ptychochromis sp Northern Red Fin

[Dan Woodland]

Hi all,

I have a breeding group of Ptychochromis sp. Northern Red fins that produce fry nearly every two or three weeks now yet I am having a tough time keeping the fry alive. They last about two weeks then slowly start to die off. Has anyone else had this issue and conquered it?

I feed brine shrimp on the day they become free swimming.

Any help with this gorgeous fish would be appreciated.

[ciclasoman]

Greetings:
I believe most Ptychochromis species have a similar fate with Pty insolitus being one of the more difficult to rear from egg. There are a couple of things I have done to improve survival, 1st and foremost- Pty like slightly warm temps 80-82F as fry, newly hatched brine shrimp must be decapsulated or you will loose 1/2 of the spawn by the time they are 1 month old, lastly and more importantly is frequent water changes- with regular feedings their tank water can become really dirty- I often change the water daily or every other day untill they are old enough and tolerate to have weekly changes. Pty oligacanthus will swim sometimes erratically against the surface of the water, I have used green pond water to help decrease this. Wish you luck raising these most interesting fish.
Jose

[Vincent Fu]

I had the same problem with my P. grandidieri fry. I believe that this was due to their small size and inability to eat baby brine shrimp immediately after become free swimming. I solved this problem by feeding them crushed pellets for about a week before switching to baby brine shrimp.

[Dan Woodland]

Thanks for the information guys. I have about ten fry that survived. I'll try your ideas on the next batch.