# Daffodil Pulcher fry



## Goosta3 (Feb 1, 2016)

Recently my Daffodil Pulcher pair bred in my 75 community tank. This is the second time I noticed fry in the shell. The first time the fry disappeared after a few weeks which led me to believe that some of the tank inhabitants got to them. I thought the Pulchers were excellent parents and I have seen them defending off any fish that came within a few inches of the shell.

So this time around should I remove just the shell to a 5g grow out tank, or include the mother as well?


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Move the pair of daffodils to their own tank and let them raise the fry there. In an aquarium free of other fish the parents will take care of the fry. Other than stragglers, I've never mixed any of the pulcher types with other cichlid species, especially closely related ones they might cross with. One of the local fish shops had brichardi X leleupi hybrids for sale. They lacked the graceful fins of the brichardi and lacked the yellow color of the leleupi. Really ugly compared to either parent species.


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## Goosta3 (Feb 1, 2016)

Thank you Mcdaphnia. Is there a critical period in which I need to remove them from the community tank? This is the third spawn now and I hope to get it right. I read that these guys breed like rabbits every 21 days or so. Is that right?


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Goosta3 said:


> Thank you Mcdaphnia. Is there a critical period in which I need to remove them from the community tank? This is the third spawn now and I hope to get it right. I read that these guys breed like rabbits every 21 days or so. Is that right?


There is not exactly critical period. When you want them to raise their offspring instead of them becoming food for your other fish, is when it becomes necessary to set up a single species tank for the pair of daffodil breeders.

Breeding like rabbits is an apt description. The bigger the tank, the more successive spawns of fry will be tolerated. I once saw a 120 gallon tank, 24" x 24" by 48" wide, that was filled up by a single brichardi pair. The biggest fry stay farthest from the parents and seem to help protect their younger siblings. However in a smaller tank or if they get close to adult size, the largest fry will no longer be welcome. It's best to scoop them out and find homes for them before there is aggression.


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## Goosta3 (Feb 1, 2016)

This is an update to my breeding pair of Daffodils. About a week ago *** noticed fry swimming in and around a shell they were guarding. I removed the shell and successfully transported the fry (about15) to a 2 and a half gal grow out tank by themselves with a mature sponge filter and mini heater with a fixed thermostat. Days later I noticed a few of the fry are dying off. I checked the water temp and saw that its 82 degrees. Nitrates are between 60 to 80 with no traceable nitrites, ph is 7.5
Im feeding them New Life Spectrum powdered food between 1-2 a day. Im wondering whats killing them off. any suggestions


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Why are the nitrates so high? I have only raised calvus fry, but low nitrates is key for them. When filling the fry tank did you use water from the adult tank?


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## Goosta3 (Feb 1, 2016)

I did. I also performed a 20% water change a couple days later. Im wondering if Im using too much food.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I have bred several varieties of brichardi types. I would never myself remove any small fry from the parents' care. They are much better at it than I would be. They will care for several successive spawns of fry with the older fry seeming to help care for or at least tolerate their smaller siblings.

I'm pretty sure a fry that is accustomed to great parenting would be greatly stressed by suddenly being placed in an "orphanage" operated by a mostly absent caretaker.

Only when the tank gets crowded and there are too many inch long or bigger fry in the tank will I remove the larger ones. Any smaller than a inch get to stay with mama and papa.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

When I have small tanks with fry, particularly when they are cichlids, I use a piece of airline tubing to siphon the bottom of the tank any time I see dirt or anything on it. That is more than once a day, maybe three or four times a day. I also add some live plants like Najas to absorb ammonia and nitrate. A friend used to artificially raise discus fry away from the parents, and he, his wife, and two adult children, did this on schedule every four hours around the clock, followed by an addition of aged water, until the fry were able to eat newly hatched baby brine shrimp. and for years they always had new fry to care for around the clock.

If it's important for you to be able to raise the daffodil fry away from their parents I suggest you use a hang on device that circulates water from the large stable tank it hangs on keeping the water in with the fry constantly being replaced. I am particular to one called the Marina Hang On Holding and Breeding Box. I get the largest size, but it's still less than a gallon in volume. The small volume insures that the water quality and even the water temperature stays close to that of the main tank it's hanging on.


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