Tank size for fry

[angelhf13]

Cant remember if I read it in a post here or somewhere else, but does it effect the growth rate of fry if they are in a large tank? Someone stated that if fry have to swim a lot from being in a large tank that they would use up energy needed to grow. Is this true? The only reason I ask is, I have a single peacock that survived release in the 55 gallon. I never moved him to the 10g nursery tank. I have some electric yellow fry that spent their first 3 months in the 10 gallon, and they seemed to have outgrown the peacock who is about a month older. So it would seem the statement is true, but could it also be that peacocks dont grow as fast as yellows? I want to move my newest batch of peacock fry to a 29 gallon, but they are only about a month old, and I dont want to lessen the growth rate by doing so.

[Boilermaker]

Good Question, I've been wondering the same thing kinda.
I have two powerheads in the 29 growout tank and the fry are constantly swimming upstream or against the current and I notice the Chalinochromis haven't grown hardly at all in fact the new batch that is still with the parents are the same size as the ones in the growout tank, also the peacocks haven't grown much either.
I think some of this is current, some do to more efficient tankmates ( Copadichromis, Redtop Kimpuma), and there's 200 fry in the 29.
I think yours will be fine in the 29 just keep the current lower than what I have and don't overstock.
Notice attachment below

[angelhf13]

What would be concidered overstocking in a 29 with all fry? I've been concidering continuing to breed, but I'll have to use a 29 for fry b/c I only have a 10 (that I use for fry now), two 29's and a 55 with all full grown africans. I can easily put the 3 that are in one of my 29's in with the others in the 55 without a problem. I just dont want to slow the growth rate...they take long enough to grow as it is!
Anyway, thanx for the reply!

[Overawed]

I have experimented on this matter and I've concluded that the fry grow larger in a small tank with a smaller number of competitors for food. I took Red Eureka fry from the same brood and placed some in a 20g and about 4 in a 10g with their Albino siblings. The regular fry have already out-grown their siblings in the other tank by almost 2 to 1. The experiment is still not complete because the 20g is occupied by some larger Placidochromis Phenochilus juvies and some Red Eureka juvies. 25 fish in all in the 20g!! I am selling a few of them this week. :(

Both tanks do not have power heads. The 20g is filtered by a 300gph hang on the back Regent (Wal Mart brand) and 2 sponge filters. The 10g is fltered by a Penguin 150 and a sponge. Both tanks have live plants in them and no substrate.

To illustrate my point even further, I placed some Red Eurekas and PLacidochromis in a 90g and 55g and their 20g siblings have outgrown them all. In fact, a few of the Red Eurekas I left in the 20g where runts, they have already gotten bigger than the specimens I moved to the bigger tanks. Right now, I am concluding that the specimens in the larger tanks cannot compete for the food as well as the 20g group.

The real reason for moving the Placidochromis into the 90g was to get a few mates for another adult Phenochilus male who resides in the 90g. I placed 6 of them in there, so at least one has to be a female. :)

Great pic there Scott!!

[angelhf13]

Well, I guess I'll be keeping my fry in the smaller tank! Thanks!

[Boilermaker]

Thanks Overawed!

[merlyn2221]

Overawed is correct. Since my first foray into grandmotherhood, I too have experimented and found that the smaller the tank, the faster they grow.

I start my holders out in a 5 gallon. When they spit the fry I movet the mother after a week to a 10. She stays there alone for a couple of days, then if she is ok it's back in the big tanks.

I then move the fry from the 5 to the 10 when they are about an 8th of an inch. They stay there until they are like a 1/4" then they go into a 20 gallon section (or my 20g) of my 120. It only takes them a few weeks to grow big then.

I have 19 lab fry from mid-April that are 2". It's a pain always moving them, but it works great for me since someone's always holding.

