OK, the babies are going great guns! They are day 5 and are huge compared to the wiggly eggs I had when they first fell off the slate. They are bigger than fleas now! I roughly estimate I still have over 200. After managing the water quality problem and starting my own brine shrimp hatchery, I am allowing myself to be confident that I might actually be an adequate (first time with fry) Mummy to get alot of them through, not to mention I know I will have more eggs soon!!!

I have had three fish shops and a fellow fish nut ask for them when they are bigger, but there is still a way to go before I let them go out in the world.

What would you guys do? I want to start cycling their next home, I don't envisage the 18 ltr goldfish tank will be an option for that much longer. So, first question, how old and big should they be before I start adopting them out, how much space will I need for them in the interim?

I am thinking I will need to buy at least a 3 ft tank?? At what age are they big enough and smart enough not to need a sponge filter? Is there something I need to know about setting up a tank for little tackers that is different to setting up a regular oscar tank? How would you guys go about it?

Thanks, Shaz

wow, you're getting there.
I got no expierience here, so better wit for the experts on the matter.
But how many babys can you deliver at the moment?
ow many are the shops willing to take?
Just curious, for i am wondering what to o with the babies if my O's were to hatch succesfully.

I bet you're glued to the tank at the moment, right?

I'm so glad it's going along so well for you! I also want to know how you are going to manage to find homes/sell 150+ babies. Shops and friends can only take so many. LOL Good luck with them, though. I know how exciting it is to have babies of any animal, and it must be super-exciting for them to be fish!

Thanks, yes, very very excited and glued to the tank is un understatement. If the could be kept alive with monitoring, wishes and constantly being talked about then they would all live forever.

I can not even get my head around how many I might have that grow to a suitable age - the only breeding I have done is guppies. Because I did not want to keep getting guppy tanks I let the adults apply the whole survival of the fittest, natural selection thing and I usually end up with only a couple of new babies each month that don't get eaten, which I can manage.

But they are just guppies AND THESE ARE OSCARS!!!! I think subconciously I believe that if I keep checking on them they won't die. Looking out for behavioural changes and checking the water. It's like having kids - I am feeding them 4 - 6 hourly so I don't have to put alot of food in the tank all at once which means I am doing at least one night feed at the moment....I really need to get a life don't I.

Anyway....anyone with ideas about a new tank...I am glued to the computer when I am not glued to the tank....thanks for listening, I mean reading my excitement...

Shaz

Your best bet is to get yourself a 3ft tank like you said and go with a external canister filter....MAKING SURE you put a section of woman's tights/leggings over the intake strainer so you dont suck up any babies...also if you can slow the flow down a little.

Id get that done as soon as possible as they are going to grow quick that's for sure.
So you need your new tank to be cycled and fairly well established...as Baby fish of any species are pretty hard to keep alive if your not doing things right.

Thanks Staffie, I want to get on to it this week so it is ready for them..I like the tights idea, had not thought of that one.

At the moment I don't have gravel with them, just a few ceramic noodles from Mum and Dad Osacar's filter for the babies to congregate around. What do you think about gravel for fry. A small layer in the new tank to boost the bio filter do you think or none so I can see at a glance if I am over feeding??? What would you do?

I would avoid a substrate until they are a decent enough size to see, you dont want the hassle of having to clean the gravel and accidentaly sucking some babies up.

As for tank size, the thing to remember is that you are going to rehome them when they get to about 2 inches so you dont need a massive tank. It really depends on how many survive

can't babies remain in the parent's tank? I didn't think O's ate their fry - but I have no idea.

very exciting - and thanks for the updates. we are all living vicariously through your experience!!

wow!

Just realized we had a "Oscar Babies Alert". Can't wait to see the little fry swimming about.

Very cool. I was starting to think that Oscars breeding was all a big myth.

MeghanR wrote:



Hey Meghan...I had to take the eggs out of the parents tanks because after many goes, it seems they are too fond of caviar...They hatched in a gold fish tank.

It is SO exciting, they almost grow before your eyes..well over a centimeter long now and I have not lost very many at all...reminds me of tadpoles...

Hi Cebosound...I will try to get some footage up today....


Got my tank yesterday, have set it up and put the filter wool from parents tank into the new filter, along with some of their water and I am using Li'l Oscie (my 4") to help cycle the tank...I am watching him and the water closely so he does not suffer...but I figure it will be more effective with an Oscar in it before the bubbas go across, should cycle quicker...anyone think this is too big a risk for Li'l Oscie????

Have taken the material off a fine net to cover the filter inlet and no sand or gravel. In addition to the canister filter I have started a sponge filter as well for extra filtration and because the babies have already figured out that they can get an easy feed by hanging around and waiting for the sponge to suck it out of the water! Those hungry little buggers patrol the sponge all day. I take it out and rinse off the solids twice a day so that it doesn't accumulate rotting food but when I do I have to be careful that there are not still babies attached to it.

For good measure I have put in an airstone and have set the heater to 27 - 28 degrees C. Now I just have to wait........

Thanks again guys...Shaz

I hope you do use old tankwater to rince off the food and not tapwater.
The chlorine in tapwater will wipe out your bacteria in no time.
But i bet you allready knew that.