Oh dear there´s ram fry!!! Help!

[Nimue]

Hi everybody,

my male blue ram got severely ill and finally died a few days ago during a breeding attempt. The female kept on caring for the eggs. After he died, I saw her picking up the eggs. I looked at the breeding-stone and it was empty. She also left the breeding area.
Now to my complete and utter surprise I saw her with a swarm of fry.
I immediately evacuated the other fish.

Now I´m in quite a panic as there`s the important question of food, of course. The only food I´ve got at home right now is artemia-solution in a tube. I don´t want the little ones to starve.
So what should I do next? Could anybody please tell me how to raise some slipper animalcule???? Or how do I set up artemia eggs properly????

Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Greetings,
Birgit

 

[tjd]

Small live foods are usually best first foods and BBS are too small for most ram fry that are just free swimming. Unfortunately it takes a little time to get an infusoria (slipper animalcule included), green water, or "worm" culture going.

While there are mixed opinions on its use, I have had some success with using Liquid Fry #1. If used in a limited amount, usually 2-3 drops directed in the middle of the group and only for a couple days, it has gotten the fry to the point they can take freshly hatched artemia. There are also recipes on the net for other small food preparations.

The biggest word of warning is that it is better to do too little then too much. There are likely little microbes in the tank that will allow for some the fry to survive until they can take BBS or something similar. Overfeeding them, especially a food they are not eating, will do more harm in polluting the water then good. I usually try a small amount of freshly hatch BBS after a
day or two and watch to see if the fry are eating them yet.

After between one or two weeks I transition the fry to decapsolated artemia cysts and a good flake food until they are large enough to take frozen blood worms, mysis shrimp and brine shrimp. The ram fry that I have raised are less picky about the "live" nature of their food than some of the other fish I have raised and decaps are easier to work with.

Tom

 

[Nimue]

Single educating ram

Hi Tom,

thanks for the information. I think I proceed with the fry liquid for a couple of days and then start trying to feed them with freshly hatched artemia.

Best wishes,
Birgit

PS: I´t´s quite sweet to see how my single educating ram mom picks up a few of the little ones who have gone astray and brings them back to the swarm. :redface: She has quite a lot of work as the little buggers are already very curious. They are all over the tank - and that makes even small water changes a risky thing.