Thursday, April 12, 2007

Rearing and feeding the fry

The mating and spawning process is often easier than the rearing of the fry. The commonest difficulties are insufficient or unsuitable food at the early stages and lack of space.

When the eggs are hatched, or the viviparous babies are born, in both instances a ‘yolk sac’ is attached to the fry. It supplies sufficient food for the initial period which may last from a few hours to three days, especially if supplemented by liberal quantities of green water to the tank. Green water is rich in baby-food!

When the yolk-sac is gone, it is our responsibility to feed the fry. This is done by providing infusoria early and constantly.

What is infusoria? Infusoria are living organisms in water on which fish can live until they have grown enough to eat normal foods.

Before we discuss more on infusoria, let’s talk about the importance of breeding trap. Breeding trap is used inside the rearing tank, so as to separate the parents from the eggs or the young. These traps can be done by using finely meshed wire, or any method allowing the eggs or live babies to drop through gaps into the rearing tank. The gaps must be just big enough for them but too small to allow the adult fish to follow. This is necessary if the parents are likely to eat the young fish or their eggs. Otherwise, it is not necessary.

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