Raising Syno Multi Fry.

[panagioti]

Hi,
I was hoping someone could help me find some info on raising Syno. Multi. Fry. I searched the forum but didn't find info on feeding and tank setup. I have raised Cichlid fry before, so this isn't my first time raising fry but would still like to know what is required for Syno. fry. (I didn't research already because I stripped my brooding cichlid mom expecting a good size cichlid brood and instead 9 little kitties popped out!)

So far my tank setup is:
A 10 Gallon tank w/ temp set at 78 Degrees and a small airstone underneath a 50 watt heater. I also threw in half a tank full of water lettuce(floating plant). It seems as though a few of the fry have taken to using this for hiding already as well. I put a couple of rocks in the bare tank as well for hiding.

If someone could point me to some info on how and what I should feed. Also, whether I should go out and get a Sponge filter or will the airstone and plants suffice for a few days.

The fry are free-swimming and only a couple of them seem to have any sort of a yolk-sac at all.

[drpleco]

You'll definitely want to filter the tank, as the babies eat a LOT.

When I raised my multies, I used a 10g tank, too, with an aquaclear 30-50. I put a mesh bag over the intake to keep the little guys out, and this seemed to work well. I set the temp at 80 and added an airstone for circulation.

I filled the 10g with water from the spawning tank and then poured the babies directly in. They were the only fish in the tank so I wouldn't worry about predation. I fed them wardley shrimp pellets, which work perfectly because they dissolve into very small particles that the multies can eat. Other brands do not work and the fish do not like them. I also added a handful of snails to eat the uneaten pellets.

For the first few days I changed water daily and used a turkey baster to suck out the waste. Be very careful you don't suck up the babies, as they're pretty much transparent. I generally spit the waste from the baster into a perware container before dumping it out. That way I could look for babies and didn't risk flushing them.

Keep the water clean and they'll grow VERY fast - sellable size in a month. As they get bigger you can give them bigger food, but the shrimp pellets were good enough for the first month at least. Small live foods are fine, but not necessary.

The babies are sensitive to changes in salinity, so don't add salt until they're much bigger, if ever. That was the only thing I found them sensitive to. Otherwise they're pretty hardy, even at a tiny size.

Good luck!!

[panagioti]

Thanks. I noticed how fast fry can grow when I had a cichlid brood. It's easy for them to grow fast when you know they are the only ones in the tank and therefore are guaranteed some food. Wardley shrimp pellets only? Really? HHmmm. I have some Omega One shrimp pellets and some New Life Spectrum Algae Wafers, do you think those will suffice? The wafers should dissolve fairly easily I would think.
Also, should I leave lights on or off? With the cichlid fry, I wanted to get them used to lighting. Do I need to bother doing the same with the Syno's? There is some ambient light from my other tanks, that I guess should be enough.

[drpleco]

don't use the omega one pellets, or the algae wafers. The wardley are cheap ($3) and readily available, so just get those and stick with them. The other foods will be mostly ignored and will then foul the water, plus they won't dissolve small enough. Get the wardleys and you'll see what I mean. Just speaking from experience here - there's no need for any other food. If anything, small live (baby brine) will work but are unecessary and expensive. If you can raise $70 worth of fish for $3 worth of food, why not do it?

I didn't bother with lights, ande everything was OK. of course, if you're using plants for filtration, you'll need light. But...I wouldn't recommend that. Just get a good filter and you're all set.

[tomr]

I have raised tons of Multi fry on any foods you can find. Flake, pellets of any kind and brine shrimp.

[drpleco]

But when they're fresh out of the host and still transparent, you need very tiny food.

[panagioti]

Dumb Question.....
..is it possible to over-feed these little guys? There are 6 of them, about 6 days on their own(not in a cichlid mouth). They are all off of their egg-sac's, but there stomaches have gotten pretty big! I have been dropping in 2 chopped up shrimp pellets and 1 cut up algae wafer for the last three days. Is that too much, or will they grow into their bellies.

P.S. They weren't "clear" when they came out, they all already had colouration on them.

[tomr]

Mine seemed to stuff themselves real fat in the beginning. Try not to overfeed, but they have huge appetites.

[drpleco]

I think the adage is "you can't overfeed a fish, you can only overfeed a fishtank." There are exceptions, of course, but it's probably not an issue for multi fry. They'll have huge bellies and eventually they'll develop a more streamlined shape.

[panagioti]

Just an update.....the Fry are growing fine and seem very content in their tank. There are actually 7 of them, not 6. They are growing and really fat. I try to mix up the feeding between NLS Community Fish Pellets, Omega One Shrimp sticks and NLS Algae Wafers. They seem to finish off the Pellets real quick, and like picking at the wafers. Oddly, the sticks, which the Adult Syno's love, don't get touched at all. I will probably start feeding them NLS growth pellets in a few weeks once their appetite gets bigger.
Thanks for all the advice.