free swimmers not making it.

[happy]

Yesterday i watch all day yolk like things rise to top from the gravel turn into swimmers about 200 of them,then stayed on the top.Since i know nothing i thought it was normal.I turned the flow down.Then after of about 4 hours i realized they were just disenergrating .Parents look busy but went no where near the top.Today the male looks like he wants to mate the female looks like she has eggs.Today same thing is happening I turned the filter off and the lights.Any ideas.

Maybe i am seeing bbs?About 300 wigglers hatched 3-4 days ago.They just fell from the top of the tank into the gravel.I am seeing what appears to be 30 dead looking wigglers on a small rock.Is it likely all the wigglers died from bacteria at the bottom?

 

[Cathy G]

Happy, your eggs were layed on the bottom, the wigglers will wiggle on the bottom, they may shoot off in different directions at times, but there isn't any bacteria killing them off at the bottom.

What are your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? Any readings other than 0 from the first 2, and over 20 for the last will kill off fry very quickly. When they are newly free swimming they may go up to the top if their parents are not around, but they will come back down and feed off the bottom of the tank. When I hatch them artificially they do spend more time at the top than my parent raised ones. I have lots of floating plants at the top of my hatching tanks, they cut down on the current and they supply micro organisms and infusoria for the fry to eat.

I assume you hatched the bbs? Then you know how small they are - the bbs will twitch around the tank for a bit and then settle on the bottom or on plants and such.

You mentioned a filter which you turn down. What type of filter are you using? Usually a small sponge filter works best in fry tanks.

If you are still seeing wigglers laying on a rock, just watch and wait. Usually they will start to swim around day 5 or so. They just may not be wiggling as much as you expect. This too is normal - I've had many wiggle all over the place, and some they lay very quietly for a few days.

Make sure your water parameters are fine. Keep those nitrates down, if these are your young rams, they will be spawning again. Often it takes quite a few times to figure out where you - or the parents - are going wrong.

Cathy