Severum Fry

Question
I had 3 Green Severum (2 Male, 1 Female) in a 30 Gal Hex Tank.  A male and female final pared and spawned on top of a flat rock. They both were very aggressive in protecting the eggs and made the other male hide in a small spot behind some decorations. So I set up a 55 Gal aquarium and moved him.  After a couple of days the male started beating up the female and made her go into hiding and quit eating. So I moved him too. Was that OK? The female is now doing OK and is back to her aggressive self and will attack the glass if you merely tough your finger to it.  I have probably 100 or more free swimming Fry after a filter incident where they all (and I mean all) we sucked up and stuck in the filter (Tetra Whisper 30). I have shortened the filter pickup tube and reduced the flow. I am worried that will affect the Biology of the tank. It took me a year to figure out I needed a pickup tube that reaches to the bottom. There is also an under gravel filter with two tubes that each contain one bubble stone. It has been that way for 5 years with great success. I read some where I need to increase the frequency of my water changes. I have been changing 3 Gal of water every other day.  Is that too much?  How long do I need to keep that up? I have been feeding them live baby brine twice a day.  It is cute to see their insides turn pink. How long will the mother protect them vs. eating or killing them?

Answer
Hi Chris,
 It sounds like you have a good handle on things.  In terms of your questions, you cannot change too much water.  In fact, in some systems, we have continuous water change.  

  The baby brine shrimp is a good way to go.  

  How long the mother will protect them is hard to say and an ongoing question that we work on in my lab.  You can expect her to care for at least a few weeks, however, we occasionally see parents caring for fry well over 6 months.  It also depends on her options for respawning.  A parent is more likely to stop caring for the kids if he or she has an opportunity to respawn.   

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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