How to move fry to grow-out

[Juck]

My first batch of Darwin clowns is approaching the 2 week mark. How should I catch them to move them to their grow-out tanks?

Is it ok to use a brine net? I've been incredibly lucky with this nest,, not lost a single fish since the day after hatch,,,, I'd hate to mess it up now by doing something dumb.

Thanks

 

[Fishboy42]

[welcome]
and welcome to the FBF!

Congrats on raising black ocellaris too, I'm sure all of us here would like to see some pictures of your work!

I myself would probably wait until the clowns were a bit older to move them from their larval tank. If they are eating "solid" foods, then it shouldn't be a problem, but I find they are less touchy if they are a bit larger. Having said that, if you'd like to move them, I'd recommend using a square "catch-cup" or square container to scoop them from the larval tank into their new tank. I try to avoid using nets on living fish whenever possible. For acclimation to their new tank, I usually just gently pour them in (as long as temp and pH are close). I haven't lost a single clown this way, but I have lost some by forgetting that they were in the catch-cup acclimating to their new tank.

Hope this helps -- I'm sure others will chime in with helpful info as well.

-Matt

 

[Nagel]

Nets are bad.. They are abrasive and can damage the slime coat, so I would recommend using the dip cups or small rubbermaid cups to scoop them out.

Match SG, Temp and pH, and you should be good to go. I wouldn't try moving them too early, I'd probably wait till they are a month or older.

 

[Luis A M]

Agree with that.I would wait till theyÃ"šÃ‚´re 30 days and weaned of bs before moving to grow out.

 

[Juck]

Thanks for the welcome, I've been here a couple of years,, just didn't have anything worth saying 'til now.

I'll wait until they are older,,,, the larval tank is a half-filled old 12g Nanocube,, the back compartment just makes water changes so easy, but I have a 10g somewhere I can use for the next batch (due to hatch 5/3/06).

I'm not good with a camera but I just took a few snaps of some of the larvae. I'll upload the pics in a new thread.

I'm not doing anything too fancy,, all common sense stuff:

I fed B Plicatilis enriched with IA,,,, NHBS were given on day 6. Metamorphosis started on day 7,,, today (day 10) a couple of them are getting their second stripe. I've been using the decapsulated hatching Brineshrimp eggs from Brineshrimp Direct ,,, not cheap but an incredible hatch rate,, I'd highly recommend them to any small-scale breeder.


I'm a water-change freak,, change 25% morning and 25% at night every day. I don't co-culture.

I guess the only thing I'm doing that's a bit different is with lighting. During the day (9am-midnight) I have a CF worklamp about 30" above the tank,,,, during the night I have a single 40w bulb in the ceiling light that remains on 24hrs,, these guys haven't experienced complete darkness since the night they hatched.

This is the first spawn from this particular pair of Darwins,, I'm very proud of them. They are non-sibling and (I think) very handsome fish,,, they both lost all their orange 'nose' coloration very early.

 

[jacob30]

Congrats! I breed the same fish and have learned a lot since my first hatch about 6 months ago. I also use the brineshrimp direct decap eggs. They are awesome! Very easy and consistent. I definitely do a little different lighting scheme but do what works. IMO way overboard on the water changes but stay consistent when it works. ( Shhh... I do not change water for the first week or so and just add topoff and monitor ammonia). I also co-culture. My most recent hatches are 90% survival rates on average. A couple of parameters that I have adjusted are airstone, lighting and temp. The airstone is at the surface now, the lighting is just ambient room light with a bar towel over the tank (first few days and then a dedicated clip on light until moving to the growout system) and the temp is 84-85 deg the first week (then 80 deg).

But of course just DO WHAT WORKS for you (especially with no losses).

Good luck.

Jacob

 

[jacob30]

Also I just recently moved a 2 week old batch to the growout system using a rigid container. No Net!

 

[Juck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7262174#post7262174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jacob30
But of course just DO WHAT WORKS for you (especially with no losses).

Wellll,,,, no losses after the first night. When I woke up the morning after the hatch there were over 100 dead fry. Not sure what I did wrong,,,, probably too much turbulence from the airline.

 

[jacob30]

Yes I would bet too much turbulence (that is why I changed it to the surface). Give it a try.

Jacob

 

[Kathy55g]

Are you hatching the eggs, or snagging the larvae? gotta keep air over the eggs!

 

[Kathy55g]

Can't you catch them this way?

Just kidding!

 

[Fishboy42]

I'd agree that's a little bit overboard on the waterchanges. I don't do any for the first three weeks or so, but like Jacob says, do what works! Sorry to hear that you lost some this time, but if you experiment with your setup/procedure, you'll find what works for you.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7262770#post7262770 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kathy55g
Can't you catch them this way?

C'mon Kathy, don't use your bare hands! I prefer this way:

Just kidding of course

 

[Juck]

I pull the tile a couple of hours before lights out on the 8th day. I had rigid airline at the base of the tile and maybe 3 or 4 bubbles per second flowing over the face of the eggs. Every egg hatched except for maybe 5 or so.

I get the larval water from the brood tank just minutes before I remove the tile,,, so temp/ph etc probably wasn't the problem.

Kathy,, I'd be too scared to handle anything so small,,I have massive, clumsy hands,, like two clenched leather potting-sheds.

 

[Kathy55g]

i was really just kidding. I am trying to get the little suckers to not be afraid of me. If I pulled my hand out, they would swim away.

I had previously rubbed cyclopeeze on my fingers before putting them into the water.

It worked!

 

[Luis A M]

I bet yr date/hubby wonÃ"šÃ‚´t appreciate the smell

 

[KMatysek]

Yeah, but my cat loves it! I've got a cat who loves any and all fish food and is always there to help feed them!