Whats the best to do now?

[Natural_Born_Killer]

Ok, as people may have seen on the ca/sa forum on Sunday my JD's laid their first batch of eggs.

This is also the first time I have ever had fish lay eggs! I'm probably going a bit OTT, but I don't want to mess this up. The eggs haven't hatched yet.

So what I am wondering is what is best to do once the eggs have hatched?

This was my plan, but if something is wrong, or better to do please let me know.

I was planning to go to the shops tonight and get a 30-40g tanks for when the little guys come out of their eggs. Going to cycle the tank with old media from my filters, some of my gravel and throw in a couple of fish (ones that I was hoping to be gone by now anyway so if they don't survive, as cruel as it sounds its not major to me). Anyway, was thinking that once the eggs hatch, to wait a day or two then move the family into the small tank till the fish are a bit older then to move the parents back at some point to the main tank. This will all depend on the behavior of the parents around the babies though.

Is that alright or is there a better method??

 

[haynchinook334]

just leave the parents in the tank with the fry. Due to the fact the JD's will crush food for the fry. After two weeks, you can put them in a 10gal grow out tank.

 

[Natural_Born_Killer]

In the main tank or the separate one?

Was planning on making the 30g the grow out

 

[haynchinook334]

you can keep the JD's in the main tank. Two weeks or so you can syphon the little fry out and keep them in the 30gal grow out. feeding: i used omaga one flacks ( crushed)

 

[Natural_Born_Killer]

Cool, thanks everyone for the advice. Will start cycling the tank tonight and get it ready for the little guys. IF they appear

 

[Leptar]

I would look for a used 40breeder-55g if you have the room for the parents. Once the fry can move from one end to another end move the parents.. leave the tank dirty like as in don't clean any algae the fry will do that for you.. But watch for food on the bottom that can mold over... you want to take care of that ASAP.. it will grow over any food that settles on the bottom and the fry won't touch it.. Make sure to also put sponges on the intakes of your filters to minimize casualities...
Make them grow with crushed pellets and water changes... I feed my fry a combination of crushed then powdered algae wafers, massivore and bio-gold sinking...

Put them in a heavy duty freezer bag just a few at a time and crush them with a flat object, a flat faced mallet works well.. you don't need allot of force.. once they are crushed you will need a Stainless Steel fine strainer like these:

using a sewing thimble you push the crushed pellets thru the strainer screen a few times to get the desired powder you need. Works with flakes too...