# Angelfish fry died



## judymayes

we are wanting to see if we can get some help, we had Angelfish hatch a week ago and put them in a small tank three days ago and the fry were dieing daily the tank was newly set up with the water from their tank a a sponge filter and a heater any ideas on what we need to do different the fry really never got up off the floor of the tank but about one half inch and we fed microworms 
Judy


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## SueD

I've recently had a similar experience. I pulled a leaf of 40 - 50 angelfish wrigglers on 10/29 and put it in a 2.5 gal tank with air stone. Once free swimming, I added a DIY sponge filter using a small sponge from an established filter and an air stone. Over the course of the last few weeks I have lost all but 8 of these although all were free swimming at one time. They do hang on the bottom of the tank at first, but that is OK. I've been feeding frozen baby brine shrimp and occasionally Hikari First Bites. 

Since the sponge I used was from a well established tank, I had not done any water testing until recently. I had also been advised that water changes would unduly stress the fry. However, I found that I had extremely high nitrites (2.0), although no ammonia, and nitrates < 5. So for the last two weeks, I have changed 50% of the water twice a day. No losses since then, but I don't think I'm completely out of the woods yet. Of the eight I still have, they are all sizes. The largest two or three, who now have the angelfish shape, are about 3-4 times the size of the smallest two, who still look like they just fell off the leaf. And the others are somewhere in between.

I'm just starting to cycle a 5 gallon and will move the largest 3 into there if they make it another few weeks. And I have one more 5 gal to cycle for the others and I know I really need a bigger tank if they are to grow properly.

While going through all of this, of course the parent spawned again, but these eggs were gone overnight. I'm not really ready to try to save any others just yet. I'll see how far I get with these 8.


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## judymayes

I understand they are pretty touchy about water changes al mine have doed at a week old they parents will be laying again will leave the fry with parents longer this time ,so dissapointing to loose all the fry ,you are luckier at least you have raised the 8 you have ,good luck with them 
Judy


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## coralbandit

I gathered the spirit of post by Sue was that water changes are necessary.Try to keep(prepare)extra water,adjusted to temp and tank specifics for water changes as young(especially fry) fish will be so much more sensative to things like ammonia and waste than more developed fish.I know live bearers are not of the caliber(when fry) as egg layers, but I change water everyday on my fry tanks.Part of my reasoning behind this is it allows me to "over feed" my fry tanks and make sure proper nutrition is always available to fry as just like the young of all animals they require more food than older.Sponge filters used as syphons also allow water to be removed without "assaulting" such small fry.


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## judymayes

we have the fry we have left in a bare bottom tank I would like to know how you cleaned the bottom of the tank ?It's hard to do for fear of sucking up or injuring the fry 

Judy


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## SueD

Yes, mine are in a bare bottom tank also. I'm using a turkey baster that is clear plastic and I empty it into a clear container first to check for fry. I have one of those small plastic containers the fish stores use that can hang on the side of the tank.

The first couple of weeks when there were so many and they were so tiny, I was always sucking one up here and there. I just gently squeezed them back into the tank. Now though, with only 8 left, it is easy to avoid them. And except for the two smallest, I think the others either wouldn't fit in the turkey baster or would get harmed. It's been difficult getting all of the extra food out, but I just do the best I can. 

So, do you still have some fry left?


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## coralbandit

I vacumm my fry tanks;again my fry are not as delicate as angels possibly.That being said ,I have many size vac from smallest(I got it for what I thought would be "detailed" cleanig) to almost largest(not used for fry tanks).I use medium size for fry.I do on occasion vac up fry so I always search bucket and retrieve those sucked up.The level the "waste bucket" is placed at will determine how "fast/hard" the vacumm force is.I have not killed fry by vacumming, but have had incident of "crushing" if one goes near bottom and is not sucked up,and I'm "reckless".They really don't seem to care about being sucked up nor have any fear of vacumm(they certainly recognise a net).I geuss this is just a little help but mostly again I want to say I feel fry are much more sensative to the accumulation of waste(ammonia kills/damages full grown fish) that water changes for fry are very important and in my opinion are as important as proper feeding to achieve good growth.Plenty of food , plenty of fresh water I feel are the true key to growing out fry.HBH makes a good powdered fry food called"baby bites",and I use frozen baby brine.Again I know sword fry are not as delicate as angels but presently I have well over 400 fry in 2 30g and a 40g.Good luck ,hope this helps.Raising fry is incredibly satisfying for me and hope you both enjoy!


