Signs of Due Date

[CuttleKid]

My male reidi mated exactly two weeks ago today and i was wondering if he would be due soon? Also what are the signs of upcoming labor? Right now hes not eating and hides all day, is that bad? hes also twisting his body sometimes in weird shapes!!!
Should i be worried or is that a sign of labor? What time of day do they usually give birth? Last question, for future knowlege what is the gestation period for reidi ponies?


Thanks

 

[namxas]

if you mean it looks like he's doing ab crunches, then yes...those are signs of impending labor. SH typically give birth in the wee hours of the AM, but not always. a "knocked" male will usually become reclusive, so no worries there.

gestation for reidi is about 2 weeks, so you're very close.

 

[CuttleKid]

Glad to hear that because my dad and i just finished the nursery.

 

[CuttleKid]

any tips on raising the fry?

 

[namxas]

reidi fry are about as hard as they come (with the exception of ingens) depending on their size, some take newly hatched artemia (must be <24 hrs old), but lots of peeps use rots as a first food.

you'll need to ripple the water surface to keep them from snicking air. some peeps use a Kreisel set up, but you can also get a similar effect with a standard tank. i know a person who has great luck with cylindrical setups and a horizontal flow pattern.

the fry won't hitch from birth like erectus or barbs.

 

[rayjay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15182646#post15182646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CuttleKid
any tips on raising the fry?

There are a few different ways to raise the Reidi fry but the only success I have had is with the greenwater method.
I add greenwater to the fry container to help with water purity, but also to feed the food I leave in 24/7. I also light it 24/7.
For the first two weeks I feed rotifers. The third week I feed rots and BBS, and the fourth week BBS only.
While I've been feeding Cyclopeeze frequently, for some reason, they go after it but won't snick it up whether it's on the bottom or in suspension. Same with the shaved mysis.

 

[namxas]

thanx for chiming in rayjay! i've never personally reared pelagics...just don't have the time or inclination. benthic fry are tuff enuff, and i don't even rear them any longer.

 

[SaylorsReef]

Do you have fry yet?

 

[CuttleKid]

he gave birth and the cardinal ate all of them before i got down there=( It probably was best this way because we tested ot the nursery and it isnt working properly so i'll have to wait for the next batch and the nursery to work.

SIGH

Oh well

 

[kenny fluke]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15186500#post15186500 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rayjay
There are a few different ways to raise the Reidi fry but the only success I have had is with the greenwater method.
I add greenwater to the fry container to help with water purity, but also to feed the food I leave in 24/7. I also light it 24/7.
For the first two weeks I feed rotifers. The third week I feed rots and BBS, and the fourth week BBS only.
While I've been feeding Cyclopeeze frequently, for some reason, they go after it but won't snick it up whether it's on the bottom or in suspension. Same with the shaved mysis.

how big is the container you have fry in? how often do you change the water? thank you.

 

[rayjay]

The jars are four litres.
PICTURES HERE

I change the water in the jars every two days.

 

[kenny fluke]

how do you change the water? catch all the horses in a net and move them into a new tank or carefully suck out half the water and add new? they are just so small, i dont want to hurt them. thanks for your help.

 

[rayjay]

I have a two litre ice cream bucket with already matched water for temp and s.g. and pH. I net the fry from the jar and place in the new water. (fine mesh net like brine shrimp net for very small ones)
If there is hitching material for older fry I remove that and then clean the jar in the laundry tub, rinse in bleach solution for several minutes, and then rinse well. Clean bleach and rinse hitching material.
I fill the jar half full of new salt water and then dump the ice cream container of fry into the jar that already contains water. Top up jar with salt water to full mark.
After seeing how the newborn fry swim into the air bubbles and get thrown around the jar, I haven't worried too much about hurting them.
I DID however learn not to scoup the fry on the bottom as they sometimes get pinched between net frame and jar bottom.
For the ones on the bottom I use the net to swirl the water, drawing the fry off the bottom into the water column and then scouping them up.
I can change 11 jars in about 3/4 hour.

 

[kenny fluke]

thank you. my male has had about a dozen so far. half of them swimming some hangin on the bottom. i got the grrenwater with rotifers like you suggested. seems to be working. my male is still huge though and i can see he has more to come out. i dont know what he is waiting for. i will keep you posted and thank you very much for your help.