# feeding rainbowfish fry



## klaus07 (Nov 23, 2011)

There are several things you can feed them right away. The easiest is to feed them APR, or artificial plankton rotiger. Vinegar eels also work and have the advantage of swimming near the water surface, the same place the fy hover. Golden Pearls also works, you need the 50 micron size. There are other things you could feed them, such as rotifers, but its unlikely you would have access to them or that you grow them. Rainbow fry are very small and feed off the water's surface. So they need dust sized foods. BBS are out of the question for at least the first week.
You can find golden pearls easily if you google golden pearls fish food.
You can find APR in some fish stores, it is usually in the saltwater section.

In my opinion GP is better than APR. Both are high in lipids, so they should be stored cool, dry and away from light. 

I don't know if that new food Rachel is selling would work for fry but, it is worth a shot. 

Klaus 

Klaus


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## williamsonaaron (Jan 27, 2010)

Go buy some hornwart and java moss from you LFS and put that in the tank it should be covered in tiny living things for them to eat until they can take the Hikari first bites and BBS.


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## Bettatail (Feb 12, 2009)

if you don't have anything ready and in emergency, feed them egg yolk powder.

boiled egg yolk, finger crush a little piece and shake it in a bottle with water, then apply drops in the tank to feed the baby fish, be careful, drops! or too much will mess up the water in the tank.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

Bettatail said:


> if you don't have anything ready and in emergency, feed them egg yolk powder.
> 
> boiled egg yolk, finger crush a little piece and shake it in a bottle with water, then apply drops in the tank to feed the baby fish, be careful, drops! or too much will mess up the water in the tank.


Oh boy. I had NO idea how tiny they would be!!!!
I will try to give them something tomorrow.... Oh my gosh. Wish me luck.


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## unissuh (Jun 5, 2006)

Hmm, I think the sieved egg yolk is a last minute panic survival measure at best. Less than ideal as some fry might not take it, no movement to trigger the prey reflex and it pollutes the water like crazy. Relying on filter squeezings, plants and so forth is also a panic measure (not enough food for any more than pathetic #s of fry).

Ideally, you need a small live food to get them to grow best. Offhand praecox fry should be able to take microworms newly hatched, otherwise you have to go down to vinegar eels. The latter is a pain in the butt to harvest and doesn't grow fry as well as the former, but is smaller, so try to stop it as soon as the fry are taking the next sized foods. Both are easy to ship and culture, would be pretty surprised if they are not fairly easy to find in US.

I always go (except for herbivorous fry) vinegar eels -> microworm -> BBS -> grindal worm.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

unissuh said:


> Hmm, I think the sieved egg yolk is a last minute panic survival measure at best. Less than ideal as some fry might not take it, no movement to trigger the prey reflex and it pollutes the water like crazy. Relying on filter squeezings, plants and so forth is also a panic measure (not enough food for any more than pathetic #s of fry).
> 
> Ideally, you need a small live food to get them to grow best. Offhand praecox fry should be able to take microworms newly hatched, otherwise you have to go down to vinegar eels. The latter is a pain in the butt to harvest and doesn't grow fry as well as the former, but is smaller, so try to stop it as soon as the fry are taking the next sized foods. Both are easy to ship and culture, would be pretty surprised if they are not fairly easy to find in US.
> 
> I always go (except for herbivorous fry) vinegar eels -> microworm -> BBS -> grindal worm.


Ok. I'm on it. My mission for the day is to find something to feed these guys. I literally only saw one fry had hatched last night but I'm expecting that means more are on the way. I believe there are 15-20 eggs in there. They were laid over about 4 days.


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## ykh (Jul 21, 2006)

Or you can put them in green water and they will have something in there to eat.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

ykh said:


> Or you can put them in green water and they will have something in there to eat.


I don't really have any green water. I'm going to have to see what I can get rushed to me. Also be calling my lfs when it opens. It's a good one so I'm hopeful.


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## klaus07 (Nov 23, 2011)

your best bet is to go to your fish store and get some APR. They feed it to things like feather dusters. I have hatched many many rainbows this way and gotten them to survive. 

The problem with microworms is they drop to the bottom part of the tank while the praecox will stay near the surface. 

Frozen rotifers or FD would also work, but once again water pollution becomes a problem.

Vinegar eels can be easily harvested by filling a narrow necked botttle with culture solution until you reach the neck, stuff a wad of filter floss at the very bottom of the neck where it touches the culture media, slowly fill the neck with freshwater, wait for the eels to swim from the culture to the FW, and suck out with a baster or dropper. I use the medicine droppers sold for giving liquid meds to babies. You will find the vinegar culture water and FW do not mix.

Golden Pearls work better than APR and you can buy them online and receive them in only a few days. I get mine from either Gary Lang or brineshrimpdirect. Gary Lang, for those of you who dont know, is at the top of who's who in rainbowfish keepers and collectors in the USA. He gives out Golden Pearls (50 micron) with all of his rainbowfish egg cultures. 

Good luck....yes they are tiny and grow fairly fast the first couple of weeks ... they then slow down lol and it will be awhile until you have adults.


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## AesopRocks247 (Jan 15, 2010)

You trying to sell any of these once they grow out? I'd be interested!


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

AesopRocks247 said:


> You trying to sell any of these once they grow out? I'd be interested!


Sorry, I missed this post. I might. I'll have to see how many I end up with and if I can't find anyone local I will definitely contact you. 
I don't have room for 10 or so more Praecox!


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## Rich Conley (Jun 10, 2008)

I've been feeding mine Hikari First Bites. Just introduced a couple 1/2" fish to the main colony. You should be able to get it pretty much anywhere. Its a powder, comes in a little foil seal baggie. Its about $3, and should last you pretty much forever. I just stick my finger in so it barely touches the powder, and then brush it off in the tank. 

I've had pretty good results. I was at about 90% survival after the first couple of weeks, then I went away for christmas and lost a good chunk of the fry (probably some starvation and some cannibalism). But a good dozen of the 30 I had survived the week. 

They seem to take to it pretty easy, and stay nice and fat, and there's no culturing or anything like that. Nice and easy.


2.29 at DFS
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...3csegpl&ref=6111&subref=AA&CAWELAID=525409070





> azjenny said:
> 
> 
> > Ok. I'm on it. My mission for the day is to find something to feed these guys. I literally only saw one fry had hatched last night but I'm expecting that means more are on the way. I believe there are 15-20 eggs in there. They were laid over about 4 days.


You don't need to feed them the first couple of days. They're born with a bit of a yolk sack. Also, you probably will end up with more than you think. I always seem to throw a mop in and see a dozen or so eggs, and end up with way more fry than that. They're good at hiding them.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

YAY! I got to see one actually hatch this morning! I've been hoping hoping hoping that I would... It was so cool to see it wiggle free


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## barb1221 (Jun 16, 2017)

Fry: Day 4 in FL

I also have dwarf neon rainbows hatching in a 29 gal tank. Trying to culture infurosia phew does it stink, been brewing it for 4 days, don't see anything with a magnifying glass yet. maybe today. I am also using egg yolk water feeding about 4 drops 1-2 times per day, then also first bites 2-3 times per day. will look at amazon for golden pearls, but cant order if they charge shipping on such a small order. Fry are in a planted tank with hornwort & water sprite floating, yesterday I floated 2" leaf from my 36 gal that was filled with green hair algae there must be something wiggling in there for them to eat. Any help I am open to it.
I also started green water today going to put it in the sun when it comes out.


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

I got gold pearls from brineshimpdirect.com.


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