# Setting up a grow out tank and need HELP!



## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Ok...so I have decided to put my holding yellow lab into a 10 gallon that I got for free from a friend. It came with hood, light, & filter.

I need to know the proper way to set it up as a grow out tank. I plan to take water from my 55 gallon to fill the 10 gallon. I don't know what to do about the substrate though. I have crushed shells in my 55 gallon and nothing for my 10 gallon. Is it ok to have a bare bottom in the grow out tank? I use the crushed shells to help maintain my water perimeters in my 55 gallon. Also, I have heard that some people don't use a heater on their grow out tanks, but I'm thinking I should since the mom is used to being in 80 degree water. What do you think? The filter that came with the tank is a Whisper filter but I really don't like those types of flters that use carbon cartridges, soooo I plan to buy a HOB Aquaclear filter for it, but I'm worried how using a new filter is going to effect the holding mom. I need help! I don't know the right way to do this stuff...this is my first experience with a holding cichlid! :?

Thanks,
Susan :fish:


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

What kind of filter do you have on your 55?


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Floridagirl said:


> What kind of filter do you have on your 55?


Right now all I have on my 55 gallon is a Rena XP4 canister that has 4 trays ( it has two different size coarse pads in the very bottom tray...then fiberfloss and bio stars layered in the next tray...then ceramic bioballs and bio stars layered in the next tray...and then in the very top tray I have Purigen topped with a Rena MicroFiltration pad.)...... I've been wanting to buy a Aquaclear HOB for it to get me up to the 10x gph that is recommended. So this is kinda why I was thinking about buying a Aquaclear for my 10 gallon too (so I can one day interchange the media between the two Aquaclear filters if needed).


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Thats what I was aiming at. My advice . Buy a breeder net. Place the mom in it the net in the 55. Buy the filter, put it on the 55. Strip the mom or let her spit in the breeder net. In 2-3 weeks, move the filter to the 10 gallon with the fry, add another filter to the 55, if needed. You can move a little of the substrate into the 10 gallon, if you like, or add new. IMO shell or no crushed shell doesn't make a difference. I buffer my water with baking soda.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Actually, just moving one fish to the holding tank isn't going to matter that much, as long as you monitor the water parameters and do water changes when necessary. Since most holding moms don't eat while holding, they don't put out too much waste, so it doesn't throw the cycle into a tailspin like it will in a normal set up.

While I agree on trashing the Whisper filter (they're worthless), a simple hydro-sponge filter will be just fine in a holding tank.

Heaters are good...You don't want to shock the mom too much with the temperature changes, and you want the fry to develop at a normal rate so the mom can release them and return to eating. They won't develop as quickly in cooler temps. :thumb:


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

cichlidaholic said:


> While I agree on trashing the Whisper filter (they're worthless), a simple hydro-sponge filter will be just fine in a holding tank.


Ok, good deal! Now I have another question for you.  Are the sponge filters something that can be used in my 55 gallon along with my Rena XP4, or do I need something like an Aquaclear instead?


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Here is what I do, you can take it or leave it.

I have a 10g tank setup with a DIY sponge filter, a 50w heater, and an air stone. It also has a hood and light. I keep it cycled and do a 90% water change weekly.

I tried using substrate and I found that it is more hastle than it is worth. With sand, the waste from the fry is too small to really vaccum out and it just accumulates and the water quality wasn't where I wanted it to be. With gravel, the waste is hidden which could be a plus, but I tend to avoid cleaning unless it looks like it needs it...I know shame on me. Also, when you go to vaccum it, you take the chance of sucking up fry and I always ran out of water before I could clean all the gravel. Finally I just took it all out and painted the outside bottom of the glass black. I won't go back to substrate for a growout tank.

I keep the temp @ 84 deg, to quicken their metabolism and encourage faster growth. I don't worry about having the water parameters the same as my main tank, just to that they are adequate for the species. There isn't enough difference between the growout and main tank to cause any issues. I added some fake plans for fry to escape to because I had to put 2 week old fry in with 1.5 month old fry. No issues yet, but I wanted some shelter for the younger ones just in case. Since there is no substrate, I weighted the plants down with some broken pieces of slate tile. I just drilled a hole in the slate slightly smaller than the plant stem and put the stem in the hole. Woks great. Java moss would be better though.

