A. cacatuoides fry in a community tank

[Griz]

What to do...

I've been keeping a trio of cacs in a community tank for nearly a year now. They have bred regularly but the resulting fry never last more than a few days before becoming fish food. At least 8 from the latest batch have made it for more than 2 weeks now (since I noticed them) and are about a quarter inch long now. The female is still protecting them but today has been spending more time away from them, flirting with the male. She has also started cleaning under her piece of driftwood as if preparing a nest site. I'm becoming concerned that she may lay eggs again and abandon the fry. I have a spare 20 gal tank that I'm thinking about setting up to grow them out and eventually keeping a trio for my son in his room. He's 9 and quite interested in my/our tank.

What do you think? Remove them? Leave them alone a while longer?

edit: Tankmates are one-lined pencilfish, firehead tetras, neon tetras and corydoras (sodalis).

 

[Apistt_ed]

Hello griz,

To give you some insight into how I've seen it happen here in my tanks, once the female chooses to spawn again... if there is no outside interference, the female would most likely chase away the previous fry and not abandon the one she is currently with. If your fry are about a quarter to half an inch then they are most likely able to fend for themselves by now and are of no interest to the other tankmates. If you are concerned and would like to try to catch the young and grow them out in a separate tank, that is a fairly safe and great option! It comes down to you really. I say set up the tank for your son. There's nothing like sharing the love of any activity such as aquarium care with a child. Any chance you get to share it with them being interested is a far better reward no matter how it turns out in the end compared to videogames or the dreaded television! =)

cheers. john

 

[Griz]

Thanks John

We counted 13 today so they seem to be getting on just fine. We will clone my spare tank and get it ready for them, but as long as they are doing well we will leave them in the community tank for a while longer. I'm surprised really, I never though that fry would make it in this tank. Mom is one tough fish though, she is the dominant fish in the tank, even the male doesn't mess with her.

I agree 100% about video games (we don't have one) and TV. It's so nice to see him staring at the tank with his back to the TV set.

 

[Griz]

These guys are now 3-4 weeks old and are 1/4 inch or so long. There are at least 6 remaining, probably a few more. I still can't believe they have made it this far! Catching them has proved much more difficult that we thought. They are extremely quick and mobile and are well camoflaged against the sand bottom. Short of tearing the tank apart, I don't think we will be able to get them. At any sign of danger they hide under the large piece of driftwood where they were raised or under a large piece of granite nearby. So it looks like they will have to fend for themselves. The female is still protecting them.

What do you think their chances are?

Plan B will be to put the male and the dominant female into the 20 gallon to breed. We will put the male back into the community tank shortly afterwards leaving the female to care for them. Eventually she will go back as well and leave the fry to grow up in the 20 gal. A trio will be selected as permenant residents.