# feeding young fry



## chefjimmy (Apr 4, 2006)

hi, i am looking for others to give tips, as far as the easiest and most practical way to feed week old fry. i have plenty of free swimming fry around the basement, and as of now. i thaw some bbs/cyclopeese/spray dried krill in a cup, and with a turkey baster go around all the tanks, and squirt some bbs around where the fry are. there has got to be a better way.

i read somewhere about a hard boiled egg yolk, not sure what to do with that. but it would be awsome if there was a way that something was put in the tank, that sank to the bottom, and fry came and nibbled on it when they want. problem is when i put the microscopic food in the tank i see it flying all over.

anybody have a better way. please let me know.

jim


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## Macattack71 (Sep 13, 2005)

What type of fry are they? This is usually how I feed my fry. After their yolk sac is used up they start eating crushed flake, first bites powder, frozen bbs, cyclops-eeze, freshly hatched bbs if I have time to make it (this is the best way).

After 7-10 days I isolate them to a 20 gallon grow out tank. Its a lot easier to feed them in a small environment. I feel your pain. My baby bifasciatum have grown really fast in the last two weeks this way.


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## chefjimmy (Apr 4, 2006)

presently i have red devil fry, gold dempsey, reg dempsey, flowerhorn, dovii, calvus, hrp, and probably some i am forgeting.

but the crushed flake is so messy, just looking for a cleaner way.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Baby Brine Shrimp, Fry Liquid food, and Fry Granule food is all that I can think of. I just crunch up flakes. I don't think its that messy.


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## Japtastic (Jan 21, 2008)

I have the some problem with fry in a 63g it's hard to know if they are actually getting the crushed flake/BBS or whatever else or if it's just floating or sitting around the tank.

I'd love something that would sink and sit next to where they are so they could just graze on when ever they wanted.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

I just put the flakes or whatever in the tank and let it go. The food will get down to the fry. Or at least through my experience it has.


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## thetim6 (Jan 24, 2003)

All you need is crushed flakes IME. I've never used bbs, baby fish food, nothing like that.

As someone already said, once the egg has been used up and the fry are ready to start hunting food, they will be large enough to readily eat crushed flake food.

Also, I was under the impression that brine shrimp in general are a poor source of nutrients unless gut loaded. Does anyone know if the freshly hatched shrimps have more nutrition or are they just high in protein? I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm just curious why they are advocated as one of the best foods for fry and then on the contrary it's a well known fact they aren't nutritious unless gut loaded with phytoplankton. This is just my understanding of brine shrimp and I am far from an expert on the subject.


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## Bettacreek (Mar 22, 2008)

BBS with the egg sac still there are excellent. They have like THE quickest growth rate with BBS. 
As far as the egg yolk is concerned, I'd think that it would be too small for cichlid fry, as it's only used for the first three days or so for betta fry. I'd go with freshly hatched BBS for awhile, then switch to processed foods if you don't want to muck with live foods. This will make them grow really fast, and get them onto pellets and such sooner, and to their new homes.


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## thetim6 (Jan 24, 2003)

Thanks for clearing that up *bettacreek*, I seriously appreciate it.

I thought of that too, but wasn't sure.


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## Bettacreek (Mar 22, 2008)

Yeah, the sooner you use them the better. The longer you wait, the more they use the egg sac, and I believe after 24 hours it's completely gone, but you can freeze any extras, and then you KNOW they still have the sac, verses store bought frozen BBS where you don't know how long they waited to harvest. Another idea is decapsulated BBS, it's not as good as freshly hatched, but it's a heck of a lot easier.


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Here's a video with some tips on feeding fry... man that host is handsome. :wink:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/videos/feeding_fry.php


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