# Feeding yellow lab fry



## lamster (Mar 21, 2008)

First off, This my first time trying to raise cichlid fry. Two days a ago, I stripped a yellow lab after 4 weeks of holding. I was able to save 11 of the 13 fry. I put them in a floating breeder for now, and plan to transfer them to a separate 10-20 gal tank once they get bigger.

I've read that I should feed the fry crushed cichlid flakes 2-3 times a day. That's what I've been trying to do, but they don't seem to want to eat. The flakes just float on top or sink to the bottom. It's been like this for almost 3 days now. They no longer have their egg sacks, so I figure they will need some nourishment soon.

Am I doing something wrong? Any tips from you experienced breeders?

Thanks.

Here's a pic of the fry:


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

you could try some daphnia? i had mine on hikari first bites for about a week or two, and then switched them over to the really small nls pellets. they really go for the 'first bites' stuff.


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## PaulaM (Mar 3, 2009)

I use crushed cichlid flakes for all of my fry and do not seem to have a problem with then. I put the flakes in a food processor to make sure they are small enough for any size fry, then put the "powder" in a salt shaker (the top is adjustable so I can open it or close it depending on how much I want to feed) This makes for easier feeding. I have also mixed fry bites in with the crushed flakes.


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## natalie559 (Dec 6, 2007)

Sometimes it takes a few days for them to get what eating is. For those first few days I find mixing the flakes with some water and drawing this mixture up into a syringe which I aim right towards them in the water column helps is it is right in their face so to speak.


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## SoDakJeep (Mar 21, 2009)

I have an old thing of flakes that is just crushed up so I use that. I feed them a pinch in the morning a pinch when i get home from work and a pinch before I go to bed. Some of the food sits on the bottom for a bit but by the time I come back to refeed all the food is gone. There is currently 20 YellowLabs in a 10 gal about .5-.75 inches long.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I keep fry in a bare bottom 10g.tank. I crush NLS pellets to a powder, grab a pinch, add a drop of water to make like a paste, hold a pinch of the paste between my thumb and forfinger, and lower it to the bottom of the tank where I release it into a little pile on the tank floor. They are very curious about something new on the bottom of the tank and soon learn it's food.


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## lamster (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks for all the replies. I'm happy to report that the fry are starting to eat! They are nibbling on the floating food on the top. I guess it just takes some time before they realize that it's food.


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## YelowLab8706 (Jan 30, 2008)

Try First Bites from Hikaria, my fry love it and picked up on it very fast. My concern was just them looking at it and not eating but they got the idea right away. Mine too were holding for a little more than 4 weeks.

here's a link 
http://www.hikariusa.com/products/tropi ... _bites.php


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## Addesyn (Jul 1, 2009)

Glad to hear they are eating! My Maingano fry are in a bare 10g. I tried one of those net breeders that hook onto the side of the tank but they are ****. The net sags and the fry get stuck between that and the frame. Also the circulation inside it isn't very good and the mesh collects a bunch of nasty stuff. I feed my fry frozen Emerald Entree. It is a mixture including shrimp, algae (spirulina) and plankton. I de-thaw one cube at a time and put a little in the tank. It is a bit wasteful because it all swirls around the tank but the fry get lots of exercise chasing it down! I tried using a syringe to put it in front of them but my circulation is too high.


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## medinabob (Nov 12, 2006)

I use a hard plastic floating livebearer trap. no place to get stuck and can turn it sideways and place in front of HOB filter return flow. I hold it in place with clear packaging tape (under lid and stuck to frame). Hikari first bites for a week then move to a 10 gallon and feed deencapsulated baby brine (no hatching involved). Good Luck  Bob PS I also use a 2 1/2 gallon with small sponge filter and float in main tank.


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## azhoracer (Jul 22, 2009)

I am new here and to cichlids getting my first tank 3 months ago (125G). I now have 8 tanks up and running. My Yellow labs have spawned 3 times and each time I removed the mother and put her into a 20G long tank for about a week, until she held her eggs about 17-20 days. My wife then stripped the the first 2 mothers and we got 22 from the first and they are about .75-1.0" long now 2 months removed. This past weekend on Saturday we stripped the 2nd mother who was smaller than the first and we got 30 fry from her and I stripped the first mom again yesterday and got 16 from her this time. This is just how I did it after talking to several club members and doing some experimenting we have only lost 1 fry so far. I use a piece of airline tubing cut an angle with a little point to slide into the moms mouth and gently pry her mouth open. I have many club members who were too rough with their mother fish and have killed them that's why I go slow with the process. It is so cool to see the mother spit the fry out and then count them. she spit 7 out Saturday at one time and we netted a couple to put in the 20g and looked back in the bucket and they had all gone back into the moms mouth. Freaky! I tried feeding some of the hikari first bites but didn't have much success with them. I now wait a couple of days to begin feeding as they really don't have much interest in eating right away. I just take some spiriluna flake and rub it between my fingers until its fine and put it in the tank and they start eating. I hope this helps some. Glenn 
Here are the fry from May 11th, there 22 of them along with some small Ngara Flametail Peacocks in my 30 gallon tank.


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## IntoTheLens (Jun 21, 2009)

I have Saulosi Fry that were spit by there mom 3 days ago. They are eating crushed flake food and really go for it. Venturing half way up there 10g tank to snag bits. But, they do have to be crushed very fine like powder almost. They will try and get a bigger "chunk" of food. But, they spit it right away. Good luck, I'm sure having your fry not eating must cause you concern. Hopefully, some of the pros here can help you.

Lens


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## YelowLab8706 (Jan 30, 2008)

Hikari First bites did good for me


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

I crush spirulina flakes for the first week so they can get the idea and all of them can get their fair share but after that i just toss some medium to full sized flake in there. It is fun watching them all go and attack a big flake and rip little pieces off of it.

If you have a flake that crumbles real easy you should try it. Very entertaining and the fish really seem to like attacking it. Can't beat a dozen fish taken turns ripping little bites off of a flake.

*@ intothelens* They might not be spitting out the bigger pieces they are probably just taking really small bites.


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## ryan t (Mar 13, 2010)

My fry that i stripped a couple days ago weren't eating at first. I had them in a 5 gallon tank to start with. The issue was they were pretty timid and only would hang out by the sponge filter. I decided to get them in a small breeder box instead. With the much smaller space they started finding and eating some powdered spirulina flakes! I've been taking a flake and crushing it then submerging the powder into one spot in the breeder box. It's usually gone in an hour or two. Been doing that twice a day so far! We'll see how they grow being the first batch of fry I've tried to raise.


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## HDrydr (Mar 22, 2010)

All of my fry tend not to eat for a day or so but I also use the first bites and they love it...when they get a bit bigger I crush up my flakes and use that especially when they really start swimming around and coming up to the top... I feed them 2-3 times a day at first then just 2 times... 
I've got some eggs that one of my gals spit out and seeing it all from the beginning is really interesting...they are currently in a tumbler since mom wasn't interested this time....


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