Best food for fry growth?

[AusPleco]

I currently have 2 lots of albino brsitlenose fry with one lot being sbout 4-6 weeks old and the other 1 week old. I have been feeding them algae wafers and blanched zucchini however they do not really seem to be growing too much (6week lot).

Is there anything i can feed them to improve growth? Thr algae wafers i use are hikari brand and also conduct regular water changes and hold the fry in a separate 160 litr tank.

 

[scatz]

the fastest growth always comes from having a constant food source, like the blanched zuchini and wafers as you are, with daily water changes. With extra clean water and constant food, you should see them grow on really quickly. You shouldn't need to be adding high protein foods for them to get the growth.

 

[AusPleco]

Okay, i have been doing 25% water chanfes every 2-4 days and on the grow out tank am utilising the standard tank filter on aquaone Ar850, a 1000ltr/hr canister filter and 2 large sponge filters and an air stone.


If i was to do daily water changes wat % would u recommend?

 

[scatz]

no more than 10% i'd say. temperature will also have an impact on the growth, warmer water tends to speed up their metabolism, it may help to bump up the temp by a couple of degrees if the water is on the cooler side, but not enough to shock them

 

[AusPleco]

my grow out tank is in the kitchen and tempo fluctuates between 24 and 28 celcius depending on weather. I am looking at moving the fry fropm the AR850 to a tank which is 1100x500x460, apparentally my lfs guy reckons that tank would be better???

 

[scatz]

whether the tank would be better or not i couldn't say, i tend to use small tanks for the innitial grow out, but i guess bigger is better, so long as the food is well dispersed and accesable for all the fry that spread out.
With your temps going up to 28, i wouldn't worry about trying to get it warmer, thats plenty warm enough

 

[AusPleco]

Well my new fry are in a mesh fry saver and what i have done for the others is brought a plastic rectangle ccontainer with slits in the side, attached air hose to it so i can lower and raise it in the tank and added a sponge filter weight so it stays on the bottom. All my older fry swim into it for their food as it minimises mess in the tank

 

[Gus]

Hi Scatzon

At the moment I'm having 5pcs of baby L183 and will increase to total of 10pcs by mid of this month and I place my tank at the balcony and temp is about 29/30 at time as singapore is a warm sunny country and I'm feeding them daily with live tubifex worms as I have no problem having live worm for my fish. Do you have any good or better suggestion on the feeding as I'm still learning on how to keep pleco.

Many thanks

Gus

whether the tank would be better or not i couldn't say, i tend to use small tanks for the innitial grow out, but i guess bigger is better, so long as the food is well dispersed and accesable for all the fry that spread out.
With your temps going up to 28, i wouldn't worry about trying to get it warmer, thats plenty warm enough

 

[Lornek8]

Hi Scatzon

At the moment I'm having 5pcs of baby L183 and will increase to total of 10pcs by mid of this month and I place my tank at the balcony and temp is about 29/30 at time as singapore is a warm sunny country and I'm feeding them daily with live tubifex worms as I have no problem having live worm for my fish. Do you have any good or better suggestion on the feeding as I'm still learning on how to keep pleco.

Many thanks

Gus

Plecs are primarily herbivorous or omnivorous. L183 should be fed a diet primarily of algae and plant matter with an ocassional (1 per week or so ) feeding of meaty foods like the tubifex. Feeding tubifex every day is a good way to cause digestive problems as they are not adapted to eating so much animal proteins.

 

[Gus]

okie thank for the information