Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on September 13, 2012 at 10:04pm

If they can't handle microworms, the only alternative is infusoria. I have several quart jars set up to produce it for my Ram fry. Is it working? I have no idea! The Infusoria are invisible to the naked eye; so I recently ordered a microscope to find out if I'm producing fry food or just a bunch of stinky, bacteria laden water. In the meantime I've been dumping a few ounces of this water into my fry tank and hoping for the best. Judging from the results its not working very well.

Here is a link for some commercial, extra-small, fry food:

http://www.amazon.com/Sera-Micron-Powered-Food-Fry/dp/1942007200

There is another product called "Liquifry" which is really just something to get infusoria going.

I haven't tried either one so I can't vouch for them. The Sera-Micron is not live food; so it can only be used as a supplement to infusoria. If fish fry don't ingest live food/infusoria they die because they need the live bacteria in the infusoria to stay alive. Discus mucous is believed to contain this type of bacteria. 

Since you won't have enough time to grow infusoria, try throwing a canned green bean(s) in the water and a bunch of plants - as many as you can. This is one way to kick start the infusoria population but it still may not be enough. There is a 3-5 day window to get food into the babys' stomachs or they will die. After one week they are big enough to take microworms, walterworms, and baby brine shrimp. 

If you have green water in any of your tanks use it now!!. Green water is actually billions of tiny one-celled algal organisms called Euglena. I'm pretty sure Boesmani hatchlings eat them. This is how the Asians raise baby Bettas which are tiny. They just throw them in huge pools of water that resemble pea soup. Green water also contains tons of infusoria and is the healthiest water for fish to live in. To get green water going, mix water, organic fertilizer with iron, and plenty of sunlight. 

I ordered some Vinegar Eels from Aquarimax.com. They are smaller than Microworms, don't sink, and stay alive until eaten. This way they don't cloud the water.  I'm not sure if they're too big for Boesmanis but its worth a try. You can also try Walterworms. They're smaller than Microworms but bigger than Vinegar Eels. Good luck but I have to warn you that your best bet is to prepare for the next batch of fry. You may get lucky and end up with some survivors. I raised 8 Serpae Tetras from eggs in a heavily planted community tank without even knowing it. 

Permalink Reply by Chiemeng Cha on September 14, 2012 at 11:43pm

i actually went to the fish store today and they helped me. they sold me some water lettuce and said that it should have enough infusoria that should last a week. i can actually see them if i look VERY  hard. after an hour i can notice that the bellies of the frys are larger than before. thanks for the info :)

Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on September 15, 2012 at 12:12am

They said, "it should have enough infusoria that [it] should last a week" Sounds good. Then they took your money and said, "Thank-you very much". Sounds very familiar. People at most fish stores will tell you anything to make a sale and I suspect in the back of your mind you sense this to be true. Infusoria can't be seen with the naked eye but its possible you have some some rotifiers - very small animals that exist in all aquariums. I think these may be too big and too few for the fry but I've never raised Boesmani fry so I can't predict what will happen. Like I said before, I've had Serpae Tetras and Betta fry survive in community tanks with absolutely no help from me and then I've had thousands of other small fry die en masse.

In nature tiny fish fry are born into a veritable soup of bacteria, algae, and infusoria. When I said Betta fry are raised in water that resembles pea soup I wasn't exaggerating. It is so green you can't see more than an inch into the water. Water containing lots of infusoria can also become cloudy. Your Boesmani fry may live. Who knows? But I think you were right to get the Water Lettuce. Good move. How about a cigar if they live?  

Permalink Reply by Chiemeng Cha on September 15, 2012 at 3:22am

i only payed 2.99 and it filled up about 3/4 my 20 gallon long tank. i dont think it really matters about money because i would gladly support my lfs. i dont expect everywhere to be free..... btw i think the water lettuce looks pretty nice anyways. but going on u may be right about rotifers. u can send me some cigars if u want if they live lol

Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on September 16, 2012 at 4:13am

I like supporting local businesses that don't lie to me.

Of course the lying is not always malicious. Sometimes its just a teenager trying to impress you. But when the owner tries to take advantage that's where I draw the line. There's too many nice people out there to waste time with deadbeats.

Its an old American custom for a proud parent gives out cigars on the birth of a child. We'll just keep at "congratulations" if they live. 

Permalink Reply by Chiemeng Cha on September 16, 2012 at 11:34pm

are u saying that my lfs is lying to me? u dont even know me dude... if ur thinking i shop at pet stores like petco or something then ur wrong. plus the lfs i go to is my good friends fathers shop. i dont even know why ur acting so negative. but anyways thanks for the info again.