krib fry advice needed

[coldheart]

My Kribs have spawned and I've got a bunch of babies on my hands - I'd say around 15-20 at a rough count. Initially, I thought there might be more, but this morning they were more out in the open.

I've been watching the parents and they're doing a great job of keeping the other fish away, but what I'm wondering is, is it just instinct that's keeping the fry bunched up, or is there something else at play that's stopping them from swimming off on their own?

Unfortunately, I don't have a separate tank to move them to, so I'll just have to let nature take its course and hope some of them make it. That got me thinking - I've ground up some flake food into tiny bits, hoping the fry might be able to get some of it. But will they actually be able to eat it, or do I just have to wait until they're old enough to feed themselves?

Do the parents ever pick up small bits of food and spit them out for the fry, or do they just leave them to fend for themselves?

[lintel]

From what I know, the fry will feed off the egg sac for a bit, and in a well-established tank, there's usually enough food in the gravel for them to scavenge. I've never had much luck with dropping flake for mine, sadly mine just get picked off one by one over a week - my corys love snacking on them. I don't think the parents pick up bits of food and spit them out for the fry. The rest is probably just instinct - the parents will gather them up if they stray too far.

[coldheart]

Thanks for the info, I've got 4 Corys in there with the parents and they're doing a great job of keeping them at bay, chasing them off whenever they get too close, same with any other fish that tries to get near the fry.

[lintel]

My corys will be after them too, it's just a matter of time, they'll get picked off one by one.

[coldheart]

I just observed the parents relocating the fry, and what struck me was the mother collecting them in her mouth and moving to a different spot. The father stood guard over the rest until she returned for more. I had no idea they exhibited this behavior.

[lintel]

Yeah they'll keep doing that, gathering them up when they need to. It's at lights out when they scatter and that's when the corys will pick them off. Good luck with it.

[coldheart]

Lights out, that's when the danger time is. I thought darkness would be safer for the little ones, but it seems that's when the Corys get them. I'm wondering if keeping the light on would be better for the fry, though I've always heard that's not great for the fish in general. Maybe I could try leaving a table lamp next to the tank, would that be a better option or just a waste of time?

[lintel]

I'm not sure what I did was right, but I left the room light on, seems when it's dark the fry will go for cover in the gravel, that's when the mother gathers them up and moves them to a safer spot, but while she's doing this, the corrys will start picking them off, that's what always happens with mine when they have fry.

[coldheart]

I've got a coconut shell in the tank, that's where they first spawned, then I thought the parents had abandoned it but they'd just moved on to a plant and a big stone, then I spotted the fry, so I guess they left the shell for them to swim around in.

This morning when I turned the lights on, both parents were back in the shell, so I'm assuming they spent the night in there for safety.

Got a new 24L tank today, added some mature media so it'll be cycled if any of the fry make it, might be able to transfer them, if not it'll be a breeding or hospital tank for the future.