I would advise against putting the fry in a breeder basket in the main tank. Some people claim that cichlids have torn through the net and gotten the fry. That has never happened to me, but having the basket in there is a PITA. I had nothing but problems when I tried it, but maybe it's just me. Anyway, another problem is that the basket is too small to keep the fry in for more than the first month. after that they are still too small to go in the main tank or sell, but they are too big for the basket. I do have a basket in my growout tank that I keep new fry in, but once they get big enough they go in the growout tank.

I made my basket rather than buying it. I used plastic camvas with the smallest holes in it I could find. I cut it to size and sewed it together with fishing line. Then cut 1/2" wide strips out of 1/2" styro(leftovers from a fish shippment I recieved) cut to the length of each side and tied it onto the side of the top of the basket with fishing line. It floats perfectly, new fry can't get through the holes, and it cost me much less than $1 to make. Can't beat that. You have to go to a craft store to find plastic canvas with small enough holes though, walmart only has the big holed stuff.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Oh, I forgot about your filter question. It depends on what you want the additional filter to do. If you are looking for more bio filtration and some mechanical filtration the yes an appropriately sized sponge filter will work in your 55. If you want chemical filtration or a "polishing" filter, then there are better options. IMO your xp4 is more than adequate for a 55.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Stickzula said:


> Finally I just took it all out and painted the outside bottom of the glass black. I won't go back to substrate for a growout tank.
> 
> Since there is no substrate, I weighted the plants down with some broken pieces of slate tile.
> 
> I would advise against putting the fry in a breeder basket in the main tank.


Hello.. thanks for the reply. I think I am going to go bare bottom in my grow out tank as well. Painting the bottom sounds like a good idea. I already planned to paint the back just like I did on my 55 gallon tank. Weight plants down with rock sounds like a great idea to me, I am going to do that as well. I have heard too many negative things about a breeder basket, so I wasn't really ever considering using one. The way the mom likes to stay hidden in the darkest corner of my tank, I know she would freak out if I put her in plain view in the front of my tank in a tiny basket! I wouldn't do that to her. Thanks again for your help.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Stickzula said:


> Oh, I forgot about your filter question. It depends on what you want the additional filter to do. If you are looking for more bio filtration and some mechanical filtration the yes an appropriately sized sponge filter will work in your 55. If you want chemical filtration or a "polishing" filter, then there are better options. IMO your xp4 is more than adequate for a 55.


I have been told over and over and over that I need to be cycling 10 times the size of my tank. So for my 55 gallon, I should be cycling 550 gallons per hour. Is this not true? That is why I was asking about the HOB Aquaclear v/s a sponge filter in addition to my XP4 canister. The XP4 has a flow rate of 450 gph.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

cichlidaholic said:


> Actually, just moving one fish to the holding tank isn't going to matter that much, as long as you monitor the water parameters and do water changes when necessary. Since most holding moms don't eat while holding, they don't put out too much waste, so it doesn't throw the cycle into a tailspin like it will in a normal set up.
> 
> While I agree on trashing the Whisper filter (they're worthless), a simple hydro-sponge filter will be just fine in a holding tank.
> 
> Heaters are good...You don't want to shock the mom too much with the temperature changes, and you want the fry to develop at a normal rate so the mom can release them and return to eating. They won't develop as quickly in cooler temps. :thumb:


The 10 gallon that was given to me came with a heater, so that's good! Also, I just wanted to let you know that I bought me a hydro-sponge filter today. Thanks for the advice.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I will keep hydro spong filters IN my larger tanks, just to keep them seeded. But I don't use them for actual filtration in larger tanks. You need the good HOB or canister filters for that.

With fry tanks, most of the time you're going to be doing more frequent water changes just to help their growth. The hydro sponge filters are also great for the little ones to graze on for food - it's like a smorgasbord once they are well set up - and they're great if you have to be away for a couple of days while the fry are young to feed off of.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Soooo, I finished setting up the 10 gallon today. I painted the outside bottom and back with black paint. I filled it with 10 gallons of water from my 55 gallon, and I set up the new hydro sponge filter in it including the heater as well.

What else do I need in it? I added a few Mexican Beach Stones from my 55 gallon but I'm not sure how much rock to put in the tank. I need advice on what else I should add to the tank. Fake plants? More rock? Something special that the fry will need?

Also, since she's not eating like at all, should I still offer her food anyway just in case? And what about the lights? Should I keep them off or can I turn them on a few hours a day for her?

Susan


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

And now I have another question too.....

Every since I put my holding yellew lab into the 10 gallon she hasn't "sit" still. When she was in my 55 gallon she stay hid the whole time in the darkest corner of my tank under a rock. Now that I got her alone in the 10 gallon, she is swimming up and down and back and forth and all over the dang place. Is this normal? I figured she would be just as still in the 10 gallon as she was in the 55 gallon.

