Feeding – micro worms and baby brine shrimp
Fry need to be fed constantly. This is their primary need at this critical time. And its hard to feed them compared to feeding adult fish, because they are so tiny that most food won’t fit in their mouths.
Most breeders feed new fry freshly hatched brine shrimp. You’ll need to have your brine shrimp hatching timed to about a day or two after your fry have hatched. This means you’ll probably need to get your brine shrimp culture started about the same time you are setting up the spawning tank.
Other breeders feed their newborn fry protozoans that they’ve cultured from protozoan starter cultures. You can buy these from biological supply stores or from fish supply stores online. To get the start kit started, put it in water will some food, such as a dried vegetable and a very small pinch of betta food pellets.
Water changes
Its hard to maintain the water in a fry tank. You need to get the water out, but keep the tiny fry in. Many breeders use turkey basters or siphons to carefully get the water out, then replace it with clean water. Because there is so much food in the water, it gets dirty fast, and fry must have clean water for optimal growth and to prevent disease. An outbreak of disease can wipe out a whole spawn in a matter of days, so the water changes, no matter how much of a hassle they are, are essential.
Separating fry
Some fry will grow faster and larger than their siblings. Within a few weeks of hatching some of them may become so aggressive that they need to be separated. Even if they are not aggressive, the largest fish should be moved to a special tank where they can all get big together, without overpowering and hogging food from their smaller, but possibly just as valuable, sisters and brothers.
Fry raised together will not fight. But if they are separated at any time, upon reunion, they’ll fight like they’ve never met each other.
