# Sudden Death of convict fry - Why???



## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

They are jellybean parrots/convict cichlids..dwarf species.
The first batch of fry went fine and almost 100% survived. I transferred this first batch to a 20 gal tank and they are now a little over 1/2 in. length.
This second batch got me puzzled. They were doing fine until a few days ago when they started dying off bit by bit. They are about less than a size of a grain of rice. Eating freshly hatched brine shrimps everyday...full stomach and all. They are kept in a 5 gal tank. I changed the water just in case but this morning almost all of them died.. only have a few survivors. I don't understand. 
I only feed them once a day around 8 PM and I give them lots of brine shrimps to eat. I figure they can pick on the rest later once they are full.
Is it genetics or the water?
anybody has experience like this? or know why this could be?
Thanks


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

what?, did you have a amonia spike?, electrical current in tank, parent eat them, did the parents spawn again and eat batch 1?, temp drop/spike>?

what the heck?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh no Chris R this the ones from the pink and blue parents?


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

Claudia said:


> Oh no Chris R this the ones from the pink and blue parents?


Yes these are the parents from another thread I posted earlier.

Mac,
I haven't used a heater because it's not winter yet so the water has been around 74-76 deg. F depending on the day but a week ago when it was cold, the temp went down to like 72 or so, so I plugged in a heater. A few hours later I went to check on the temp and it was at 80 even though I turned the 50 w heater to its lowest setting..I think the thermostat on that heater doesn't work so I unplugged it and stopped using it leaving it as unheated like before. Temp went back down to about 74 later.
Do you think it's that temp spike that triggered it?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

my only piece of advise or change would be stop with the brine shrimp and grind some pellets and flakes to dust, fry should eat 4 times a day , smaller but more frequent meals, they WILL canabalize one another if they are hungry but just dropping dead, sounds weird


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

U should feed them more times per day, small feedings but more often. Also even if the temp out side is nice is better to have a heater in there, temp goes down at nite and the change of water temp is not good for them


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

temp swings are hard on fish period, why would you unplug it at 80 degreez? i have all my tanks like 84, 80 is a min ?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

that could play a major part


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks Mac and Claudia. I came home from work today and I have about 12 survivors left. I removed all the casualties and changed the water again.
I can feed in the morning before going to work and a second time when I come home and a third time later in the night.
I have been feeding them strictly brine shrimps so maybe that is not a good idea. How about crushed flake food in the morning, cyclopeeze on second, and brine shrimps last feeding.
I plugged a heater back and set it for 78 deg. Lesson learned: constant water temp and more frequent and varied feeding.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

U can also feed microworms, they will stay alive in the water and u dont have to worry about feeding while u r not home in the am. Microworms have work for me


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Everytime I buy something from someone, I end up with food they want to get rid of as well. I have flakes, mini and medium sized pellets, the sinking pellets for bottom feeders, algae discs for plecos... 

I take small amounts of all of them into an old coffee grinder (which had been used for purposes other than coffee for about 10 years  ) and grind the crap out it until its a fine powder. Then I dump the powder into the tank with my fry. They love it.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

ThePhoenix said:


> Everytime I buy something from someone, I end up with food they want to get rid of as well. I have flakes, mini and medium sized pellets, the sinking pellets for bottom feeders, algae discs for plecos...
> 
> I take small amounts of all of them into an old coffee grinder (which had been used for purposes other than coffee for about 10 years  ) and grind the crap out it until its a fine powder. Then I dump the powder into the tank with my fry. They love it.


Yup that u can also do, i bought a little coffee grinder for my fish too lol


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## bcorchidguy (Jan 14, 2011)

Pellets, waffers etc will slowly fall apart into powdery mush and the fry can pick on that during the day as well. Worms are nice and fatty though for good growth, algae wafers are nice for slow disolving but you will have to clean up un eaten stuff at the end of the day.

Douglas


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

haha..I only have one coffee grinder and we use it for coffee. I don't think it is a good idea to borrow it for fish food or else my coffee may end up tasting a little fishy.
how do you get microworms or where do you buy them anyway?


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## bcorchidguy (Jan 14, 2011)

King Ed among other places sells them sometimes or you can buy starter cultures online, they're easy to grow and fish lovem. Microworms, white worms and vinegar eels are always worth having around. Vinegar eels are easiest in my opinion but harder to harvest.

Douglas


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