When she comes up to the glass I try sooooo hard to see inside her mouth, but I can't! Grrrrr! I can tell something is in there though.

BTW.... today is Day 7 that she was been holding since I first noticed her throat was fat.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I can't think of anything else to add to the tank, as long as the stones make a hiding place for her. I usually feed like one grain of NLS daily just in case she wants to change her mind when she sees it, LOL. I'd leave the lights on the timer like normal.

Pacing is normal when a fish is in a new tank, my labs do this especially for days and days.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> I can't think of anything else to add to the tank, as long as the stones make a hiding place for her. I usually feed like one grain of NLS daily just in case she wants to change her mind when she sees it, LOL. I'd leave the lights on the timer like normal.
> 
> Pacing is normal when a fish is in a new tank, my labs do this especially for days and days.


Ok thanks..... I saw little black eyeballs in her mouth this morning!!! I don't know why this is so exciting to me! I guess b/c this is my first experience with a holding cichlid. Years ago I had an angel fish that laid eggs on the heater in my tank all the time, but the eggs were always eaten. So this is very new to me.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Just a FYI thing...

First clutches will be smaller than subsequent clutches, normally. The spawns will also be not quite as frequent.

So, prepare yourself for more fry with each spawn, and eventually spawning about every 6 weeks. (In other words, depending on how far you want to go with this, you might not want to try to salvage and raise EVERY single spawn!)

And don't be surprised when a fully mature adult female Cobalt releases 60 fry! :wink:

If you've got some really good quality yellow labs and Cobalts, then you've got two very marketable species there. It's something to think about, but it requires multiple tanks and extra work on your part.

When I was breeding for sale, I kept a 5G tank set up for newly released fry for the first week. Then I had multiple 10G tanks and 25G long tanks to move them into for grow out. Most LFS won't take them until they are 1.5 inches, but you can usually sell / give away to individuals sooner than that - especially with those two species, since they look nice early on. :thumb:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

New fry are always exciting, especially your first time.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

cichlidaholic said:


> If you've got some really good quality yellow labs and Cobalts, then you've got two very marketable species there. It's something to think about, but it requires multiple tanks and extra work on your part.


I ordered my fish online at a place that was recommended to me from this forum. I have a question/comment about barring on yellow labs. I will post it under a new thread to not get too far off topic in this particular thread.

Btw...here's 2 pics of my holding female. I'm hoping to get better pics showing the babies in her mouth, if I do I will post it.


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## azhoracer (Jul 22, 2009)

Susan, nice pics of your momma fish! When I set up my fry tank I kind of just did it without any help since I was new to the hobby. I started with a 20G long tank, Home Depot medium coarse sand well rinsed about 1" deep in the bottom, a new sponge filter some rocks, plastic plants and a terracota 4" pot with a notch cut out of it so the momma fish could hide comfortably in the tank. I didn't put in a heater and still don't have one on the tank. The water temp stays at 78 degrees even under a A/C vent here in AZ. I siphoned water from my 125G tank to put in the 20G. I have had very good luck with this setup so far with my 3rd batch of fry from 2 different Yellow lab females, the spawns were 22, 30 and 16. My female firefish is now holding on day 5 and I hope to see some very colorful fish, she bred with my DragonBlood or some other variation of that type of Peacock, I guess there there are many types it could be. My 125 has 3 Rena XP4's on it and I don't ever have water quality issues with it. I do a 75% water change every 2 weeks and have had pretty good luck with the tank so far. I have so many tanks right now that I do water changes every weekend alternating between the 2 groups of tanks I have setup. I hope some of this info helps. Glenn


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

azhoracer said:


> Susan, nice pics of your momma fish! When I set up my fry tank I kind of just did it without any help since I was new to the hobby. I started with a 20G long tank, Home Depot medium coarse sand well rinsed about 1" deep in the bottom, a new sponge filter some rocks, plastic plants and a terracota 4" pot with a notch cut out of it so the momma fish could hide comfortably in the tank.


