Re: [Killietalk] liquify no. 1 and no. 2

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

Frans,

What killie fry are you wishing to feed? There are some killies whose new-born have mouths are too small for newly hatched baby brine shrimp (bbs). But most newly hatched killifish can take newly hatched baby brine shrimp. The reason newly is emphasized is that members of Killietalk and others have noted that the baby brine shrimp, born without functional mouths, will go through two molts or instars in their first day or two.

Each time they get larger and more difficult for small fry to consume. Also, because they are not eating on their own yet, they are using up a lot of that nutritious stored food from their egg or cyst. Therefore the bbs are less nutritious for the fish fry at 24 hours than they were at three hours after hatching.

So in most cases we wish to feed the new fry of Aphyosemion, Fundulopanchax, Aplocheilus, Nothobranchius, Epiplatys, etc. bbs that is just an hour or three post-hatching. The exception here is if that killie fry still have a yoke sack; that should be absorbed before bbs is added. 

You have probably noticed recent posts here where several individuals have strongly recommended having small pond snails in with the fry to clean up uneaten, rotting bbs. Decaying brine shrimp seems to provide an ideal environment for velvet (perhaps already in our water at a "non-lethal level") to bloom and quickly kill the killie fry.

You have mentioned working to hatch Nothobranchius fry. Try a small quantity of newly hatched bbs with them. Look to see if their bellies get larger. As the fry grow, we can often see their rounded bellies even get a little orange from all of the bbs in them.

I have been trying to avoid the use of brine shrimp (though it is often included in flake foods.) I use green water, much as your pet shop had suggested the use of liquifry. Killie fry may brouse on a few of the organisms in the green water (though it is awfully thin soup). But, as with Wright's observation on the liquifry, the green water is good food for a very small daphnia - Moina species. The adult Moina are about the sized of newly hatched bbs. I can't even see their babies - but I'll bet the killie fry can. ;)

There are a number of variations on that theme. John Clairmont raised up the best of show displayed at the 2005 AKA national by placing a hatch of Lucania goodei in a "regular" Daphnia culture. The fry ate some of what the Daphnia were eating (maybe in a 50-100 liter culture) until they could consume the youngest baby Daphnia. The killies then just worked their way up the scale to adult Daphnia. If one can keep their fry literally swimming in food, they have placed the fry in an almost ideal situation.

I will also take a bucket, fill it with old aquarium water and a few decaying leaves or some grass pullings from the side of the garden. (Wiser people put that veggetative material in fine meshed plastic to keep the material in.) In the summer sun, that gets pretty fetid in a day or two and mosquitoes, attracted by the scent, begin to lay their eggs in that container. The eggs look a little like charcoal one may have scratched from a log with their fingernails. One can put an egg raft in with the fry or harvest the mosquito larvae after a day or two.

The organically rich culture water should not be transferred to the water with the killie fry. A fine meshed net is very useful in this situation. The net is inverted into a jar or glass of clean water. The larvae may be washed again through that net or a couple of sieves and then fed to apprpriately sized fry. It is wise to check later and see if any mosquito larvae survived to grow larger. Those larger larvae, of course, should be removed with a turkey baster or pipet and fed to adult killies. :)

There is a responsibility to see that one is not allowing the mosquitoes to develop into their flying stage. But if the culture is monitored (and dumped if it gets out of hand), it is a very inexpensive and beneficial source of food for the fry. Newly hatched mosquito larvae are usually much smaller and softer than bbs. They work well with the smaller fry.

The fry of many killie species tend to seek the surface layers of the water and of course, directly encounter the newly hatched mosquito larvae. When the larvae move, it triggers an enthusiastic feeding response from the killie fry. Your Nothobranchius may not rest at the surface. In that case, keep the fry in very shallow water so that the Notho fry may encounter the mosquito larvae. In that situation, keep the container out of strong light so that it will not overheat. Probably more frequent water changes will be needed with such a small volume of water.

Maybe there are too many suggestions here. The hope is that one item may be selected by you and be of use. 

All the best!

Scott



--- On Mon, 6/15/09, Frans Thamura <frans at meruvian_org> wrote:

From: Frans Thamura <frans at meruvian_org>
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] liquify no. 1 and no. 2
To: "killifish discussion list" <killietalk at aka_org>
Date: Monday, June 15, 2009, 11:00 AM

>
> It is indirect food.. I use Liquifry No 1 to feed infusoria, which then
> provides smaller babies with early live food.

i have 1 day killi, and i have fairy shrimp and artemia,

but i am thinking another food , and the fish shop give these no 1 and no. 2.


>
> One or two drops on a clump of Java Moss will provide a small cloud of
> infusoria in about 24 hours.

what do you mean of infusoria @ Javamoss in 24 hour?

can i drop the liquifry to the peat moss (with 1 day killi fish
inside), and make my killi fish fat full of food.


>
> As far as I can tell, baby killies do not eat the Liquifry itself, and if
> you use Amquel or other formaldehyde-like dechloraminators, it just rots and
> clouds the water.


what is amquel and what is formalidehyde?? never hear this


>
> Modern dechloramine agents tend to kill all microcritters as well as other
> soft inverts like Hydra..


what si decloramine?


is this dangerours for my killi babies?

F
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