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Curviceps have spawned!
- Thread starter TS45
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Curviceps Spawn
Dear TS,
Congrats on your recent activity!
It wouldn't be a good idea to move your fish just now. Curviceps eggs generally hatch after 48 hours and are moved by the parents to a pre-dug depression in the substrate. To move them now would prove too disruptive, and you would risk losing the fry.
After the fry are free swimming, however, you could try moving them to another tank, but it's probably better to leave things as they are until the level of parental care starts to waver.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Dear TS,
Congrats on your recent activity!
It wouldn't be a good idea to move your fish just now. Curviceps eggs generally hatch after 48 hours and are moved by the parents to a pre-dug depression in the substrate. To move them now would prove too disruptive, and you would risk losing the fry.
After the fry are free swimming, however, you could try moving them to another tank, but it's probably better to leave things as they are until the level of parental care starts to waver.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Thank you,
They have hatched and been moved to a depression.
How long approx. until they are free swimming?
I have set up a brood tank, never expected this to happen so quickly, just purchased the fish 2 weeks ago. I think raising the tank temperature from 79° to 82° must have initiated spawning.
tom
They have hatched and been moved to a depression.
How long approx. until they are free swimming?
I have set up a brood tank, never expected this to happen so quickly, just purchased the fish 2 weeks ago. I think raising the tank temperature from 79° to 82° must have initiated spawning.
tom
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Curviceps Spawn
Dear Tom,
From the time the developing embryos are moved to a depression in the substrate, you have approximately 5 days until the fry are free swimming at 76 degrees. At 82 degrees, however, please expect 4 days.
I'd recommend leaving the family in tact until filial care starts to waver, say in about 3 weeks time. In the interim, what were you planning on feeding the fry? Curviceps fry are tiny and should be feed about 5 times per day for the first week.
Please write back should you need further advise.
Randall Kohn
Dear Tom,
From the time the developing embryos are moved to a depression in the substrate, you have approximately 5 days until the fry are free swimming at 76 degrees. At 82 degrees, however, please expect 4 days.
I'd recommend leaving the family in tact until filial care starts to waver, say in about 3 weeks time. In the interim, what were you planning on feeding the fry? Curviceps fry are tiny and should be feed about 5 times per day for the first week.
Please write back should you need further advise.
Randall Kohn
Randall,
I need some info on what to feed, I heard the Parents will chew up and give them food.
What do you recommend?
The other issue is getting the food to the babies at the bottom of the community tank, past all the other hungrey guys.
Thank you for your input!
Tom
I need some info on what to feed, I heard the Parents will chew up and give them food.
What do you recommend?
The other issue is getting the food to the babies at the bottom of the community tank, past all the other hungrey guys.
Thank you for your input!
Tom
- Messages
- 240
- Location
- Central Ohio
I use a long piece of rigid airline tubing and suck it out of the bbs hatcher then place it near the fry and gently blow the bbs into the area.
- Messages
- 240
- Location
- Central Ohio
Yes, baby brine shrimp...I've got one of those high tech hatchers too, an inverted 2L Coke bottle with the bottom cut out.
Or, if you can get some frozen bbs at the fish store, you can break off a piece and set it in the general area of the fry...just go easy as to not stress the parents out too much with quick movements and the sort.
Or, if you can get some frozen bbs at the fish store, you can break off a piece and set it in the general area of the fry...just go easy as to not stress the parents out too much with quick movements and the sort.
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Feeding Curviceps Fry
Dear Tom,
Baby brine shrimp (BBS) is the preferred fry food of many breeders. Laetacara fry, however, are too small to eat it at first. I'd recommend that you either culture infusoria (green water) and/or get yourself some powdered fry food, mix with water, shake and administer the "milk" five times daily with a pipette or turkey baster. After about a week, the fry should be large enough to take BBS.
If all goes well, perhaps you'd like to try your hand at some of the other Laetacara species? They are all lovely, peaceful and interesting.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Dear Tom,
Baby brine shrimp (BBS) is the preferred fry food of many breeders. Laetacara fry, however, are too small to eat it at first. I'd recommend that you either culture infusoria (green water) and/or get yourself some powdered fry food, mix with water, shake and administer the "milk" five times daily with a pipette or turkey baster. After about a week, the fry should be large enough to take BBS.
If all goes well, perhaps you'd like to try your hand at some of the other Laetacara species? They are all lovely, peaceful and interesting.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
- Messages
- 240
- Location
- Central Ohio
As much as I respect Randall's expertice and experience, I must disagree on the comment about bbs being too large for Laetacata fry. I have yet to come across any dwarf cichlid fry that were unable to eat BBS. M. ramerizi are about the only ones that I have had that were even close to being too small for BBS. I've fed 3 different species of Laetacara on BBS from the first feeding; cuviceps, dorsiger, and sp. 'Purple/Gold'. For a backup, I keep a culture of MicroWorms on standby. They are pretty simple to keep, if you can stand the smell.