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## judymayes

Thank you ,do you feed Frozen Brine Shrimp as thgeir first feed and there able to eat them ?


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## FishFlow

Haven't had the luck of my fry hatching yet, but I've only read fresh brine from a brine hatchery for new born angels. Feed 3x daily, and one or more wc's in a day. Darn babies are hard work!


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## FishFlow

Oh and forgot.. PICTURES!!


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## susankat

Frozen brine shrimp is to big for newly hatched angels. Now they might take frozen baby brine and daphnia but thats a big maybe. Best to use microworms, banana worms and newly hatched brine shrimp.


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## SueD

I've been using frozen baby brine shrimp and Hikari First Bites. Starting to add some flake food and dried blood worms, ground up into almost a powder


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## judymayes

how old are yours


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## SueD

It's been about 4 weeks since they dropped off the leaf and became free swimming.


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## judymayes

SueD said:


> It's been about 4 weeks since they dropped off the leaf and became free swimming.





~ Life Is Too Short, Break The Rules, Forgive Quickly, Kiss Slowly, Love Truly, Laugh Uncontrollably And Never Regret Anything that Made You Smile. 
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## angelfishusa

Water changes area MUST with new angelfish fry. We do a minimum of 2 water changes per day with aged water at the same temperature. Also the fry shouldn't be hanging around the bottom of your tanks, They should be actively swimming. My guess is maybe you started to feed the fry too early. This can give them a swim bladder problem and once this happens very little chance of recovery. First food isn't given until 100% of the fry are free swimming. Sorry for answering so late, but we just became a member here.


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## judymayes

angelfishusa said:


> Water changes area MUST with new angelfish fry. We do a minimum of 2 water changes per day with aged water at the same temperature. Also the fry shouldn't be hanging around the bottom of your tanks, They should be actively swimming. My guess is maybe you started to feed the fry too early. This can give them a swim bladder problem and once this happens very little chance of recovery. First food isn't given until 100% of the fry are free swimming. Sorry for answering so late, but we just became a member here.


Hello and glad you decided to join hope to talk with you again 
Thanks


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## rtmaston

I clean my fry breeding cage with a air line hose and use it like a gravel cleaner.you do have to be very careful.im thinking about trying and take a piece of round foam filter like you use with a power head that has a hole in the middle and put the air tubing down it.i hope this will work.ill let you know.


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## judymayes

rtmaston said:


> I clean my fry breeding cage with a air line hose and use it like a gravel cleaner.you do have to be very careful.im thinking about trying and take a piece of round foam filter like you use with a power head that has a hole in the middle and put the air tubing down it.i hope this will work.ill let you know.


sounds like a great idea let me know how it goes we cleaned the bottom of the tank yesterday and sucked up a few for:fish-in-a-bag: fortunatley they were not injured


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## SueD

My six are still going strong and taking flakes and Hikari micro pellets. Have even now taken some regular frozen brine shrimp (not the baby brine shrimp). May be going to LFS in another couple of weeks. Sad to see them go but no room for them here.


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## majerah1

I use a piece of rigid tubing, like whats in lift tubes for the under gravel filters, for my fry tank siphon. I attach the airline tubing and siphon into a bucket. Makes for easy fry retrieval if you snag any. Learned this trick from a betta breeder a few years back and has served me well.


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## judymayes

majerah1 said:


> I use a piece of rigid tubing, like whats in lift tubes for the under gravel filters, for my fry tank siphon. I attach the airline tubing and siphon into a bucket. Makes for easy fry retrieval if you snag any. Learned this trick from a betta breeder a few years back and has served me well.


Great idea will try it and see how i do
Judy


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