why fry are dying?

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi
I have been keeping rift vally chiclids for some years now. I have been breading Frontosa.
My problem is the last two batches of young have reached apx 5 weeks old they all die off (one by one.
I have raised several broods before and did not have this problem.
I remove the mother directly after release. They are in a nursery tank.
I feed them on Brine Scrimp flake ground up.
There is around 15 young. I use a flufave 1 filter. With Carbon in it.
I have tuffa rock in tank to raise ph.
In the same tank there is 10 Alonacora and 8 Red Empress fry all very small.

24"X12"X15"

Micheal

Answer -
Hi Michael,
 Sorry for not answering sooner -- I was at the national cichlid convention in Denver and just got back.

 It is hard for me to say why they are dying.  Typically, in any brood, a number of the fry, even a large number, will die from all sorts of little causes -- that is normal for cichlids --  but it is strange that ALL should die, particularly at that advanced age.  

 Assuming that it isn't aggression from the Aulonacara fry, it could either be the water or it could be disease.  Assuming that you are doing regular, weekly water changes, that pretty much leaves disease, though if that were the case, I would expect the Aulonacara fry to also suffer.  

 How do the fry die?  i.e., do you find the bodies or do they just disappear?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>

-- Ron
Thanks for getting back. They do not disappear. The first batch started to swim poorly and died slowly one by one. The second batch were healthy one day then all of a sudden they would be laying dead all of sudden!
I one of the femails has just released new fry, and the other female is now in the nursery tank so I need to ensure I do not lose these two batches.
To help with water quality I have purcashed a second Fluval (2) filter. The new fry are currently swiming around the nursery tank. When the first batch of fry born they where the only fish in the tank. The other Peacocks and Red Empress babys don't bother the new fry.

Cheers

Micheal ( Ireland)  

Answer
Hi Micheal,
  Hmm... the kids aren't covered in a faint velvety covering, are they?  If so, that is velvet and is one of the diseases that I know (from personal experience) could cause that sort of death of fry.  That said, it is very unusual in cichlids -- it typically attacks things like killifish fry.

  If you feed them baby brine shrimp, do you see them eating and are the bellies of the fry red (full of brine shrimp)?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>