Urgent Polar Blue Parrot Fish Fry Need Help?

Found atleast 20 fry from my polar blue parrot fish on a dragon stone cave I built them.. its a community tank and the 2 fish have been protecting the cave. I see them swimming around but there all huddled up in the corner of the dragon stone.. should I extract the stone some how with a small fry net and put it in the breeding net? asap or can I wait till tomorrow and try moving them.. or do I just leave them be.. my problem is I think that the other fish will eat the fry once the fry start swimming around.. so I know I should probably be moving it.. also what's the quickest way of feeding them? I have brine shrimp cubes I can easily break up? also frozen blood worms, freeze dried blood worms, new life spectrum and flake.. someone help me out I have 0 knowledge of dealing with fry.. but I do want to raise them and keep them alive that's for sure.

 

Not sure how you can get the ALL the fry out. Definitely put them in a breeder box ASAP. For food you can use any of those things but I would personally make a mix of crushed up flakes and brine shrimp. (That’s what I do). Keep me posted and updated. I’m on vacation so my responses may not be super quick lol. I’m usually on here anytime from 4 to 11

 

I have a breeder net? hopefully that helps.. in a separate tank say temp just rasboras only.. 10 gallon..do I need to put the pair in there also or just the fry? thank you for any help you give me responsive.. its 1030 at night I wanna go to bed but I know I should be doing this asap.. I'm not really sure how I'm gonna go about taking this dragon stone gave I super glued together except trying to break it apart.. its gonna be pretty hard.

CAN I SUCK THEM UP?? with a turkey baster I don't have.. or something to suck them up with?

 

Breeder net is also good! I don’t think they NEED their parents. They would probably do better with them. Rasboras should be fine they are peaceful fish. Maybe try scaring the fry out with your hand into a net.

CAN I SUCK THEM UP?? with a turkey baster I don't have.. or something to suck them up with?

You can but you may loose a few from stress or injury

 

ughhh this is difficult.. idk wat to do lol..

 

If you are okay with losing like 2 or 3 IF THAT then you can get them with a gravel vac

 

ok I'm gonna try to take them out with a net.. maybe try moving some idk.. but should I take the parents out first? will they attack the net or suck up the babies because they are ontop of that rock not letting a sole go near them

after moving them and leaving some in the tank will they go back to that same spot so I can get them again?

 

where are you putting the fry?

 

gonna take them out with a frynet and put them in a 10 gallon in a breeder net..

 

If there is nothing else in the tank you don’t need the net.....

gonna take them out with a frynet and put them in a 10 gallon in a breeder net..

 

maybe my small gravel vac.. take the tip off just use the hose and put them in a bucket.. then pour them into the breeder net>?

If there is nothing else in the tank you don’t need the net.....

the tank has the rasboras I was telling u about a gourami and a pleco

the rasboras will eat them for sure there like little piranha

 

Yep that should work!
So get the breeder net set up then move the parents first. Get the fry quickly put them in there new home. You can make food in the morning

Keep me updated and feel free to ask any questions!!

 

one more so the parents should go in the breeder net too or just move them out of the tank so there not bothering me?

 

While your moving the fry get them away from you they WILL bite (it hurts trust me )

 

You can but you may loose a few from stress or injury

I accidentally sucked some goldfish fry in a turkey baster. Most made it but a couple did not. Crushed flake food can be used for them. Good luck!

 

haha ok thank so much for the advice I'm really excited about these guys there my favorite looking fish in the tank... filling up a bucket with tank water for the parents right now.. gonna have to pull out acouple plants by the cave to get to the babies.

 

Just suck them up with the gravel vac, it shouldn't hurt them if it's a standard siphon type. A breeder basket isn't going to work for too long, the fry will out grow it in no time so setting up a separate tank would be best. Don't bother moving the parents if you move the fry, the fry are nearly free swimming so they don't really need the parents. Plus the stress of moving them all may lead up to the fry getting eaten by the parents.

You could also choose to leave them with the parents, you'd be surprised how determined the fry are to live and how well the parents guard them.