Hey,

Thanks for the info. This is what I did to my 10 gallon fry tank. Other than painting the back and bottom and setting up a sponge filter and heater (without a heater the water stays at 76 but I like my water in african cichlid tanks to be no lower than 82), I also bought some fake plants. I took the clear plastic thing off the bottom of the plants and I siliconed the plants onto a small flat rock. It looks pretty good. I also took 4 mexican beach stones from my 55 gallon and siliconed them together to make a cave for the mom, and then I put in two pieces of coral. I thought the plants on the rock and the coral pieces will give the babies cool places to hide. Since it's a simple bare bottom 10 gallon fry tank, there isn't much aquascaping to look at. It's very different than my 55 gallon, but I think it will serve it's purpose well. I will post a pic of it soon.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Sounds like you got it :thumb: I usually try to keep the aquascaping to a min, because waste accumulates under everything and fry grow faster in clean water. It is much easier to vaccum the waste out if there isn't anything in the way. Once they reach about 1", I would move them to a larger tank to stimulate growth. They will grow larger in a 10g, but they seem to grow faster when they have more room.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

What size do they need to be at before I try to sell them or give them away?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Usually 1.5 inches for a LFS to take them, but it fluctuates a bit for individual hobbyist to buy them...

It can take months to grow them out to the proper size for sale. Lots of water changes (every other day is good) and frequent small feedings will aid their growth more than anything.

You might get away with just the 10G grow out for yellow labs, but when those Cobalts start spawning, you'll need a bit larger tank (I liked 25G long tanks for this) to complete the grow out. :thumb:


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## mikesl (Nov 12, 2003)

Sorry if this comes in after the fact, but I wanted to add one idea

BTW, all of the advice I see here is very sound, and similar to waht I used to do as well.

Whenever setting up a hostipal or fry tank quickly, I make sure to transfer some filter media to the new tank - even if it is just putting a pile of ceramic biomedia or plastic bioballs near the new tank's filter.

I especially like to use either simple box filters (jamo some grungy biomedia from main tnak in there and you are instantly cycled) or a sponge like you seem to be using.

When I am expecting to have a fry tank soon, I try to get the sponge "cycled and cultured" in a main tank for a week or so.

also, just to continue the ramble... for mbuna fry, you don't NEED this, but for small egglayer fry (even down to things like rasboras, whose fry are TINY) you can get some really good fry food by squeezing out a grungy gunky sponge filter (thing protozoa and little tiny wormy things)

funnily enough, fry are territorial, to a point, so some kind of structure and hiding spots are a good idea.

Also, if you have algae-crusted rocks or java moss, they would love to graze on that.

enjoy


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Thanks everyone...

Well, here's the pic of my 10 gallon fry tank I told everyone I'd take. Since I was kinda in a hurry and wanted to get this tank going, I just siliconed the stones together and didn't worry about how the silicone would look on them. I also siliconed the fake plants onto the rocks too and I added two pieces of coral as you can see.

Her favorite hang out is in the middle of the plants.










Susan


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

They (holding females) tend to like something to hide in. That's probably why she's hanging out in the center of the plant. :thumb:

I used to have these resin 'hollow logs' that I kept in all my hospital tanks, and they loved them.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

I have used a 4"-6" long piece of 1.5"-2" pvc as a "cave" for holding moms. It is ugly, but works really well. The plus side of using them is that after the fry are released, the mom will retreat to the cave(especially if provoked). You can then net the mom, whole cave and all, out of the fry tank.

Some people have suggested that the mom should be isolated for a few days to build her strength prior to being released in the main tank. The theory is that by isolating her, she will eat and get nursed back to health so that once she goes back into the main tank she will be healthy enough to stave off the advances of the male(who wants to spawn again imediately) and have enough energy to push her way in and get food. I have found that if you have a healthy ratio and places for her to hide, no isolation is necessary. I release my females in the main tank just minutes after I strip them or they release the fry. No casulties yet. :thumb:


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

I wanted to share a couple of pics I got today of her. It's really hard trying to get pictures of her and her mouth full of babies, lol.

Also, I saw a baby fish swimming behind a piece of my coral today. I have no clue if that's the only one to be "free" but it's the only one I have saw. I can tell her mouth is still very full.


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## azhoracer (Jul 22, 2009)

It looks like its time to strip her. Good luck. Glenn


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

azhoracer said:


> It looks like its time to strip her. Good luck. Glenn


I have never done that before. I have read numerous articles on how to do it. But I'm not comfortable with doing it. Will she not release them on her own when she's ready?


