# What will make my fry/juvies grow faster?



## coonie (May 23, 2011)

What will make my fry/juvies grow faster? i already do regular water changes...feed twice a day and keep the water around 78......i feed them crushed flake and sprulina....is there anything else that will make them grow faster? trying to grow out 4 peacock speacies to get breeding groups.


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

Warm up the water to 82, keep changing it, and feed them 3-4X per day if you can. 
I tried hatching brine shrimp, but found that hikari "first bites" and then NLS "grow" works just as well. Fry and juvies can supposedly have more protein than adults, and I've never had them get bloat like adult fish. 
I've gotten lazy about feeding them lately, and at 1-2X per day they're not growing as fast.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

coonie said:


> i already do regular water changes.


How often? Some fishkeepers wanting to speed fry growth do partial water changes daily and claim this is the biggest factor in growth.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

In my experience, oxygen levels are one of the most frequently overlooked items on grow out systems and increasing O2 levels on those systems provides the biggest boost to growth. Frequent water changes keep the tank clean and usually boost O2, so those target two areas for improvement.


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## mcnerd (Dec 8, 2011)

If you ramp up water changes curious how much you change out and if you treat each time.

My current routine on a a 60gal tank is this and is based on more judgement than science.

1) I remove no more than 20% of the water (keep the bacteria balance in my favor?)
2) Turn off Filter to protect bacteria in filter
3) Add cool water (have heard cold water contains more Oxygen than warm/hot, could be completely bogus)
4) About half way through filling start treating with Tetra Aquacare based on entire tank size
5) After filled for a few minutes turn back on filter system

Done.

My only concern with this process is if I did do water changes daily to increase growth I would use a ton of the water treatment and seems like that could have unintended consequences. Not to mention that stuff is not cheap.

Thoughts?


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

The bacteria aren't in the water, so no worries there. You don't want to shock them with temp, so try to match it. Treat with Prime, dosed for the whole tank, when you start filling. It only takes 2 drops prime/gallon, so it goes a long way. I change about 100 gallons a week, and a big bottle lasts months.

I change 70% of the water in my fry tank weekly. They grew faster when I changed it more often and fed them more.


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## mcnerd (Dec 8, 2011)

what do you mean by bacteria is not in the water?


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## Ben-Jammin (Aug 11, 2010)

I think what was meant is that the helpful bacteria that you would be worried about harming, for the most part, do not reside in the water itself. The bacteria that promote your healthy nitrogen cycle reside in your filter, subtrate, and even on surfaces within your tank. As long as you aren't adding water that is drastically different than your current tank water, you shouldn't have much to worry about in terms of "keeping the bacteria balance in your favor" as you put it.

I personally do 50% water changes in all of my tanks weekly, except for the fry tank, which I try to do every day or 2 depending on my schedule.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

In my 30g grow out tank I do 70% water changes every couple days and feed three times a day. Mine aren't/weren't technically considered fry but less than 1" when I got them. They have more than doubled in a month.

I think the water changes is a huge factor in growth especially when small.


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## DIAMOND_CICHLIDS (Sep 22, 2011)

Number6 said:


> In my experience, oxygen levels are one of the most frequently overlooked items on grow out systems and increasing O2 levels on those systems provides the biggest boost to growth. Frequent water changes keep the tank clean and usually boost O2, so those target two areas for improvement.


The o2 gives a good explanation to keep doing frequent water change. I always wondered :thumb:


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