Good luck with them. If it doesn't work out this time, Laetacra are very forgiving and will give you many opportunites to try again.
Good luck with them. If it doesn't work out this time, Laetacra are very forgiving and will give you many opportunites to try again.
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Laetacara Fry
Dear Ken,
Maybe your Laetacara fry are bigger than mine? To date, I've had the pleasure of spawning L. curviceps, dorsigera and "buckelkopf," and each time the fry were simply to small at first to ingest BBS. The couple of times I tryed it with curviceps broods, the loses were staggering. I expect this was because they weren't getting enough to eat.
Perhaps differing strains produce larger fry than others?
Randall Kohn
Dear Ken,
Maybe your Laetacara fry are bigger than mine? To date, I've had the pleasure of spawning L. curviceps, dorsigera and "buckelkopf," and each time the fry were simply to small at first to ingest BBS. The couple of times I tryed it with curviceps broods, the loses were staggering. I expect this was because they weren't getting enough to eat.
Perhaps differing strains produce larger fry than others?
Randall Kohn
- Messages
- 240
- Location
- Central Ohio
I would think that the same species would produce fry of similar size...maybe that is something to study next 
In my observations during feeding, the fry were able to eat the newly hatched shimp, but they didn't eat many. I remember watching one fry suck in 3 shrimp, then his belly was bright orange and swollen. I think that is the big reason for small, but frequent feeding, for new fry. They, just like their human counterparts, just can't take too much at once and are ready to go again a couple hours later. I do mix the fry food tho, a squirt off bbs and a finger of micros. I do know there are some runts that will probably starve if I don't. After a couple days of that, it's at 100% bbs until they are large enough to get the grindal worms.
In my observations during feeding, the fry were able to eat the newly hatched shimp, but they didn't eat many. I remember watching one fry suck in 3 shrimp, then his belly was bright orange and swollen. I think that is the big reason for small, but frequent feeding, for new fry. They, just like their human counterparts, just can't take too much at once and are ready to go again a couple hours later. I do mix the fry food tho, a squirt off bbs and a finger of micros. I do know there are some runts that will probably starve if I don't. After a couple days of that, it's at 100% bbs until they are large enough to get the grindal worms.
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Feeding Curviceps Fry
Dear Tom,
I stand corrected; Ken is absolutely right. I've checked a couple of references and both Romer and Linke & Staeck, in their respective books dealing with dwarf cichlids, specifically recommend feeding curviceps fry BBS. I don't do that, but there is ample published work attesting to it.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Dear Tom,
I stand corrected; Ken is absolutely right. I've checked a couple of references and both Romer and Linke & Staeck, in their respective books dealing with dwarf cichlids, specifically recommend feeding curviceps fry BBS. I don't do that, but there is ample published work attesting to it.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Neil
New Member
- Messages
- 1,583
- Location
- Sacramento, Ca.
Both Ken and Randall can be right in this case. The type of eggs used for hatching play an important role in how small the bbs are and whether a Laetacara species' fry would be able to easily handle them. They are a fairly small fry as Dwarf Cichlids go. But, even a small percentage of ram fry can handle some bbs. How soon after hatching also plays an important role here as well. I think it is safe to assume that with some species it is (at least) helpful to supplement bbs with some other smaller food to account for the possibility that a percentage of the fry will have difficulty with them. But you may only need to do this for a couple of days.
Good luck,
Neil
Good luck,
Neil
Great responces from all, this forum is a great resource! The fry are free swimming and doing well. I will try Baby Brine today.
Finding all the listed food will be interesting, I'll make some calls today.
It really is amazing to watch the parental activity, and fry. Our college daughter said: " Wow, just like National Geographic!".
Hopefully all continues to go well, I've left just the Corydoras, Oticinclus and Black Neon's in with the brood. The parents are pretty patient with these, guiding them away rather than attacking.
Thank you! Tom
Finding all the listed food will be interesting, I'll make some calls today.
It really is amazing to watch the parental activity, and fry. Our college daughter said: " Wow, just like National Geographic!".
Hopefully all continues to go well, I've left just the Corydoras, Oticinclus and Black Neon's in with the brood. The parents are pretty patient with these, guiding them away rather than attacking.
Thank you! Tom
- Messages
- 691
- Location
- Sisters, Oregon
One thing no one mentioned, now that you've spawned them you will need to make an investment in more tanks to keep them in, once they start they dont stop!!!
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