Side note, your little fish are hybrids of convicts to parrot cichlids (or so it seems). That means your pair will breed often and you will likely have many more batches. Convicts are little breeding machines and very good protectors so I'd bet some fry would survive from futures batches if left in the main tank.

 

Really terrible picture.. but success at last!
only problem I have is I noticed the porkchops are nipping at the bottom of the net.. and some of the fry tails are sticking out and I'm hoping they don't damage all of them.. that's probably why I plastic box is better.. ugh can't win.. but anyway just gave them a little crushed.. here they are.

Just suck them up with the gravel vac, it shouldn't hurt them if it's a standard siphon type. A breeder basket isn't going to work for too long, the fry will out grow it in no time so setting up a separate tank would be best. Don't bother moving the parents if you move the fry, the fry are nearly free swimming so they don't really need the parents. Plus the stress of moving them all may lead up to the fry getting eaten by the parents.

You could also choose to leave them with the parents, you'd be surprised how determined the fry are to live and how well the parents guard them.

Side note, your little fish are hybrids of convicts to parrot cichlids (or so it seems). That means your pair will breed often and you will likely have many more batches. Convicts are little breeding machines and very good protectors so I'd bet some fry would survive from futures batches if left in the main tank.

that's very good to know I appreciate any advice.. there going to stay in the rasbora tank atm and as soon as they get big enough I'm going to move the rasboras to the 55 community and let the bigger fry live in the 10 gallon.. now as for filtration.. I have two hob filters in the 10 plus it has my grow out plants so it stays pretty clean but will the hobs suck the fish up..? or should I try put the netting around the filter intakes.
also the next batch I might just leave with the parents because they were guarding that area so well I never even knew there were any fry there.

 

Good number of them!

 

Good number of them!

Yeah it looks like it huh.. once I grow these guys out I think I'm gonna have to sell maybe half of them because I won't have the room for all of them.. I bought the pair for 45.00 I wonder if that same store will buy them haha. Hopefully they all survive and eat good.

 

Glad to hear you got it all under control! The fry will eventually learn to stay off the bottom when those fish come be

 

So does anybody have an idea of what I should do about the filters when they get bigger and I put them in the tank free swimming.. should I rubber band the breeder net material around the filters so they don't get sucked up?

 

Take a sponge and cut a hole in the middle big enough to fit the filter intake and zip tie the sponge to it. That’s what I do for my fry!

 

Take a sponge and cut a hole in the middle big enough to fit the filter intake and zip tie the sponge to it. That’s what I do for my fry!

I would the only problem is that these two filters are both silly made filters.. there the fat useless ones I shouldn't have in the tank but I figured since I had them brand new why not just use them.. I'm sure I should just buy a small aqua clear and my life would be a lot easier but I don't feel like doing it for some odd reason. I'm posting a video of the fry.. especially for you fishfor2018 because you were a huge help last night lol.. should be up soon!

 

What kind of filters are they?

 

I would the only problem is that these two filters are both silly made filters.. there the fat useless ones I shouldn't have in the tank but I figured since I had them brand new why not just use them.. I'm sure I should just buy a small aqua clear and my life would be a lot easier but I don't feel like doing it for some odd reason. I'm posting a video of the fry.. especially for you fishfor2018 because you were a huge help last night lol.. should be up soon!

Can I see a picture of the filter? maybe you could wrap thread around it or something.

 

And there we have it!

you can see the filters in the video.. I'm probably gonna cut the breeder net up when they get bigger and rubber band it around both filters intakes.. good idea?

Total of around 70 fry swimming.

 

And there we have it!

you can see the filters in the video.. I'm probably gonna cut the breeder net up when they get bigger and rubber band it around both filters intakes.. good idea?

Sounds like a plan!

 

Progress on the fry BTW! there all swimming now very active but still very small.. I have been feeding them crushed flake and crushed pellet.. I ordered fry powder for them so that should be here tomorrow.. also the fry that stayed with the parents about 20 are swimming around doing good staying by the dragon stone cave swimming all over it now and last night I noticed the parents were taking food and spitting it out in the gravel for the fry.. prettyy neat.