Keeping and Breeding Ancistrus sp. 3 - Page 3: Raising the Fry
Keeping and Breeding Ancistrus sp. 3 - Page 3: Raising the Fry
Written by Monday, 23 February 2009 00:00
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| Keeping and Breeding Ancistrus sp. 3 |
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Raising the fry
The fry are relatively undemanding. Initially we kept them in 40 litre raising tanks, serviced by an air filter and an air stone. The general water parameters mirrored these in the tank of their parents (this was essential as the father was removed with the cave containing the eggs). The tanks were simply decorated, with soft sand substrate and pieces of soft wood for the fry to rasp and hide under. The eggs hatch after about 3-4 days, depending on the water temperature and the fry will start coming out of the cave about 4-5 days later. As the broods consist of eggs laid at different moments in time some fry consume their yolk sacs earlier than others. Fry feed well on cucumber and courgette initially. Crushed spirulina tablets, artemia grains, and staple adult food are also well accepted. It is important to keep the water clean by performing regular small water changes daily to ensure there is no pollution from food left overs.
Pigmentation starts becoming obvious when the fry are about nine days old. After the third week all the fry have their characteristic pattern, consisting of white or golden spots on a dark brown body. The spots are initially golden or white lines which, as the fry grow, separate and become smaller.
If the fry are to be left in the main tank to grow out it is important to cover with sponges all the filter intakes. We have found a number of fry growing inside filter chambers or in sumps; it appears they have a tendency to go in rather unsafe places in search of food, or that they are too weak to resist even a slow current and get carried away.
Another issue to consider when having Ancistrus sp. 3 fry is the mix of albino fry a hobbyist may have in a brood. Mendel's laws are naturally valid however this may not be apparent if the male has spawned with more than one female, one of whom is an albino or having a trait. In these cases the ratio of albino to normally coloured fry will vary.
When raising 200-300 fry it may be quite difficult to regulate the food and water changes required to avoid loses. As indicated, we have noticed the fry growing in the sump or the filter sponges were gaining body mass much faster than the fry we hand raised ourselves. We thus tried the following experiment: we put the cave of the father in a tank with two young Hypancistrus L262 (young panaques also work well). When the fry were ready to eat we added daily a couple of small pieces of fresh vegetables for them and we fed the two Hypancistrus as per normal (with the panaques we simply put a larger quantity of fresh vegetables). This worked to perfection. The fry were feeding on both the detritus produced by the Hypancistrus and their vegetables, which the Hypancistrus would not touch. As a result we avoided the mess which the ground staple food would normally produce if left over.
Fry graze on every surface in the tank, including the glass. As they grow older they become particularly effective glass cleaners; we do not clean the glass when they are younger as they do feed off the matter that collects there. The glass may look a bit "messy" but the youngsters are all the happier for it.
The size of the breeder tank is essential in determining the growth rates of the fry. We tend to split the broods every 2 months to ensure adequate growth. Our fry reach the 8cm mark within a year; by that time they are ready to spawn themselves.
Photos by the authors.
Read Ancistrus sp. 3 profile.
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