No aeration. No gasping. I was thinking it could be stress because the parent is ruthless. I was thinking of putting a mesh screen in there so the parent stays on one side with the fry and doesnt attack the others.
Gymnogeophagus Terrapurpura Growout!
- Thread starter The Masked Shadow
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Gotta be careful with aeration with these above-ground ponds. If left stagnant and the air temperature skyrockets too high, which is something that can even happen up here in Canuckistan so certainly a concern in Kalifornia, the bottom levels stay much cooler than the surface and remain habitable. But if you add aeration, you end up turning over and mixing the water and if the warm temperatures remain stable for a few days, the entire volume of water in the above-ground pond becomes unlivable, rather than just the top few inches if left stagnant.
I've had this happen here at a latitude of just over 50 degrees north; I shudder to think of how much worse the problem could be in sunny Kalifornia at...what...34 or 35 degrees north latitude? I had to fashion makeshift opaque covers to shade my stock tanks in the heat of summer...which, for us, means daytime air temps possibly exceeding 80F for a few days at a time. I had to completely discontinue aeration or other water circulation. How much warmer and therefore more dangerous are the temps in the sunny south?
You've just gotta accept that you won't be able to follow through with your original plan to raise...what was the number? Half a million fry per summer in a half-barrel containing 20 or 30 gallons?
I've had this happen here at a latitude of just over 50 degrees north; I shudder to think of how much worse the problem could be in sunny Kalifornia at...what...34 or 35 degrees north latitude? I had to fashion makeshift opaque covers to shade my stock tanks in the heat of summer...which, for us, means daytime air temps possibly exceeding 80F for a few days at a time. I had to completely discontinue aeration or other water circulation. How much warmer and therefore more dangerous are the temps in the sunny south?
You've just gotta accept that you won't be able to follow through with your original plan to raise...what was the number? Half a million fry per summer in a half-barrel containing 20 or 30 gallons?
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yeah, ditched that idea. The ponds now hold mosquito fish and Flagfish, shaded of course.You've just gotta accept that you won't be able to follow through with your original plan to raise...what was the number? Half a million fry per summer in a half-barrel containing 20 or 30 gallons?
@jjohnwm I can't tell if your agreeing with deadeye or not.
Do you know what mesh size I should look for as the maximum?
I can’t say for sure - as long as the aggressor can’t fit through would be good (however large that is).
I guess I do agree with the idea that possible separation might be a good idea, but I am not in agreement with the idea that aeration is necessarily the answer. I know that it is a bit counterintuitive, but aeration and the attendant mixing of all the water in the container, bringing it all to the same temperature...which could be much too high...is something that must be attempted very cautiously, with a plan in place to reverse any negative effects that might develop.
I put a lot of effort into setting up aeration for my outdoor stock tanks, and it almost cost me a bunch of fish.
I put a lot of effort into setting up aeration for my outdoor stock tanks, and it almost cost me a bunch of fish.
If I separated the mother fish with mesh holes so she can’t go to the other side will fry go to the other side and be without a protector?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, @Deadeye , but you should be thankful that you haven't gained as much experience in this area as perhaps some of us older guys have. I'm referring specifically to the experience of having tried numerous dumb ideas that have resulted in killing or nearly killing our fish.
@The Masked Shadow , I find that a really useful tool when keeping outdoor stock tanks is a remote-reading laser thermometer. You can point it at the side of the tank at any water level...right at the top, right at the bottom, or anywhere in between...and instantly get an easy reading of the relative temperatures at those levels. I'm sure its not 100% accurate, as you are of course measuring the temperature of the poly tank surface itself, but I think it's pretty analogous to the water inside at that level. In order to minimize inaccuracy, I do it on the shaded side of the tank; the dot is pretty much invisible in direct sun anyways.
I'm not saying you should forego aeration altogether, for obvious reasons. Just be aware of the potential problem it can create with regards to temperature stratification, or a lack thereof, in the stock tank.
@The Masked Shadow , I find that a really useful tool when keeping outdoor stock tanks is a remote-reading laser thermometer. You can point it at the side of the tank at any water level...right at the top, right at the bottom, or anywhere in between...and instantly get an easy reading of the relative temperatures at those levels. I'm sure its not 100% accurate, as you are of course measuring the temperature of the poly tank surface itself, but I think it's pretty analogous to the water inside at that level. In order to minimize inaccuracy, I do it on the shaded side of the tank; the dot is pretty much invisible in direct sun anyways.
I'm not saying you should forego aeration altogether, for obvious reasons. Just be aware of the potential problem it can create with regards to temperature stratification, or a lack thereof, in the stock tank.
Algal bloom. I did not separate the tank or add aeration. Babies are doing good - about half of them left.