babies dying

[creter]

hi evryone i have baby robertsoni which are a american cichlid.were at a friends house but babies kept dying put it down to bad tank water.ive got them here now and first batch dwindling quick.been feeding them wardleys egg layer formula and frozen baby brine.they are now5 days old maybe there not getting the nourishment they require .any suggestions cheers steve :(

[unicorn57]

this will cost you, but get your hands on some brine shrimp eggs and hatch them your self.
 yes a bit of mucking around but once you have mastered it and you see the results you will be a happy man..i have feed BBS to gold sev's, oscars, jags, red devils, synspillium and all done really well.

just while i think of it , hows the temp at the moment??
their not getting cold are they??

[Benji]

go ebay for the brine shrimp eggs, they're quite cheap.

I got Saltcreek eggs for $86.95 for 454gm, I think you will find the cheapest around, if not email me and ill match em.

http://fishsupplies.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36&products_id=609

Just a word of warning if buying off ebay (not saying they are bad) but check the hatch rate (mine are 90%+) and check the expiry date on the tins or packets.

I wouldnt bother with a commercial hatcher, just use a 2L coke bottle and put the airline through the bottle cap, cut the bottom out of the bottle and hang it upside down, bubble it for 24 hours in a hummid place, then just turn off your air (have a valve in the airline) wait for a few minutes and drain them from the bottom.

HTH,

Cheers,

[efc]

buy some frozen baby brine. The sponsers should have some. I know both Ben and Brad have some in stock at times.

[here fishie fishie]

Even cheaper is micro worms, start a culture up. For a few dollars under $20, Bargain...alot cheaper in the long term too.

Fry powder too is good, Phil{Sigmaphile} was selling, or maybe still is...some lfs have them.
I think the trick with these guys is getting food to the bottom of the tank. They eat off the ground.
Water quality is an important factor for these too.

Frenchy :D

[creter]

thanks evryone things have stabilised for the moment and they have started to eat the frozen baby brine probably 50 to 100 left so i will keep my fingers crossed.if this lot dies i will definately hatch live food next time.and i will look into the micro worms.where would i get these from.


    cheers steve

[here fishie fishie]

I have tried a lfs, but the suppliers haven't had any yet. I got mine off a lovely chat here on the Gold Coast.
Best bet is to ask around, put a post up asking for some. Surely someone close to you grows them. Then they can give you tips on how to grow them with success. Just like what happened for me. Much appreciated.

Frenchy :D

[Savage_roo]

Why don't you get some good flake food crush it up and mix it with some tank water in to a past and add a small bit every 4 hours it works ok and the good stuff won't cloud the water

Never was good at english lol


Andrew

[here fishie fishie]

The problem with soaking flake foods, is all the goodies in food brake down .
eg; When feeding flake food to fish in the tank, if they don't eat the food in about 30secs the VitaminC in the flake is gooooonnnnnnnneeeeeeee.

Frenchy :D