Hello All
My pair of Orange Flash are in a 29 gallon established tank. Only two ottos and 3 amano shrimp share the tank. This is the first time the pair had fry - about 50 - that became free swimming about a week and a half ago. I started feeding baby brine shrimp twice a day and I could see they were eating it as their bellies got pink and fatter. However, over the next 5 days, I progressively saw fewer and fewer fry. The male and female are still in the tank with the fry and I never saw the male or female eat the fry. Every day the female herded them outside the driftwood and every night she herded them back into the driftwood.
I changed the water (40%) once a week but the first time I did it was after most of the fry had already disappeared. I had been growing various mosses, rotala, hygrophila for the past year in the tank so it's nicely planted with many pieces of driftwood. I run an Eheim 2215 canister filter (no spray bar) so the flow is not very strong at all, and I put a sponge over the intake.
The only thing that was unfortunate is the tank heater malfunctioned and I didn't realize it until I stuck my hand in the water during the weekly water change. The temp was about 72 degrees and was probably that temp during the entire time the fry was free-swimming. My ottos and amano are very happy in the tank and get chased away by the female if they get remotely close to the fly.
I only have one fry left after a week and half of being free-swimming.
What could have been the problem? Was 72 degrees slowly killing off the fry? The male and female acted normal.
I replaced the heater today and took the tank up to 78 degrees and hope the pair will breed again.
My pair of Orange Flash are in a 29 gallon established tank. Only two ottos and 3 amano shrimp share the tank. This is the first time the pair had fry - about 50 - that became free swimming about a week and a half ago. I started feeding baby brine shrimp twice a day and I could see they were eating it as their bellies got pink and fatter. However, over the next 5 days, I progressively saw fewer and fewer fry. The male and female are still in the tank with the fry and I never saw the male or female eat the fry. Every day the female herded them outside the driftwood and every night she herded them back into the driftwood.
I changed the water (40%) once a week but the first time I did it was after most of the fry had already disappeared. I had been growing various mosses, rotala, hygrophila for the past year in the tank so it's nicely planted with many pieces of driftwood. I run an Eheim 2215 canister filter (no spray bar) so the flow is not very strong at all, and I put a sponge over the intake.
The only thing that was unfortunate is the tank heater malfunctioned and I didn't realize it until I stuck my hand in the water during the weekly water change. The temp was about 72 degrees and was probably that temp during the entire time the fry was free-swimming. My ottos and amano are very happy in the tank and get chased away by the female if they get remotely close to the fly.
I only have one fry left after a week and half of being free-swimming.
What could have been the problem? Was 72 degrees slowly killing off the fry? The male and female acted normal.
I replaced the heater today and took the tank up to 78 degrees and hope the pair will breed again.
