Paretroplus Menarambo update, a bit worried about one

[LS2012]

Its been a week since their arrival. They've settled in well and all have great appetites, even with their tiny mouths. Eating 4 or 5 times a day, crushed .5mm pellets, veggie and bs flakes. Constantly moving, sifting and head shaking. Racing to the glass when anyone enters the room. They've already started eating and tugging on plants. Here's a few pics, still not great, but better.

Interestingly, I have the best pic of the smallest one I'm concerned about. The belly looks a bit concave and its coloring is much lighter than the rest. Bits of color changes throughout the day, but always lighter than the rest. I'm not sure if its just one of the smaller fish from the spawn or if something is wrong. No odd behavior and always with the rest of the group.

Any thoughts folks?

 

[koltsixx]

I'm definitely new to these guys but as long as he/she looks healthy(minus the slightly concave belly) and is eating and pooping regularly as well as acting like the rest I wouldn't worry too much. I'd just keep an eye on him/her as much as possible to see if there's any change in behavior. In my opinion he/she's probably the low man on the totem pole(I also have one whose lighter then the rest and he/she's definitely the least dominant) and just isn't getting as much to eat as the more dominant of the group. At this size I also find they run right through food and I'm feeding them 3-4 times a day easily to keep their bellies rounded. Good luck with your new pick-ups and keep the thread updated so we get to see how the little guy/girl s doing.

 

[LS2012]

I'm definitely new to these guys but as long as he/she looks healthy(minus the slightly concave belly) and is eating and pooping regularly as well as acting like the rest I wouldn't worry too much. I'd just keep an eye on him/her as much as possible to see if there's any change in behavior. In my opinion he/she's probably the low man on the totem pole(I also have one whose lighter then the rest and he/she's definitely the least dominant) and just isn't getting as much to eat as the more dominant of the group. At this size I also find they run right through food and I'm feeding them 3-4 times a day easily to keep their bellies rounded. Good luck with your new pick-ups and keep the thread updated so we get to see how the little guy/girl s doing.

Thanks! Definitely eating/pooping/same behavior. The hierarchy aspect does come into play with Damba. Just didn't think it started this young.

BTW the pic of your juvie is amazing, as are all your photos! Wish I could take pics like that

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[ciclasoman]

I definitely have seen differences in growth rates in Paretroplus fry. Dominance and access to food are very evident, with smaller individuals growing about 50% lower than the largest ones. My solution is to remove the fish and grow them apart. They eventually catch up in size. At the size of your fish, weaning from artemia might have been premature. I would feed them live artemia if possible, once a day or every other day to supplement their regular food.

 

[LS2012]

I definitely have seen differences in growth rates in Paretroplus fry. Dominance and access to food are very evident, with smaller individuals growing about 50% lower than the largest ones. My solution is to remove the fish and grow them apart. They eventually catch up in size. At the size of your fish, weaning from artemia might have been premature. I would feed them live artemia if possible, once a day or every other day to supplement their regular food.

Thank you Jose, very helpful insight. I was surprised at their size upon arrival. Premature weaning makes sense. It looks like I'll have another hatchery in my kitchen

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[LS2012]

Quick update, they're loving their BBS. Chasing and quickly catching them with gusto. The littlest one no longer has a concave belly, and has gained more color. This was a very rapid improvement. Needless to say, I'm very relieved. Fingers crossed they'll all continue to thrive.

Many, many thanks to Jose! :thumbup:

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[ciclasoman]

That's great news Laurie. Best wishes. Jose

 

[koltsixx]

Definitely great news, I'm glad to hear the littlest one's doing better now. Thanks for the compliment on the pic, gotta say again I really love these little guys. My group has already put on I'd say 1/4 to 1/2 an inch each already and the growth rate seems to be increasing. As far as yours continuing to thrive, I'm sure they will under your passionate eye.

 

[LS2012]

That's great news Laurie. Best wishes. Jose

Thank you Jose! How are yours? You're one of the few who maintains a stable group, very impressive, as always. Do you have any recent pics?

Definitely great news, I'm glad to hear the littlest one's doing better now. Thanks for the compliment on the pic, gotta say again I really love these little guys. My group has already put on I'd say 1/4 to 1/2 an inch each already and the growth rate seems to be increasing. As far as yours continuing to thrive, I'm sure they will under your passionate eye.

You're welcome, I wish I could take pics like yours! How many are in your group? I'd love to see pics of them as well.
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Since my photography skills are embarrassing, here's a quick video. They're not too dark in the ambient light this time of day. Interestingly, since their bodies are still somewhat translucent, its easy to see who has a full belly. They appear to have grown since their arrival.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=59iOEw...ch?v=59iOEwC2aJk&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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[ciclasoman]

Thank you Jose! How are yours? You're one of the few who maintains a stable group, very impressive, as always.

The fish are doing great, after many years of breeding, they still manage to give me fry about 4 times per year at the tender age of 12 or so. Younger fish spawn almost twice as frequently so I have younger generations mixed with the older adults.
Currently I'm growing about 200 in separate tanks. They are still being feed baby artemia twice a day, so it is quite labor intensive as maculatus, dambabe, Paratilapia and Pachypanchax also have lots of fry.