I got fry, what do I do? new to cichlids

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newdreamz

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Oct 18, 2008
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Ok, I saw this awsome looking tank (complete set up) with fish on CL. I just had to have it!

2 days ago my hubby and brother went to pick it up while i stayed home tending to pups. They call and ask me if they had to take the sand out of the tank, they said they really didnt want to cause when the took the rocks out there where tons of babies in there. so left the sand and a couple inches of water in for the babies for transport.

I took all the fry out that i could find before setting the tank back up. Of course i missed a few, i still see a couple on occasion. I put the fry in a small 1 gal tank I had readily available for the moment with air stone in it.
I wasnt sure if the adults would eat them.

What do i need to do to raise these fry. I only have ever had mollies and guppies have babies before, i have always left the babies in the tank and have had great success. I am just a newbie as far as cichlids go. I had an oscar years ago, but thats all the experience i've had with cichlids.

This species is
Neolamprologus pulcher (Kambwimba)
http://www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2247




That is what the fry appear to be? There are a couple different types of cichlids in the tank as well. There was an electric blue, but the poor thing didnt make it. Also a couple other species as well. I will get pics and more identification on those later.



I have a 15 gal i can set up for them, what temp should i have the tank? Not sure what to do here?????


FYI, when moving fish or taking out the decor, always check both sides of the rock. I had one of these fish commit suicide in one of the rocks, the girl must not have seen him?
 
You care for them basically the same as any other fry

The parents will eat them. For starters, I hear Hikari First Bites are the best thing to feed your fry, but I just crush up my flake food (or pellets) really small and feed it to them. Keep the tank well maintained and aerated, they are sensitive to water conditions (as are all fry)

Good luck
 
If the fry are pulchers you should have no trouble keeping them with the parents. The brichardi group of species (including pulcher) form large colonies. Most Cichlids will defend their young to the death until the spawn again at which time they drive off or kill the fry. These fish allow the older fry to hang around and help with defending successive spawns.
 
these cichlids are so entertaining, they are moving the sand all around scooping it up in their mouths and spitting it to the side making little hills. They have such character. (the adults) All the rocks look like it snowed in the tank with a fine layer of sand on them.

Is this a nesting behavior? are they about to lay more eggs? The girl i got them from had the first clue about them, they were her ex-boyfriends and he up and left and left her with the fish and she has no interest in them.

There was a bag of salt in the supplies, am i supposed to put salt in the tank? How much? What should their temp be?


Thankyou to anyone that can offer guidance!
 
It's not nesting behaviour per se as they do it all the time, but they will clear off a smooth area, be it a rock or the bottom glass when they do want to spawn again. Temp should be 78-80F ,as far as the salt they come from EXTREMELY hard water in the wild. If the salt is plain old aquarium salt a tsp per gal wouldn't hurt. Just be aware that salt doesn't evaporate. As the tank evaporates you want to add plain water to top off. When you physically drain water during a water change you want to salt the new water to the same level. It could be aproduct known as Cichlid Salt which isn't really salt but mostly calcium and magnesium salts. Without knowing the parameters of your tap I wouldn't know whether you need it or not.
 
I dont think i want to put the fry back in the adult tank. After the stress from the move maybe mom wont want them back? the others will eat them? I think i would like to try to raise them seperately as they are my first batch of cichlid fry. Hopefully they will thrive good and possibly someone one here would like the do some trading ;)

Is there a way to tell male from female? I have at least 6 or more adults? I will try to get some pics of them later.

The salt is in a baggie so i dont have any product info on it, but it is very fine. Definately doesnt look like my aquarium salt. This is finer than table salt.
 
Sex in pulchers isn't obvious but you can tell. Like many Cichlids the male develops a hump on the head known as a nuchal hump. It's a bit subtle on these fish, but if you have several to look at it's not hard. If you want to raise the fry separately that's your choice, but reintroduction would likely be fine. In either case it shouldn't be long until the parents spawn again. These fish are notorius for taking over tanks because of their ease of breeding and their cooperative breeding strategy. As far as your salt if you don't know what it is don't use it. Have you tested your tapwater for pH, hardness, alkalinity,ammonia and nitrite? These are important #s to know.
 
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