Is My Hongi Holding?

[moses]

Hi everyone. First post from me on this forum.

I picked up 4 Hongi the other day and 1 of them seems to be holding. I don't even know if she's a she so this may seem like a stupid question  :D
Here's some pics to help.



[img:afd2e1bcb1]http://img151.imagevenue.com/loc568/th_09442_DSCF1219_122_568lo.jpg[/img:afd2e1bcb1][img:afd2e1bcb1]http://img156.imagevenue.com/loc353/th_09447_DSCF1236_122_353lo.jpg[/img:afd2e1bcb1][img:afd2e1bcb1]http://img127.imagevenue.com/loc590/th_09452_DSCF1241_122_590lo.jpg[/img:afd2e1bcb1]


The tank has 4 Elec Yellow Labs, 4 Blue Dolphins and 4 Hongi. I'm going to have to let nature take its course as I don't have a spare cycled tank atm. What are the chances of any fry surviving?
Thanks in advance for any replies :)

Chris

[Muttley]

Congrats!  That is definitely holding.  :D

[wantsfish]

cant argue on that one, congrats.
 :lol:  :lol:

[Tabbycat]

Congrats on the mouthful  :D . I have got 3 diferent size fry living in my tank with all my other fish from 3mm to about 6mm. I don't have the room for a fry tank or the time to chase holding fish so I just let them go. Anyway I keep this plastic weed all through my tank for the fry to hide in. The big fish cant get into them and I have about 15 fry living in mine. I picked mine up at Smiths Aquarium at Deagon. Hope this helps

[img:01070149d5]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n231/Tabetha_Anne/LowWeed.jpg[/img:01070149d5]

[moses]

Thanks for the heads up guys. Tabbycat that sounds like a great idea. I really would like to see some of the fry survive :)

[bmxbandit]

nice work mate!
the best way i find is to just let them hold for about 12 days, then catch the girl out and put her in a fry saver in your main tank. keep a close eye on her til she spits them then put her back into the tank (make sure theres no sneaky babies still hiding in her mouth before you let her go, you can use a matchstick to open her mouth and check). this way i find is a bit less stressful for the mum rather than stripping them.
anyway good luck with em!

[GTR73]

Congrats and good score with the new purchase - 4 Hongi + fry!

I agree with Mick, seperate the babies from the main tank.
You're really better off (and the hobby is better off), if you keep your fry seperate to grow in their own tank - no chance of inbreeding. Either that or remove the juveniles for sale before they can breed with the parents once mature.

Inbreeding is a problem in our hobby as it reduces the bloodline quality of the fish available.

cheers. :D

[moses]

I have another tank for the fry but it hasn't cycled yet and could take some time. Can I buy a breeding net and put her in there in the tank she is already in, or would that stress her too much?

Chris

[GTR73]

Have you got a drill and 2mm drill-bit?
I found the best fry saver is a 10L plastic food container with multiple holes drilled thru the walls and bottom. If you have the holes generally drilled out in a grid pattern, approx 15mm apart, it'll ensure an effective water flow thru the container.
The Decor brand is best as the plastic won't crack when you drill a hole, as what can happen with a Crazy Clark's cheapo container. Then just use clothes pegs to keep it in place (probably the most difficult part of using this type of fry saver).
But it makes for an excellent fry saver - cheap, very effective, easy to make, larger than the icecream container version, and you can see the inhabitants easily.

When I see one of my female mouthbrooders has been holding for about two weeks, I place her in the frysaver with a bunch of Java Fern or Ag-pipe to hide in, and she generally spits after another week or so.
Also good to get her into the frysaver and away from the harrassing male - female mouthbrooders don't eat when they're holding plus the majority of O2 they get is used by the growing eggs in her mouth, therefore she's in a generally weak state so best to get her away from any harrassing fish (I've lost a couple of females from this type of fatigue over the years).
Then I take her out as soon as I first notice the fry, as being hungry she may eat them.
Once the fry are about 1.5cm, I place them in their own tank.

Oh, and a tip to speed up the cycling on the fry tank - fill up most of it with the main tank's water and transfer over some rocks and gravel from the main tank. Also use a bit of used sponge from the main tank's filter in the fry tank's filter.
In fact, best to use the main tank's water in the fry tank when you first transfer the fry.

 :wink:

[phagus]

all great advice from GTR73.
also to hide the fry you can pile up small rocks to make tiny crevices that only the fry can get into.
i used lava rock rubble.
cheers
adam

[Savage_roo]

Hay mate this is what I made to hold my bn male and fry and it works well
Just put an air stone in just to make shore u get enough air in there
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2105925970089173402ymvZDq

andrew

[moses]

[quote:92376bfa2c="GTR73"]Have you got a drill and 2mm drill-bit?
I found the best fry saver is a 10L plastic food container with multiple holes drilled thru the walls and bottom. If you have the holes generally drilled out in a grid pattern, approx 15mm apart, it'll ensure an effective water flow thru the container.
The Decor brand is best as the plastic won't crack when you drill a hole, as what can happen with a Crazy Clark's cheapo container. Then just use clothes pegs to keep it in place (probably the most difficult part of using this type of fry saver).
But it makes for an excellent fry saver - cheap, very effective, easy to make, larger than the icecream container version, and you can see the inhabitants easily.

When I see one of my female mouthbrooders has been holding for about two weeks, I place her in the frysaver with a bunch of Java Fern or Ag-pipe to hide in, and she generally spits after another week or so.
Also good to get her into the frysaver and away from the harrassing male - female mouthbrooders don't eat when they're holding plus the majority of O2 they get is used by the growing eggs in her mouth, therefore she's in a generally weak state so best to get her away from any harrassing fish (I've lost a couple of females from this type of fatigue over the years).
Then I take her out as soon as I first notice the fry, as being hungry she may eat them.
Once the fry are about 1.5cm, I place them in their own tank.

Oh, and a tip to speed up the cycling on the fry tank - fill up most of it with the main tank's water and transfer over some rocks and gravel from the main tank. Also use a bit of used sponge from the main tank's filter in the fry tank's filter.
In fact, best to use the main tank's water in the fry tank when you first transfer the fry.

 :wink:[/quote:92376bfa2c]

Really appreciate this advice. Will be doing it first thing this morning cause the female is looking really skinny and weak. Time to cut up the Mrs' containers :D

[moses]

Well I stuck the female in the 2 foot tank with a whole lot of water from her original tank, left her overnight and she spat out 3 free swimming little fry about 1cm long. They don't even have an egg sack. Maybe she just needed to feel safe to release them.
Will fry powder do for food for the fry? If so how often do you feed them?
The female is eating 1mm NLS and the fry are eating the NLS crushed up.

[moses]

Well I checked the tank that the Malawi's are in, the same one the hongi just came out of, and now I noticed my biggest female yellow lab has a big mouthful as well :)
Must be that time of the year.
Any ideas on a DIY egg tumbler that I can put in the main tank but the other fish can't eat them?
I've seen people use vege strainers over air stones. Has anyone set one up in their main tank without casualties?
Thanks for any advice

Chris

[nem7902]

hey chris,
probs not a good idea to put a vege strainers in your main tanks with eggs as the parents and other fish in the tank will come to the bottom of it and suck them through....maybe try puttung an icecream container with some foam on the each side to help it float then put the vege strainer and airstone in the ice cream container :)

cheers luke