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How do Wean fry off live bbs?

archangelvk

Member
Messages
40
So my Apisto Borellii are now around 8-9 weeks old. How do I wean them off bbs because when I tried frozen they kind of ignore it. Am I doing it too early because some pieces of frozen brine shrimp are still almost as big as the fry itself lol.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
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11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
My guess is that the frozen food is too large for your fry. They should take frozen foods once they are large enough to handle it. Until then shave the food into smaller pieces and mix with BBS.
 

archangelvk

Member
Messages
40
Any ideas on how to shave frozen BBS? or do you mean shave dry pellets? I tried shaving dry pellets into a powder but they seem to just spit it out.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
When I do it, I take the frozen cube and scrape it with a razor blade or sharp knife. And mix that with live BBS but I never stop feeding bbs, even the adults get it about three times a week. Good luck they grow very slow.
 

allentwnguy

Member
Messages
47
I also always include live bbs in the diets of my fish. When fry get about half an inch they will tackle frozen blood worms. When they get hungry they will eat. Most of my apistos will eat tetra-min flakes. I would let them go without food for a day or two and see what they will eat.
 

Andy452

Member
Messages
39
I have also had some luck crushing pellets into very fine crumbs, almost dust, I try to introduce it to my fry from around 8-10 weeks initially they will eat it when its in the water column but not off the bottom so use it sparingly when you first do it as you will need to siphon out any excess.
As others have said I'd still continue with BBS for most feeds, the crushed pallets is just a way to mix up their diet and not be so dependent on the BBS
 

archangelvk

Member
Messages
40
I have also had some luck crushing pellets into very fine crumbs, almost dust, I try to introduce it to my fry from around 8-10 weeks initially they will eat it when its in the water column but not off the bottom so use it sparingly when you first do it as you will need to siphon out any excess.
As others have said I'd still continue with BBS for most feeds, the crushed pallets is just a way to mix up their diet and not be so dependent on the BBS

I tried crushing high quality pellets into a fine dust and noticed that they will eat it but end up spitting it back out. Today I tried cutting up blood worms (which is so time consuming) and noticed that only 4-5 of them will eat it and swallow. The rest eat and spit. Dunno what to make of it. I mean they eat DEAD bbs all the time, why not frozen blood worms or frozen adult brine shrimp. lol
 

Linds6292

Member
Messages
33
I have been trying my fry on different food. Keeping up the BBS is expensive. They have rejected nearly everything so far. Flake food, egg yolk, frozen BBS, blood worms. They just spit them out if it's not live BBS. I have just recently tried culturing microworms. They eat those. But I need to get them growing well.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Try mixing BBS with dry food. Over a month slowly reduce the quantity of BBS. I found the only dry food that my apistos take eagerly is Bug Bites pellets. Have you tried this product? You will need to grind it finer for fry.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
When feeding young fry frozen [when out of BBS] food I take it frozen and grind it through a strainer first than a fine wire mesh strainer and if really small fry then through pantyhose, and like Mike said with dry food for about a month.
 

Linds6292

Member
Messages
33
Try mixing BBS with dry food. Over a month slowly reduce the quantity of BBS. I found the only dry food that my apistos take eagerly is Bug Bites pellets. Have you tried this product? You will need to grind it finer for fry.

No. I haven't tried it. I'll have a look when I can go to the LFS again... if we are ever allowed out again. I tried feeding all these other foods with BBS on days I was low. Will keep trying. They are 2.5 months old.

When feeding young fry frozen [when out of BBS] food I take it frozen and grind it through a strainer first than a fine wire mesh strainer and if really small fry then through pantyhose, and like Mike said with dry food for about a month.

I tried frozen BBS, not the large ones. They were just as small as the live ones. The problem wasn't they couldn't eat them. They grabbed them and spit them out again, like when they eat an egg capsule. I think they are fussy.
 

Ben Rhau

Apisto Club
Messages
566
Location
San Francisco
I’ve kept parents with the fry so far, and did not make any special effort to wean the fry off live BBS, since my adults all take BBS as part of their diet. The fry eventually figured out how to go after the adults’ frozen and dry foods as well. They take mostly frozen, and only get dry twice a week. One of those days is after the fasting day, so they are especially hungry. Like Mike said, they like Bug Bites much more than flake, but mine eventually eat everything.

What makes BBS expensive? Time? I have a routine to hatch every three days, and I can’t see when I’ll possibly run out of cysts from my small jar (only 3 tanks). I think frozen food is the most expensive, but due to convenience, preference and nutritional value, it’s my staple.
 

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