fry problem

[fishbait912]

hi, most of my flowerhorn fry have gill plate problems. they are not fully covering the gill leaving them half exposed. why is that? they are about half n inch right now and in a 80 gallon tank.

 

[joe jaskot]

Bad hybrid genetics (defective genes).

 

[Water]

Gill curl is usually a water quality issue. Fry are very sensitive to bad water quality. Whats your water parameters?(Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate) How much water do you change out weekly?

 

[fishbait912]

i do 20-30percent a week

 

[Water]

How many fry are you raising in one tank? When I was raising fry of any type, I did 10-20% water changes daily and 100% on saturdays. Try upping your water changes.

 

[fishbait912]

i have about 100 in a 80 gallon, will changing the water now restore their gills? they are 1 month old fry.

 

[Water]

i have about 100 in a 80 gallon, will changing the water now restore their gills? they are 1 month old fry.

Yeah 100 fry in a 80gallon with 20-30% water changes a week isn't going to cut it. If you do a large water change(50% would be a good start for you) ASAP, things should get better. With so many fry, I would suggest at least 10%(20%+ would be best) water changes daily just to remove uneaten food/built up waste.

 

[fishbait912]

cool, thanks