't get eaten?

I tried that once, jimmyjoe, but little by little the wigglers got eaten. I have had better luck when they stayed in the pitcher till they were swimming well.

[LizStreithorst]

Last time they didn't except for mom. She started chowing down on fry on day 3. By the time I set up a tank for her and got her moved she had eaten half of them. I removed her and dad did fine with the rest of them. I just don't want to take a chance on trying what didn't work once in favor of trying them on the way that did work once.

[LizStreithorst]

this evening when I do WC I may lower the water level in the tank and set the pitcher on the bottom so the pair can get used to the lower water level.

[Charlyc11]

Liz
Do you RO change on you pitcher?
Chuck

[LizStreithorst]

Once the babies are about to start wiggling I change about half their water with the water I use for their parents and other fish.

[LizStreithorst]

I moved the pitcher to the bottom of the tank and gave the pair till this morning to get used to the lower water level. In the pics and real life, there are few wigglers and mostly white fluff. It scares me every single morning. I have to remove the air stone and look a the cone from the top before I'm able to get a good look at them. They're still there, all bunched together in the middle of the fluff.

It was interesting to me to look at the pics from first to last. I can see daddy darken slowly every day as things progress.

[jimmyjoe]

So Liz, how are you going to introduce the kids to the parents, considering the difference in water parameter's. Jim in Ohio

[LizStreithorst]

I've been changing the wigglers water with the parents water so there will be no drastic change. I wait until just before or right after the eggs start wiggling.

[LizStreithorst]

The closer the time gets, the harder the wait gets. The parents feel the same way. They can't take their eyes off the pitcher. I tried for a pic, but dad always leaves the cone so he can kill me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJ_Mz8ftqI

[LizStreithorst]

https://www.google.com/search?q=toda...F1bG5LUcs,st:0

[LizStreithorst]

Anticipation time is over. The kids are with mom and dad. Now I'm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycbgHM1mI0k