[Alia M]

So this is my first time breeding and the fry have turned 2 weeks old today.

I noticed by week 1 they started dying 😢 but it was just 1 or 2 a day so I thought maybe this is natural. I feed them fine egg yolk particles through a syringe but couldn't confirm if they were really eating it and the water would get contaminated very easily so I had ordered BBS.

The capsules arrived and I started feeding them BBS. It was their 8th day and I can see them slowly appearing to their new food and suddenly grabbing them in their tiny mouths. But also a good number of them would just stay on the top surface completely unaware/uninterested that there is food in the bottom. Some would eat and go crazy in circles, it was marvelous watching these almost micro fish eating their food.

But since the 10th day I observed that the mortality has increased from 2/day to 10-20/day. I have been removing most of the dead fry with a syringe to prevent others from dying. I also insert an airstone attached to a pipe and suction out 50% of the water through it and then slowly add back new water every 2 days.

But the mortality hasn't stopped and what I'm worried is if it they are dying because of BBS. I once read somewhere that BBS can cause organ damage to fish. Please help.

Hello there, it is actually normal I believe; to not have all fry to survive. Certain fry might be weak. I usually wash the BBS that I've hatched with clear water before I feed my fry.. Does the dead fry have any spots on their body?

 

[Alia M]

No the dead fry are completely white in color and as they decompose they also leave white residue on the tank bottom. Half of whatever fry that are left seem to have a orangish stomach after eating BBS, rest of the half seem to be white even in the stomach which makes me wonder if they starved to death and for some reason weren't eating. But also some of the orange stomach guys have died so I'm more worried about them dying than the white stomach ones, since these are my only hope.. View attachment 1037404

I'm guessing that they're having some infections? Probably there are bad/harmful bacteria in the water. Did you condition the water? Fry are very sensitive to water temperature and to the water as well. If I were you, I would transfer the fry to new water that is being well-conditioned. Ensure that the water level isn't high