FRY CARE


This is the most tidius task in oranda keeping. For me this is the most exciting part and must be done correctly. No margin for error because a single mistake during this period will affect the growth and health of your future orandas. Proper care means lots of good healthy orandas.

Always remember, water quality is a must. Once the water starts to get cloudy I move them to a new container. First day, once the first egg hatched, leave them for 3 days until all fertilized eggs hatched. No feeding this time and most of them are hanging on the walls of your tank and some in the bottom. You better start your brine shrimp hatchery. I start moving them to a new tank when they are all free swimming. Never feed them with anything, specially hard boiled egg yolk. I had bad experience feeding them with yolk. They cannot digest it properly and they start to die. You will lose lots of fry. I done it twice and will never do it again. I lost a whole batch, just don't feed them. Tank size should be small as possible but not so squeezy. Water level should be low as possible and at least 5 cm high only.

The reason why they should be placed in a small area is for feeding. Fry doesn't swim far. They usually stay in one place and all of them must eat. My recommendation is smaller space is better for the fry. A soft aeration is always needed from the very start.

No filter is needed for your fry. Small amount of aeration will do the job. But you had to move all your fry to another clean tank at least once a week. And no sun light please. Shaded area but not dark is the best place.

Sun light is not good for your fry, temperature can fluctuate in a matter of seconds and will kill your fry. Feeding will start after moving them and when they are already free swimming but once a day and not much and gradually increase feeding. During this period of delicate rearing, you need to prepare bigger and deeper pond for them with daphnia. Culture daphnia on this future home of your fry. Through experiment I found that this is the best place for them. After moving them to this new home, you still need to feed baby brine shrimp until they are a month old. Then stop the brine shrimp and they will start eating baby daphnia. If you have lots of daphnia for sure you will have lots of healthy orandas in the future. I always introduce floating pellets when they are big enough to swallow it. But for the mean time daphnia and home made gelatin food is good for them.