Raising Auchenipteridae Fry

[fishboy20]

I have managed to have my Centromochlus perugiae and my Tatia intermedia to spawn but have yet to have success raising the fry. Does anyone have any tricks for this or ideas on why this is happening? All eggs but 1 or 2 hatch, they do well for about 3-4 days and then I start losing them. Approx. one week after hatching I'm down to 5-10% of what I started with.

The water I am using has a pH of around 7.2, hardness of 120ppm and is kept at a temperature of around 80F. Do the fry perhaps need softer water to start with? To date, the Centromochlus have spawned once and the Tatia have spawned 4 times.

So far I've tried placing the fry in a 25 liter tank with aged aquarium water with oak leaves at the bottom, a hatched tank of approx. 1 liter with light aeration and methylene blue and even an egg tumbler to gently move the fry in the holding container just like the female would do. I have had success breeding and raising Loricarrids like Hypancistrus, Ancistrus, Sturisomatichthys and Hemiloricaria as far as catfish go, but I am at a loss for what I should try next with my Auchenipteridae. Hope someone can help me out, thanks for the help in advance.

~Jeremy Basch

[Yann]

Hi!!

I have no problem with raising Centromochlus perugiae fry.
I have no idea what would be the equivalent of 120ppm in German Total Hardness...
Your parameters seems to be fine and close to mine.
Have you check other possible parameters such as Nitrate or Nitrite, possibly there is a problem there
Looking at the time you start loosing them...they just seem to be unable to feed yet...
Are you feeding them...then it could be the cause ...creating some water pollution?

Cheers
Yann

[panaque]

I lost my first batch of C. perugiae one after the other when I put them in a breeding net just before hatching. The next time I pulled about half the clutch 3-4 days after hatching and of those about half survived, while the half I left with the female suffered no losses (as far as I could tell). So my advice is to leave them with the female as long as possible. This is what I am trying with my current (3rd) clutch.
Frank

[fishboy20]

Thanks for the tips, I will have to try them. Here are some more observations, my Tatia intermedia eggs the last 2 times have not been in a cave but out in the open on the bottom of the tank and another time attached to an oak leaf. When my Centromochlus perugaie female had eggs, she kicked out half the eggs and all of the eggs hatched appeared fine. Perhaps this is just due to immature females not knowing how to keep track of their

I am going to try setting up the eggs in another 25 L tank with an established but a very clean sponge filter next time. There is a chance that the nitrates may have spiked in that tank due to a sub-clean sponge filter. Its the only thing I can think that I did wrong. I usually do 25-50% water changes twice a week. I do not clean the sponge filters as much as I used to. I will step those up for the juvenile catfish.

Yann I looked up the conversation. You divide parts per million by 17 to get German hardness. Looks like I am at 7 dKH. Thanks for the help everyone!

~Jer

[Yann]

Hi Jer!!

Then your water is pretty similar to what I have in my breeding tank for my Centromochlus perugiae.

Possibly the nitrates... but possibly the water change twice a week...maybe someting is wrong in your tap water...
Do you use any water preparation product? You let it dechlorine during 24h?
Is the water the same T°
Possibly the problem is there...
Or the filter no sufficient for the volume...
That the only thing I coudl think of
Cheers
Yann

[fishboy20]

The water is conditioned for 24 hours before use. I will use an agent but all chlorine is removed prior of use. Perhaps the fry are more sensitive to this then the adults as I do not use anything for the adults nor any other species of fish I maintain, including Sturisomatichthys fry. The sponge filter should be large enough to take care of the tank. All very good points Yann. Much appreciated!

~Jer