egg yolk for fry

[bettaboi]

can some one explain to me how to feed the egg yolk to my fry

[thatsfishy]

Take an hard boiled egg, break off a small piece of yolk (I say no bigger then the size of a pea), put it in container that can be closed (an old vial like the ones bbs eggs come in is handy), add water and shake the whole shebang until the yolk is dissolved and the water looks cloudy. Then pour a tiny bit into the fry tank each time you feed or use an eye dropper if you have one and add just a couple drops. You can keep the rest in the fridge for a few days.

Don't use it more then twice a day, it degrades the water rather quickly. Also, don't use it for too long, a few days, then switch to something more appropriate like VE, MW or BBS (all of the above be best).

[Imbrium]

If possible I'd get ahold of some Hikari First Bites and use that instead. Its not as messy as the egg yolk. But you still need to switch to live foods asap.

[thatsfishy]

First Bites are "huge" ... never had fry large enough to eat them in the first few days, plus it fouls the water just as much when the uneaten parts sink. Liquidfry #1 is also another artificial option (pretty much the same as the yolk), same deal in regards to the water however.

[Imbrium]

Are we talking about the same First Bites? Because the stuff I get is powder and my fry can always eat it as soon as they're free swimming.

[thatsfishy]

LOL ... yeah. "Huge" was an overstatement. It is indeed a powder to us, but take a close look (with a flashlight and a magnifying glass if you have one handy) when it hits the water. It's like a sponge and each particle does become way bigger then the mouth. I've watched mine trying their luck swallong the stuff, but giving up after a while. Then it just sinks to the bottom and sits there. So now I wait at least a week before I even try it. Only by then, the fry are "spoiled" by the live food ... and give me "dirty looks" as in "hey ... we don't want that".

[Imbrium]

I usually soak mine a while before I give it to them, and I've watched them eat it. Maybe I just got lucky or something. In my last spawn the fry were big enough to eat bbs the next day after being free swimming so maybe I've got huge mutant fry! I've only had 3 spawns so far so I'm certainly no expert. After mine have had live foods they give me dirty looks to, if I try to give them the First Bites.

[anasfire23]

I've got eggs at the moment, I noticed them yesterday morn so I should have fry by tomorrow and I'm trying to hatch some bbs as fast as i can and I was really worried as to what I can feed my fry if I can't get any bbs..I read somewhere that they can live off their own egg sacks for 3 days then need food? is this true and can i feed them that egg yolk mix from birth? If i can't get any bbs i was thinking of mashing some blood worms into tiny pieces and see if they'll eat that. By 1 week they should be able to eat the blood worm bits huh? I'm so desperate to keep this spawn coz i've tried atleast 25 times and this is my first successful spawn.

[thatsfishy]

You don't need to feed the new fry until they are "free-swimming", which mean swimming regular horizontally after the egg sack is depleted (somewhere around day2-3). Before they are too top heavy (w/the sack), when they try to move around they are in a vertical position.

I wouldn't try to feed any adult foods, mashed or not. Do the egg yolk or bbs, if that's all you got at hand. BBS should hatch until they are ready to eat, so don't panic.

[anasfire23]

Ok, that's a relief. I actually have fry now. I looked in on them and the lil white dots are now white ovals with tails swimming up and down, alot of them are still ni the nest though. I siphened alot of the water out so it wld be easier for them to get to the surface, there's about 2 1/2 inches left now. The male is still tending to the fry that are falling out of the nest ( they loook dead on the botom then the male with swim past and disterb them and they'll make a break for the surface or swim around in circles) but there are so many now i think he's giving up on them and concentrating on the eggs still not hatched. How long before i need to take him out? He doesn't seem to be eating the fry but as I am about to go to bed I am worried that it might change and i'll wake up with no fry at all.

[thatsfishy]

You normally don't take the male out until the fry are free-swimming. Leave a light on at night, so he can see what he's doing. He only suppose to eat those fry that aren't viable, but some males just never got that "memo". Not much you can do about it then try him later, if he eats them all. And if you see it while there's still fry alive, take him out and hope for the best. RC for instance hatches them artificially by cutting up his pantyhose and he builts some contraptions that floats the eggs close to the surface. I think he has a picture, if you ask nicely he may share it with you.

[anasfire23]

I've watched him closely and he doens't seem to be eating them so all is good. They've started gathering around the edge of the tank at the surface so they can breath i'm guessing. i did a count of the ones around the edge and got up to about 78 before i gave up and there are still more in the nest and in the floor of the tank that swim around when the male disturbs them. so i think i'm in for a very large amount of fry! Pretty good for my first spawn if i do say do for myself!