[angelhf13]

>>"I have 19 lab fry from mid-April that are 2". "

I really must be doing something wrong !!!! My lab fry that I kept in a 10 gallon until they were about 3/4" are only about an inch and a quarter now, and they were released in the beginning of March! And my little peacocks that are in the 10 now are only an inch, and they were released about 5 or 6 weeks ago. Could it be what Im feeding them? They start out for the first week or so with only the "first bites" baby fish food, then I give them newly hatched brine shrimp every other feeding for a couple of weeks. Then just crushed flake (omega one) Also, I will put a piece of an algae wafer in there from time to time for them to nibble on. Could it be something lacking in the diet that keeps them from growing as well as they should?

[merlyn2221]

I was going to ask what you were feeding.
I give my fry New Life Spectrum Grow for the first three weeks, then I switch to the Ocean Nutrition Cichlid Veggie Formula and New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula. I supplement these with Romaine, peas, zucchini and pure spriulina flakes thereafter.

[Boilermaker]

Sounds like both of you feed way better than what I do, I feed flake ground up between two fingers lol.
I took my powerheads out and it has made a big diff. the fry aren't fighting the current anymore.
Welcome back Merlyn.

[merlyn2221]

:) Thanks Boilermaker! Feeling much better.

[angelhf13]

Well, its only been about three weeks since my last post, but Im amazed at what I've found, so I wanted to update anyone interested. I took four of five of my youngest yellow labs out of the 55 and put them in the 10. (all only half an inch or so) The one that stayed in the 55 is barely bigger than he was 3 weeks ago. The 4 in the 10 have doubled in size!! :eeek: Im convinced now that they do in fact grow larger quicker in a smaller tank. There's no doubt about it. Im gonna go invest in a couple more small tanks now. Thanks for all your feedback! :dance:

[Dave Schulman]

Since u guys are already on the subject of electric yellow fry, I have a few of my own. 18 were born in early march and i put them in a 5gal tank and thats where all 18 of them r now, im feeding them formula one flakes and some spirulina like their parents eat, The fry are about 3/4 inch each, will they have enuff room to finish growing in there, and if not does anyone know how to make a divider that will fit a normal 75gal tank? Thanx and good luck with ur fry as well!:)

[Boilermaker]

Hi Dave could you possibly purchase another tank?, say a 20 long
or a 29. I move mine to a grow out tank at about 3/4" I would hate to see you put a divider in the 75g show tank.

[merlyn2221]

Eeewwww, Dave!
I had to make a divider in my 120g show! It was awful, but I had no choice. My 20g growout tank was full so I had 60+ babies growing out in a 20g section of the tank for two months. I just took it out about two weeks ago so I could add more fish to the 120.

My husband made the divider out of a cheap sheet of plexiglass we got at Home Depot and then attached those plastic edge strips that come with the small thin plastic dividers they sell in the lfs. He drilled small holes over the entire surface in it for water flow (and it took him forever to do it!), but I still put an extra filter on that part of the tank with pantyhose covering the intake slots.

Whatever you do, DON'T USE A DRILL to drill out the holes! My husband burned out 2 batteries for his cordless drill, and they're not cheap to replace! After he burned them out, I bought a Dremmel (secretly I wanted one anyway :D ). This worked great and took no time to do. He used the holes in the thin plastic divider from the lfs as a template and was done in no time...with the Dremmel.

Granted it looks ugly to have it in the tank, but if you have no choice, it's a possibility.

Boilermaker: we're not all so lucky as to have the space for all those tanks, you know!:wink: :rolleyes: :razz: :D

[Dave Schulman]

Yea boilmaker, i only have room for wut i got now, im only 17. So about makin this divider in your show tank does it work good, like did the fry ever get out or anything like that ... id need to get some of those supplies 2, thanx alot guys

[merlyn2221]

The divider worked great. Looks like crap, but works.

Just make sure when you drill the holes out, they are small enough so the fry can't get through them.

Oh, and did I mention, you have to drill LOTS OF THEM! :lol: