Feeding Sturisoma fry

[sturiosoma]

What methods do you use to feed the fry?

[MatsP]

I moved your question, as I don't think it really is directly relevant to me selling the fry.

The method I use for young fry is to grind Hikari Algae wafers on a coarse sand-paper (60 or 80 grit). I find that the very young fry aren't particularly willing to search for food, so by grinding the algae wafers to a powder, it spreads about in the tank, according to the method of "if the fry don't come to the food, the food must come to the fry".

There are other people who use other methods. I think it was last week that there was some more discussion on this subject.

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Mats

[apistomaster]

I have promised to write an article for planetcatfish about how I raise Sturisoma but one thing I want to make clear is that Sturisoma readily gather around their food source provided you feed them what they like and need.
Here you see them at just days after absorbing their residual egg yolk around a filter bag filled with some earth worm sticks.
I was still learning about their requirements when I took this photo but these fry were still in the breeding tank, a 35 gal 36 X 12 X 18H inches so they had to come from all over to the food. Earth worm and Spirulina Sticks are all the fry need. I raised my first broods on only earth worm sticks. They cannot handle deep water until they are about 2-1/2 inches.

[MatsP]

Looking at the ingredients and nutritional values of Earthworm Sticks (here http://www.allfishfood.com/pro507831.html for example), it doesn't seem that different from for example Hikari wafers (http://www.hikari.info/tropical/t_04.html). So I'm uncertain as to whether your different experiences are due to the food, or simply that your fish aren't behaving the same as mine for some completely different reason.

I'm by no means saying that Earthworm sticks are a bad choice, but I'm also not sure if it's the food that is the difference.

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Mats

[gedtranter]

I bought a mortar and pestle the other day for crushing pellets and wafers to feed my fry, very quick and convenient - just the job!

[apistomaster]

I think the difference that is advantageous with earth worm sticks is that they turn to mush within a few minutes which the Sturisoma fry can eat and so there is no need to shave harder tablet foods to make them accessible. It just makes feeding that much simpler.