Fancy's Children

May 2, 2001

The eggs started hatching between 9:00 AM and Noon.
Fancy appears to be a good Daddy, picking up the fry
as any sink to the bottom. Theres a bunch.

First Day

After hatching, it takes 36 to 48
hours for the egg sack to be absorbed.
*(Note the round little bellies)

Mark the outside of the tank as soon as the fry hatch.
The Sire, Dame and any info you need to remember,
should have been written on the tank as soon as the
fish were placed in the tank.

In about 36 to 48 hours the yolk sack has been absorbed and the fry become free swimming. The male should be removed at this time and returned to his jar in medicated water. At this time it is very IMPORTANT to cover the tank in plastic wrap to keep the air above the water warm and moist as their labyrinth organ developes. If their first gasp of air is cold it can prevent the labyrinth organ from developing properly and you will lose the batch of fry. Some small slits can be cut in the plastic.(I use a marker to circle the slits so I can find them.) A eye dropper is used to feed them with. Leave the plastic in place for 4 to 6 weeks. I also raise the hood a bit to prevent damage to the plastic.

Day 2

About 30 hours after hatching,
The bubble nest has disapated and the fry
are clinging to the sides of the tank.
Some are also on the bottom. I have not observed
Fancy picking any up for a couple hours,
so I have removed him and returned him to his
regular quarters, placing him in medicated water,
even tho I could not see any damage to his fins.
His job is done,
now its up to me to raise the fry to adulthood.

As the fry become free swimming they are fed 4 to 5 times daily on infusoria, baby brine shrimp - (newly hatched), and liquid fry food for egg layers. This is slowly dropped into the tank through the slits in the plastic, using a eye dropper. As the fry grow other live foods can be added to their diet. The more live foods and the more space they have to grow in, the faster they will grow, developing larger and more colorful fish.

Day 3

The fry are completely free swimming and scattered
all over the tank. Due to their almost transparant coloration at
this age it is almost impossible to see them.
Pictures will be weekly from here on.

One Week - May 9th. 2001

At this age, due to the difference in the size
of the fry, they are being fed, infusoria, liquid fry and BBS.
As the smaller ones grow the liquid fry and infusoria
will be discontinued.(about another week) and vinegar eels
will be added to their diet.

Two Weeks - May 16th. 2001

At two weeks of age, the fry are still transparent,
and there is a visable difference in their size, some still very tiny and
others about 3/16th. of an inch. While many hang out at the surface
many swim at different levels of the tank. The tank at this stage is
starting to look grungy, with algae growing and some black spots on the bottom,
which I suspect are fry that did not survive. :-(
The air flow on the box filter has been turned up a bit.
(The filter was wrapped in a very fine tulle (bridal netting) before being
placed in the tank to prevent any fry from being sucked in.)
The fry are now eating newly hatched brine shrimp, brine shrimp flakes,
ground to a fine powder, infusoria and starting tomorrow vinegar eels
will be added to their diet, liquid fry has been discontinued.
It tends to foul the water so is only used when necessary.
The plastic wrap cover is still tightly in place, making cleaning
the tank almost impossible. The algae growth, however is healthy
for the fry as they graze on it and it also provides a natural source of infusoria.

The fry are now eating various flake and pellet foods
along with the preveous mentioned food. The dry foods are ground
to a fine powder. Care must be taken here as the tank
can become fouled very easly.

Four Weeks Old

Last Updated
May 24, 2001