Feeding my A. Comp. babies.....

[tastyfish]

I have about 50 A. Compressiceps fry that I have recently moved to a grow out tank. They still had yolk sacs attached when relocated, but now have used up the sacs and need to eat. As this is my first experience with babies of this species, I am not sure how to proceed. Any advice will be most appreciated. -Steve

[SGypsyMermaid]

you can feed them crushed flake, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, baby brine shrimp, mysis, etc. they need lots of protein both because they are babies and because they are carnivores. change their water frequently and feed them often and they will grow faster. congratulations!!

[tastyfish]

Thanks for the advice, GYPSY! I will let you know how it goes......

[jnorris]

Daphnia works well, get the cubes. They would work great. Tangs really like it (even adults). They are really small and float around a bit.

My shell dwellers and smaller Tangs eat these more than anything.

You could also try crushing frozen krill to a pulp. A small amount of either would be great. I am just supplimenting what the Gypsy Guru has already spoke upon...lol

[jnorris]

Did you raise them yourself? I would like to know how the process went? How big are your compies and what type and size. I have a male and female that has shacked up. Its a love hate relationship...lol

Great fish overall, especially for people who like fish who like meat...

Congrats!

[SGypsyMermaid]

Daphnia works well, get the cubes. They would work great. Tangs really like it (even adults). They are really small and float around a bit.

My shell dwellers and smaller Tangs eat these more than anything.

You could also try crushing frozen krill to a pulp. A small amount of either would be great. I am just supplimenting what the Gypsy Guru has already spoke upon...lol

gypsy guru!!! i like that jonathan! :mrgreen: i forgot about daphnia and krill...good lookin' out! :wink:

[jnorris]

The ol' double G to the rescue

[jnorris]

G X 2 even

[SGypsyMermaid]

now you sound like snagglepuss or huckleberry hound! :rofl:

[tastyfish]

JNorris-

The fry are from a pair of wild A. Comp gold heads. They were in a 40g. mixed tank of mostly tangs for more than 2 years and actually showed almost no interest in each other. All of a sudden, she was guarding a pile of eggs! The male is about 4-1/2" long, the female about 3" but slightly built in comparison to the male. The male is a dominator and has chased a black calvus male of about the same size into my grow out tank. As far as conditions. I change 30% a week, feed them no meat, other than the fish meal in some of the pelletized foods and other than that, I have done nothing special to encourage breeding. I have a pair of GIANT Brichardi's that breed on what seems like a monthly basis. They pump out around 100 fry a pop and within 2 weeks, they're down to 30 or so and in 4 weeks, I'm usually left with a dozen or so to move to the grow tank. I suspect a chubby Syndontis cat as the culprit behind the high disappearance rate. Taking Gypsy guru's advice, the A. Comp. babies are freely taking baby brine shrimp. It is very cool to watch them eat! I have also tried tubifex worms (dried cubes) but they seem not to like them as much. One last note: I culled one of the babies today that was seemingly healthy except for the fact that...IT HAD NO EYES!!!! Kinda strange, and creepy. Thanks again for the advice! -Steve

[zamarky]

hi
SLOW growers though. Just dont sit and watch them looking for size improvements from last week/month/3 months......

ANY type of crustation is relished by these guys. I like to feed mine fry of different types, they seem to like this best. I have found they dont like all ready dead fry as well.

Never had babies though ,so i guess brine shrimp will not let you down. Belive it or not i get mine eating flakes as well as it helps when fresh food is scarce.....


mark

[jnorris]

Mine will eat anything that floats by. They seem to really like frozen foods. SOmetimes they won't wait for it to thaw.

[zamarky]

Hi
its hard to get them off fresh food so as to speak when they are fresh in from the wild. But after a while they do start eating whatever is offered...mostly - some wont . Some insist on live fry and thats a real bummer because its a lot of effort to keep going for small fry......

still we gotta keep them fat.....

mark