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## azhoracer (Jul 22, 2009)

CutieSusieQ, she will of course release them when she is ready. If you have seen one swimming in the tank already they are ready. When I strip my females I use a piece of soft airline tubing about 3 inches long with the tip cut to a rounded point (just so my big hands can hold it better) and you gently hold the momma in your hand over a bucket of water for the fry to be spit into. I next take the rounded point of the tubing and gently insert it into her mouth slowly prying her mouth open and she will start spitting the fry out. I put her back in the bucket so she doesn't get so stressed out and net the fry out of the bucket or they will go back in her mouth. It will take many times doing this to get all of the fry out but she will be more comfortable without all of the fry in her mouth. I usually leave the female in the main tank until I strip her and then I can put her right back in the tank and she can start eating and mingling with the other fish right away. Hope this helps some. Glenn


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

azhoracer said:


> CutieSusieQ, she will of course release them when she is ready. If you have seen one swimming in the tank already they are ready. When I strip my females I use a piece of soft airline tubing about 3 inches long with the tip cut to a rounded point (just so my big hands can hold it better) and you gently hold the momma in your hand over a bucket of water for the fry to be spit into. I next take the rounded point of the tubing and gently insert it into her mouth slowly prying her mouth open and she will start spitting the fry out. I put her back in the bucket so she doesn't get so stressed out and net the fry out of the bucket or they will go back in her mouth. It will take many times doing this to get all of the fry out but she will be more comfortable without all of the fry in her mouth. I usually leave the female in the main tank until I strip her and then I can put her right back in the tank and she can start eating and mingling with the other fish right away. Hope this helps some. Glenn


I wish I could just have someone come here and do it for me, lol. I'm really not comfy with holding her. She's little. She's not full grown. She's probably like 2 inches long.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Great pics! I think you'll be glad you kept the bottom of the tank bare. I use a turkey baster to suck the poo off the tank floor & squirt it into a small bucket repeating until it's clean (works great). 
I really don't understand using tankwater to fill the fry tank. I always use fresh dechlorinated water. 
A little of the bio media from the Rena filter would jump start a cycle on a new HOB filter for the fry tank. 
I think a heater is a good idea. Fry grow better if kept warm and the water kept clean (I do around 50% water changes every other day). 
It's ok that you're not stripping the mother. For the first batch of fry I think it's cool to watch the natural process. If you put a little pile of dark gravel in the tank, she will likely spit into it & hopefully you'll get to see her do it. It's really neat to watch, some of the fry may try to get back in her mouth and she may take them back in or she might back away from them.
Good luck & happy fry keeping.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

You'll likely be scooping fish in and out of your fry tank a lot, as well as doing frequent water changes - so I'd recommend not spending too much effort on decorations. Two or three medium sized rocks to form a shelter is all I'd put in it besides the heater and filter. And once the mom is out, you can even remove the rocks.

Edit: Didn't see the last two pages of the thread. Looks like a fine setup.

There is sometimes a period of a day or two where she will release the fry out and then scoop them back up at the first sign of danger. Maybe that one adventurous fry swam too far from momma. Good thing there's no predators in your fry tank.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

The little fry is still hiding under my coral. The mom will swim over to it like she wants it back in her mouth and he runs away from her, lol. He's not going back in there! :fish:


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Dewdrop said:


> Great pics! I think you'll be glad you kept the bottom of the tank bare. I use a turkey baster to suck the poo off the tank floor & squirt it into a small bucket repeating until it's clean (works great).
> I really don't understand using tankwater to fill the fry tank. I always use fresh dechlorinated water.
> A little of the bio media from the Rena filter would jump start a cycle on a new HOB filter for the fry tank.
> I think a heater is a good idea. Fry grow better if kept warm and the water kept clean (I do around 50% water changes every other day).
> ...


Well, the reason I used the tank water from my 55 gallon to fill the 10 gallon up is b/c I was moving the female straight from the main tank to the "fry" tank. I didn't want to have to wait for the heater to get the water up to safe temp and I also didn't want to shock the mom by taking her from one ph to a totally different ph. I just figured it was best to use the water she was already used to...so I did.

I clean my tanks today. For the fry tank, I just used a small hose that was left over from on old filter I used to have. It worked great sucking up the debri on the bottom. I was really careful not to suck up the one little baby that is swimming free.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I always used established tank water to fill my smaller hospital/nursery tanks for the very same reason. :thumb:


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

I noticed today that there are now 7 to 8 little babies swimmin free in my fry tank. But I also noticed the mom chasing them. This being my first experience, I don't know if that is normal behavior. The babies run from her and get under/inside the coral to where she can't get to them. Is she trying to hurt them? I've read that sometimes the mom's will try to get the babies back in her mouth, but she looks like she's trying to kill them. She's seriously chasing them with a quickness! I also noticed that there are still more babies inside her mouth, I can see them...and I noticed that she seems to be trying to eat small particles from the bottom of the tank. Any comments?

