First Time Breeding and would love advice

[jmarks]

I have had a pair of electric blue acaras lay eggs about 5 times now...typically the eggs hatch and itty bitty babies start to develop a fin and then we wake up one day and they have disappeared (probably get eatin as it is a community tank)...however this go around, I just rehomed the momma and the fry (prob 1 to 2 weeks old) into our 2.5 gallon betta tank (the betta is now sitting in a cheap gold fish bowl for now)....curious to know where to begin with researching more about how to try and grow these little guys? does the mom still need to be with them? what do you feed fry? etc...thanks in advance

 

[Plecomaker]

Nematodes and rotifiers are popular first food, they may also pick at loose algae in the tank. Usually parents are aggressive parents, unfortunately they often mess up the first time. It may have been mom that ate them in the first place.

what else is in the tank?

 

[jmarks]

mom is very protective, I was watching the male and others pick them off as the current pulled them too far from the pack (mom had them mostly in a hole she dug in the gravel)..that's when I used my vac to suck up all the fry and relocate to the 2.5 gal betta tank (just got back from walmart and got a cheap 1 gallon with undergravel filter for the betta)...in the 2.5 gallon now is about 30 to 40 small fry and the mom....she has already dug a hole and has gathered all the fry to it....I placed a small weekend betta feeder tablet (all that I had) very near the hole and it appears some fry have already discovered it...also gave her a bloodworm tablet as I know she hasnt eatin much recently (past few days she has been too busy guarding that she didnt manage to get much food during feeding of the community tank)

 

[Sarcasm Included]

Sera Micron is one of the best fry foods I have used and highly recommend it for early feeding. I usually switch over to Golden Pearls 300 microns as they get a month or so under their belt.

 

[Five 97]

I would put the mother back in the community, and get a larger growout tank, I personally feed mine baby brine shrimp, hikarI first bites, egg yolk, and at an older age: crushed flakes.

 

[jmarks]

I put the mother back after only 1 day as she wasn't looking so good in such a small tank.....I have put a couple of "weekend betta feeder blocks" and as they have began dissolving it appears the fry are actually eating it. so we shall see, I have also been adding crushed flakes.....dont have the space or desire to buy another tank, so will likely take them to the mom and pop fish store as soon as they are a little bigger, they give store credit!

 

[chromedome52]

You are not going to get them big enough to take to the store in a 2.5 gallon tank. They need to be at least an inch long. So long as the other fish are eating them in the community tank, you cannot raise any without a larger growout tank. If you don't want another large tank, then just let them be eaten.

BTW, those betta blocks will probably kill this spawn, they screw up the water badly.

 

[jmarks]

step ahead of you on trying to prevent bad water....ive been very active with a small water change daily