Susan


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

She may just be trying to get them back in her mouth at this point, but it's impossible to say for sure. That's probably what she's doing since she's still holding some, but at any point now, she could eat them all. :roll:

It's always easiest just to strip and get her out of there...Cuts down on the worrying!


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

cichlidaholic said:


> She may just be trying to get them back in her mouth at this point, but it's impossible to say for sure. That's probably what she's doing since she's still holding some, but at any point now, she could eat them all. :roll:
> 
> It's always easiest just to strip and get her out of there...Cuts down on the worrying!


Well, last time I looked in the tank it seems that all the babies are out of her mouth now. I put some NLS pellets in there for her and she started eating them immediately. So, I guess I will move her back to the main tank tonight. I don't want to chance her trying to kill the babies. All of them are staying hidden from her right now so she can't get to them. I will let you know how many she released as soon as I can get them counted, lol.

Susan


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Ok, it's final...

She had 13 babies (14 maybe) but I counted 13 more than I counted 14, lol.

Susan


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Congrats! Aren't they cute?


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Here's some pics.....they are kinda blurry but I was in a hurry to get some pics posted, lol.


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## alawler (Aug 9, 2009)

What did you use to paint the your tanks? Did you take any special precautions?


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I don't think it matters what kind of paint you use when you paint the outside of the tank.

The fry pics are awesome!


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

That's a pretty normal size for a first clutch!

Next one will be bigger!

Great pics...


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

alawler said:


> What did you use to paint the your tanks? Did you take any special precautions?


I used Krylon Acrylic Latex Enamel Indoor/Outdoor Paint (Gloss Black). I painted the outside (back and bottom) of the 10 gallon fry tank when it was empty so the only special precaution I used was to NOT spill it all over my floor, lol. I have used the same paint to paint the back of another tank that was already set up though, and of course then I was very very careful about not getting any paint in the water. I had to put on several coats of paint before it was complete and to my liking. The cool thing about using this paint on glass is once it dries and if you do not like it, you can peel it off easily. I painted the sides of my other tank too but after it was set up and compelte I decided I did not like the sides painted, so I peeled it off.

Susan


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

cichlidaholic said:


> I will keep hydro spong filters IN my larger tanks, just to keep them seeded. But I don't use them for actual filtration in larger tanks. You need the good HOB or canister filters for that.
> 
> With fry tanks, most of the time you're going to be doing more frequent water changes just to help their growth. The hydro sponge filters are also great for the little ones to graze on for food - it's like a smorgasbord once they are well set up - and they're great if you have to be away for a couple of days while the fry are young to feed off of.


I have ANOTHER question for you..... how often am I supposed to squeeze/clean the sponge filter out that's in my fry tank? Every time I do a water change or every other time or what?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I usually took mine out and sloshed it around in some tank water once a month. I never really 'cleaned' it. The fry love to graze on it.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Well it looks like i'm going to be joining the fry crew if all goes well. It's only day 1 in my holding female and her throat is really fat and I'm not to sure if the eggs are fertilized yet or not but I"m going to keep a close eye on her. I posted a post with a picture in the lake malawi section labeled Yellow lab question so if you have a chance please check it out. This was a very informational thread and gave me just what I'm looking for. Congrats on being a fish mommy CutiesusieQ lol.


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

the sponge that I have on my DIY filter is really coarse. Probably 20-30 PPI. It is like the http://www.swisstropicals.com Poret filter foam, but I got mine from http://www.Bigalsonline.com It is a big block for a 10g tank(4"x4"x6"). I let mine go for about 6 months between "cleanings" which entails squeezing it a few times submerged in tank water. If yours is the fine celled foam, I'd probably shoot for once every couple months or whenever you notice that its clogged.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

Dj823cichild said:


> Well it looks like i'm going to be joining the fry crew if all goes well. It's only day 1 in my holding female and her throat is really fat and I'm not to sure if the eggs are fertilized yet or not but I"m going to keep a close eye on her. I posted a post with a picture in the lake malawi section labeled Yellow lab question so if you have a chance please check it out. This was a very informational thread and gave me just what I'm looking for. Congrats on being a fish mommy CutiesusieQ lol.


Well thank you, lol.... I think now my count is at 14, lol.... the dang things won't hold still long enough for me to get a good count, lol.


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